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There are millions of school kids around the world who can’t go to school right now due to the Coronavirus pandemic. That means there are millions of parents trying to figure out how to not go insane with the kids home 24/7.
A lot of parents are relying on one of the cheapest babysitters around to get through it all… screens. TV, phones, tablets, computers, etc. If you’re looking for some cheap non-screen ideas, we’ve got 15 of ’em here for you. However, even with that list, you’ll probably want some ideas to keep the kiddos occupied on their favorite electronic device.
There are no shortage of articles by adults sharing their favorite websites for kids to check out but I decided to go straight to an expert.. my 12 year old. She’s been spending a lot of time watching webcams from zoos, aquariums, etc. and below is a list of her favorites – in order – along with what she likes about them. So, without further ado, here’s a 12 year old’s list of the best webcams for the kiddos to watch until we can actually go out and support our local zoos and aquariums again…
1. Dolphin Research Center Live Dolphin Training Sessions on Facebook
We’ve had the privilege of going to the Dolphin Research Center in the Florida Keys and swimming with the dolphins. Since visits are down during their busy season right now due to coronavirus, DRC is now streaming training sessions and some education programs on their Facebook page.
What my daughter loves about these is they are interactive and the trainers have the dolphins performing cool behaviors for viewers (unlike static webcams where you may not have anything interesting happening for long periods of time.
You might enjoy watching too… nothing like dolphins jumping, clicking and engaging in other hilarious stunts to put a smile on your face. If you do check them out, leave a donation if you can to help support this great organization.
2. Otter Cam – Monterey Bay Aquarium
Sticking with the ocean theme, the next cam on the list is the Otter Cam from the world renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium.
As my 12 year old put it, “How can you not love watching otters?!”
This cam is perched above the otter exhibit at the aquarium where you can watch the otters swim back and forth, rub their bellies, pop their heads up out of the water, play with their toys (and each other) and just generally do the incredibly cute things that otters do.
The otters are active more at certain times so you may want to check back frequently to find them when they’ve got a burst of energy.
3. Polar Bear Cam – San Diego Zoo
See a trend here? Yet another animal that spends a lot of time in (or near) the ocean.
My daughter loves this cam because the polar bears are usually active and fun to watch.
4. Koala Cam – San Diego Zoo
Leaving the ocean (but staying in San Diego), here’s the San Diego Zoo’s Koala Cam. Even though they’re not extremely active, the koalas here are just “adorable, cute balls of fur”. I mean what kid doesn’t wanna watch cute, cuddly koalas.
This cam pans and zooms so you’ll get different perspectives and views of the koalas and their habitat during the day.
5. Giant Panda Cams – Smithsonian Zoo in Washington DC
Heading across the country from San Diego, we head to the nation’s capital. There are a number of Panda cams from different zoos, but this one is my daughter’s favorite. There are actually 2 panda cams to choose from here in different parts of the zoo’s panda exhibit.
On this cam, you can watch pandas chow down on bamboo, play in the trees and tumble around their exhibit. 90% of the time, at least one cam has a panda in it and it’s usually a pretty close up to the pandas so you can get a good view. And, it’s of panda bears so your kids will get a full dose of cuteness when watching these cams.
6. Elephant Cam – San Diego Zoo
Back to San Diego. This time it’s for the elephant cam that keeps track of the zoo’s herd of 9 African elephants.
According to my kiddo, there’s a lot of elephants to keep track of so there’s always something to see on this cam. Plus, they have two baby elephants who are super fun to watch because they’re quite playful. This is another cam that does a good job panning and zooming to keep things focused on where the action is.
7. Tiger Cam – San Diego Zoo
It was a tough decision, but for her last pick, my daughter went for the Tiger Cam at the San Diego Zoo. She just loves tigers and thinks the zoo’s tigers are fun to watch.
The 7 above are just a few of my daughter’s favorites. But she highly recommends any of the live animal cams from the San Diego Zoo and Monterey Bay Aquarium. You can choose to watch sharks, penguins, apes, giraffes and more. She encourages kids to watch these amazing animals and I would encourage you, if you are able, to give a few dollars to these wonderful organizations. Not only for the babysitting services they are now providing but to help them through the huge loss of revenue they will experience due to being shut down for weeks, if not longer.
