CLICK & DOUBLE CLICK: INTERNET OFFERS FUN AND GAMES JAMMED WITH SOUNDS AND PICTURES

Kids love digital stuff. There's no doubt about it. And the Internet offers a lot of choices, pictures, sounds and videos just for kids.

Peggy: I saw the power of computing firsthand this weekend when my daughter invited some friends to spend the night. The computer became the most popular spot in the house as 8-year-olds crowded around to see what was happening on the screen. Amazing.

Joni: The Web offers something new almost every day. Here's something new from Disney, Timon and Pumbaa. You can get it in QuickTime movies or audio files. You must be patient to access these sites.

www.disney.com/Kids/DisneyChannel/timonpumbaa/_clips.html

Peggy: Yes, you can watch those hip heroes from "The Lion King" as they appear in a new animated series. What does Timon do when chased by spear-toting hunters? Mamba, of course.

Joni: Here's another one our daughters would like, the Spice Girls online.

www.virginrecords.com/spice_girls/index.html

They have lots of downloadable audio clips and streaming audio and video clips to choose from. Here's a favorite, "Wannabe."

Peggy: Here's the four-minute music video for "Wannabe." Or we can find out what the Spice Girls eat for dinner.

Joni: I don't see mention here of the girls' motherly status. Let's look for something a little different. Here's the Spice Parrot off the CNN page. Yes, it's a parrot singing a Spice Girls' song. Can the girls handle the competition?

Peggy: It's a toss-up in my mind. Here's something. I remember this from my childhood -- School House Rock.

genxtvland.simplenet.com/SchoolHouseRock/

Joni: You can watch all your favorites like "I'm Just a Bill." In case you can't remember, you can read all the words. You can either hear song bits or videos.

Peggy: It's downloading very, very slowly. But hey, it's worth the wait. In addition to seeing the video, you can learn School House Rock trivia and cast a vote for your favorites.

Joni: You can listen just to the songs, which come in much faster. The cartoons are very good quality. Here's something different, the Berenstain Bears.

www.berenstainbears.com

Peggy: Click on Barn Theater for some movie fun. You need something called VivoAction, which downloaded quickly and painlessly. You can watch three videos, include "The Berenstain Bears Sing and Dance."

Joni: You can dress up the Berenstain Bears. I'll dress Mama. It's just like a paper doll. You print it out and then select a wardrobe to print out also. Pretty cool. And here's an interactive storybook. What fun.

Peggy: Here's another site we haven't visited in a long time, Headbone, with lots of games for youngsters.

ykd.headbone.com/games

Joni: You can pick quick games, big games or Shockwave games. Here's Elroy, P.I., a small and only slightly grubby Internet detective agency. You find a host of cases to solve. Let's try our hand at detective work.

Peggy: Elroy isn't in the office, but you can read some of the case files. Here's one about eggnog, with many more questions than answers. You also must solve secret codes and other mysteries before closing the case. Here's something even better, Earthcam for Kids. My favorite, live Internet cameras.

www.yahooligans.com/content/wc/

Joni: The list includes such goofy things as a Beanie Baby Live Camera. Or you can take a look at the Kitty Cam. When we looked, the kitty was not to be seen.

Peggy: But the kitty has had 620,000 visitors since Feb. 1. See, I told you these Internet cams are great. We need one for the newspaper's Web site.

Joni: You can also jump off from here to the Digital Cookie page and send cookies online. Now, back to the kitty. Since kitty doesn't always position herself in front of the camera, you can look at Best of Kitty photos. No way.

Peggy: Here's another camera on a jar of jelly beans and a trash can. You can watch whomever comes by. The trash can is the president's trash, but we're not sure which president. Guess I'll have to check back to learn more.

Joni: If you're interested in the news, here's a site that says, "Who needs TV?" You can explore and search the CNN video vault for QuickTime movies and clips about news that interests you.

Peggy: You must have RealTime 5.0 or Windows MediaPlayer. They also suggest a 4.0 version of you browser.

www.cnn.com/videoselect/index.html

Joni: You can see the news of the day or take a look at their featured shows, like the Larry King Show. I want to see what Donny and Marie Osmond said on Larry King Saturday. You can also read the full transcript. You can watch the full hour program, in bits.

Peggy: I'm not sure I need that much Donny and Marie, but you can link to related sites for the Osmonds. The video is from just the last show, but you can read the transcripts from several weeks back.

Joni: Donny Osmond. Hmm. I felt old when I learned he sang one of the songs on "Mulan." I remember when.

Peggy: Yes, he was a little bit rock 'n 'roll. For a look at some other news, you can watch Hurricane Georges' progress online.

www.yahooligans.com/content/dl/school/weath.html

Joni: They give you lots of options on radar and maps and projected paths. They also link you with lots of hurricane sites, including one from NASA called "For Kids Only."

kids.mtpe.hq.nasa.gov

Peggy: The site talks about stuff like air pressure and how to make sense of the weather. Looks pretty cool and worth a few moments to peruse. The Internet is full of educational opportunities that are fun as well.

Joni: What's your favorite kids' site? E-mail us at click@semissourian.com

See you in Cyberspace.

~Peggy Scott and Joni Adams are members of the Southeast Missourian online staff.