With school holidays just around the corner, I am always on the lookout for activities to keep my children amused and out of trouble – whilst nurturing their creativity. I look for things, which provide a hint of educational value without alerting them to the fact; the idea of learning in their time, is of course, absurd. School holidays are for fun, not learning – there’s no way the two can be combined once you get past the age of twelve.
My latest inspiration is to provide children with a simple webcam, which, when used with Windows Movie Maker (free from Microsoft) can breathe life into toys and board games long forgotten – hidden away in darkness, at the bottom of their cupboards, along with mouldy sandwiches and odd socks. Webcams are easy to use and can provide hours of fun for children of all ages, provided they are used with adult supervision of course – as should all technology.
A webcam is a low-resolution digital camera, which connects to your PC; usually ranging from $50 to $200; they are a piece of technology, which people use to broadcast images across the web. When used with Windows Movie Maker they can provide children with valuable skills in animation and multimedia. Here’s how:
* Position a webcam above a chess game or other board game. Take a still shot after each piece is moved. Use Windows Movie Maker to put the still images together in order and play; voilà – Animation.
* Using the same principal, take still shots of yourself as you pull different faces. Use Windows Movie Maker to put the still images together and play – by adding different effects and changing the order you can achieve some interesting results.
* Use a webcam to record a digital journal for Nana; this can be sent via email or burnt to a CD or DVD depending on the resources Nana has available for viewing.
* Create a film set with Lego, Meccano, Barbies or whatever it is, you are interested in, and film your own movie. Windows Movie Maker allows you to add Titles, Sound and Credits to your masterpiece. You could even arrange a special viewing for family and friends – don’t forget to charge admission.
* Position your webcam on the floor and gently roll a ball or other round object toward the camera whilst recording. You can achieve some great effects for your movie. Toy cars are another good object to use.
* Film your own version of Big Brother or some other reality TV show. This could be something the whole family could do together. It might be fun to watch again in 5, 10 or 20 year’s time.
* Most boys like to be news reporters or sport commentators – I have no idea why but give them something that looks like a microphone, and they will instantly become a reporter or commentator: so perhaps a family news program could be fun – recorded over the period of a week and watched by everyone involved, at the end of the week.
One limitation of a webcam is the length of the cable – make sure you have a USB extension cable on hand, but not so long that it reaches rooms in the house you don’t want to be filmed in. You can do the same type of things with a digital camera but these usually cost more and may not be something you want your children playing with. The possibilities for creativity and learning are endless.
Email a friend
Favourites
Del.icio.us
Facebook
Digg
StumbleUpon
MySpace
Reddit
Newsvine
LinkedIn
Kwoff