Online Safari

Want to get up close and personal with an elephant, but can't afford a trip to Africa? Is the zoo too far away for a day trip? There is are simple online tools that can bring your students up close and personal with some wild and exotic animals. Many zoos have web cams that watch everything from naked mole rats to cheetah cubs.

To use this in your classroom, locate an animal web cam of interest. (I've listed several below). Once the video opens, right click on the image and click full screen. The image will then fill your monitor. Leave this up on your computer for students to observe. Have them write down what they observe the animals doing or have younger students draw a picture. They can make notes about behavior, habit, animal movement, or the description of the animal.

There are several good animal web cams available. My favorite links are as follows:
National Zoo Animal WebCams- http://natzoo.si.edu/Animals/WebCams/

Waikiki Aquarium- http://waquarium.otted.hawaii.edu/cameras.html

Animal Web Cams - http://www.exzooberance.com/animal%20web%20cams.htm

Toledo Zoo Cam - http://static.toledo.com/zoocams/index.php

If you're interested in more than just animals there are tons of web cams available for viewing online related to educational topics. There are cameras for cities and various landmarks. A simple search such as grand canyon web cam will help you to find any that are available.