Ages 5+ · Digital Life · Devices and balance
Cameras and microphones
📷camera🎤microphone🏷️sticker🙋ask first
A camera sees. A microphone hears.The big ideaA camera sees and a microphone hears. Ask a grown-up first.
How it works
A camera sees what is in front of it. A microphone hears what is near it.
On a call, the people on the call can see and hear you. A grown-up decides who is on the call.
A game may ask to use the camera or the microphone. Ask a grown-up first.
Cover the camera when you are not using it, and turn the microphone off when a call is over.
Example 1: Find them
- Tess found a tiny round dot on the tablet: a camera.
- Tiny holes at the bottom were a microphone.
- Many tablets and phones have both.
Example 2: A game asks
- A game asked, can I use your camera?
- Tess did not tap yes. Tess asked Mama.
- Mama said, this game does not need the camera, and tapped not now.
A game asks for the camera.Example 3: Cover it
- After a call, Mama stuck a little sticker over the camera dot.
- A covered camera cannot see.
- A microphone that is off cannot hear.
Words to know
- camera
- Sees what is in front of it.
- microphone
- Hears what is near it.
- cover
- Put a sticker over the camera.
Watch out
- In the middle of a call, the camera stays on so Grandma can see.
- A big cape is too big to cover a camera. A little sticker is just right.
- Drawing on paper, hugging a teddy or building blocks need no camera, so there is nothing to ask.
- Nobody is in trouble for asking. Tell a grown-up if a screen asks.
Try it
- What does a camera do?
- A game asks to hear your voice. What do you do?
- The call is over. What do you do?
- Who decides who is on a call?
Answers: 1. It sees · 2. Ask a grown-up · 3. Cover the camera and turn the microphone off · 4. A grown-up
Try at homeWith a grown-up, find the camera and microphone, and decide when to cover them.
For grown-upsFind the camera and microphone together on your family tablet, and decide when to cover them.