Linux and Kids (Was Re: [Techtalk] My own Linux/Unix bookquestion...)

James james at james-web.net
Mon Feb 4 19:58:59 EST 2002


Unfortunately, kids these days seem to enjoy commerical Rug Rats and
Barbie, none of which are produced for Linux (usually...).

I think half the thing with kids and computers is that they are able to
extend their interest in something into computers.  For example, my
sister never really used the computer until she started liking this one
music group and started following their fan sites.  Then, we had to pry
her off of it with a crowbar.  Granted something like using a web
browser is available across any platform, but however things like Barbie
Fashion Studio that kids like are Windows only.

- James

> -----Original Message-----
> From: techtalk-admin at linuxchix.org 
> [mailto:techtalk-admin at linuxchix.org] On Behalf Of Megan Golding
> Sent: Monday, February 04, 2002 5:40 PM
> To: Tech Talk
> Subject: Linux and Kids (Was Re: [Techtalk] My own Linux/Unix 
> bookquestion...)
> 
> 
> Liss Tyson recently asked about books for children who want 
> to learn Linux and this has gotten me to thinking about Linux 
> and kids, in general.
> 
> I have a five year old and she's got her own computer. For 
> compatibility purposes, she has Windows 98 and does just 
> fine. I don't think I'll ever wean her completely off of Win, 
> because of the availability of educational programs with 
> commercial endorsements (Rugrats, Barbie, et al). However, I 
> run Linux and would love to offer her alternatives.
> 
> Since getting curious about the topic, I've found that Debian 
> has a kids project called Debian-Junior 
> (http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-jr/).
> >From the quick 
> look I took, it seems like their focus is a kid-friendly
> distro. Ok, that's a nice start.
> 
> Then, I found out about Linux For Kids 
> (http://www.linuxforkids.org/). These folks > seem to be a 
> clearinghouse for anything Linux and aimed at children 
> (mainly games and typing tutors). Like Debian-Junior, this is 
> another nice resource.
> 
> While Debian-Jr. and Linux For Kids are a good start, I want 
> something different for my child. I can find plenty of games 
> (educational and
> otherwise) under Windows and Linux alike.
> 
> I want my daughter to learn that the computer is more than an 
> interactive TV or teacher of repetitive drill tasks. So, I 
> was searching for some programming-related projects for kids.
> 
> You'll never know how pleased I was when I found the 
> following link! Remember LOGO, the programming language for 
> moving a robot around? I learned it on an Apple IIe and the 
> robot was called a turtle. Here's a link to LOGO in Linux: 
> http://www.linuxgazette.com/issue43/silva.logo> .html
> 
> Are 
> there any other good Linux programs good for 
> kids? I prefer to stay away from the games and flash-card 
> type stuff and prefer to focus on computer-related projects. 
> I want my daughter to see the computer as a controller for a 
> robot, learn some basic programming, use the computer to 
> automate tedious tasks, etc. Too often, schools push the 
> computer as a tool for repetitive drill, which I think gives 
> kids the wrong impression about what a computer is useful for.
> 
> Meg
> 
> 
> -- 
> 
> Megan Golding (mgolding at secureworks.net)
> SecureWorks, Inc.
> 
> Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition.
> 	-- Timothy Leary
> 
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