{"id":1506,"date":"2010-12-15T17:21:40","date_gmt":"2010-12-15T10:21:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wellconnectedmom.thewellconnectedhome.com\/blog\/?p=1506"},"modified":"2010-12-15T17:22:59","modified_gmt":"2010-12-15T10:22:59","slug":"top-5-things-to-do-with-your-kids-and-a-webcam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/top-5-things-to-do-with-your-kids-and-a-webcam\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 Things to Do with Your Kids and a Webcam"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Lori Cunningham<\/span><\/p>\n

EDITORS NOTE:\u00a0 Sign up for our $25 Major Retailer Gift Card Giveaway <\/a> from Energizer.\u00a0 Contest ends Dec. 8th.<\/p>\n

Recently, Microsoft sent me their LifeCam Studio webcam<\/a> to try out and review*.\u00a0 OK, so I have a confession\"Microsoft's<\/a>.\u00a0 I have not used a webcam before.\u00a0 I know, you\u2019re in shock!\u00a0 You\u2019d think someone who writes for the WellConnectedMom.com would have a webcam, wouldn\u2019t you?<\/p>\n

\"I'm<\/a>The truth is, I\u2019ve never had the need for one before.\u00a0 Or, at least I didn\u2019t give it much thought as to why I would need it.\u00a0 Perhaps you\u2019re in the same boat.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Microsoft LifeCam Studio webcam set up easily.\u00a0 It began working right away.\u00a0 All I could see was myself staring back at me.\u00a0 Needless to say, I was pretty boring to watch.\u00a0 But once I brought my daughter in to take a\u00a0 look, things started to get interesting!\u00a0 She loved doing funny things and watching herself on the computer.\u00a0 It was so fun to watch her.<\/p>\n

It got me thinking.\u00a0 I know how much little girls like to take pictures<\/a>.\u00a0 I\u2019ll bet my daughter and I could have a lot of fun using the webcam to do all sorts of fun things together.\u00a0 So I started surfing the Net for webcam suggestions.<\/p>\n

Based on my research, here are the\u2026<\/p>\n

Top 5 Things Moms Can Do with Their Kids and a Webcam:<\/span><\/h2>\n

1.\u00a0 Send a video e-mail<\/span><\/h2>\n

All webcams come with their own software.\u00a0\u00a0 Microsoft\u2019s software is called Microsoft LifeCam.\u00a0 The program is very simple to use.\u00a0 You can easily capture a picture, audio, or\u00a0video clip.\u00a0 After you have captured your media, you can:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0 make a movie<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0 send an email<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0share<\/p>\n

I created and sent a video e-mail for my mom.\u00a0 She was surprised when she opened it to see\u00a0me talking to her.\u00a0 Next time I\u2019ll send a video\u00a0of the kids with a message for her.\u00a0 What a fun way to stay \u201cconnected\u201d to grandparents without the need for extra technology on their side.<\/p>\n

Here are some other uses for sending video e-mails:<\/p>\n