I promised my kid they’d get a laptop when they learn to read well enough.
This turned out to be a good motivator and they can now read full books.
The kid likes competitions and challenges. I would like to come up with tasks they can learn to do with the laptop.
The reason I want my children to have access to a computer specifically, is that while TVs and phones are used to consume, computers are used to create.
I will be installing some Linux flavor on this machine, as it is a bit dated.
I was thinking about things like:
- Write a short story
- Install a graphics editing program
- Draw a picture of a cat
To get them started.
Probably I need some easier ones first.
Really depends on what they’re into in general, but if they show interest in coding, I’d recommend Scratch. It’s a coding platform made (primarily) for kids, I got really into it once, and still tinker with it sometimes. I’d say that Scratch is easy to learn, hard to master, and fun.
You could do what my dad did and accidently delete some of the system files, leaving it for your kid to fix.
The reason I want my children to have access to a computer specifically, is that while TVs and phones are used to consume, computers are used to create.
Joking aside, that’s an interesting perspective. I hadnt really thought of it that way before, despite using a computer to create things almost every day.
You could do what my dad did and accidently delete some of the system files, leaving it for your kid to fix.
Now I assume this thread is full of folks trying to figure out if we found our siblings Lemmy account…
You could install something like LMMS and let them experiment with making their own music (without needing recording equipment or learning real instruments yet).
Oh hey I didn’t know about LMMS, this is definitely going on the list!
Does your kid like minecraft? Make a game with them on the minetest/luanti engine. For a base game you can use Minetest Game or a minecraft clone like Mineclonia and follow this modding book. Have the kid make 16x16px textures in gimp and you can rtegister some modded blocks Its as easy as this:
minetest.register_node(“default:stone”, { description = S(“Stone”), tiles = {“default_stone.png”}, groups = {cracky = 3, stone = 1}, drop = “default:cobble”, legacy_mineral = true, sounds = default.node_sound_stone_defaults(), })
What a great idea, I have been looking for ways to get them into programming in a fun way.
Have him open it up, clean the dust, and put it back together again.
I was actually considering a desktop PC for this reason…
Some laptops are ok, my old clevo was 9 screws and the entire back slides off.
Some laptops are terrible, my current MSI is like 14 screws and 20 clips. For some reason the MSI just doesn’t get cleaned as often.
Need to see how bad it is. It’s an old Lenovo business computer of some sort. My own old Lenovo is just a few screws but a mazillion plastic clips.
Plastic clips are hell. At least screws tend not to break. On the plus side if it’s old and doesn’t matter, a few broken clips won’t stop it running.
Adding to this, to have them learn about static build up and how to ground themselves before touching anything in an electronic device. PC/laptop in particular.
Maybe something creative, like making a poster in libre office?
I remember when i was 10-ish ms Word 97 was the shit. I liked to use word art to create and print my name and other texts. Children this age like to be creative if you show him a program and let him loose exploring it, he’ll learn a lot.
Scratch (programming suite) or ScratchJR to start
Tobbie2 robot (STEM focus, build the robot and then program the BBC micro:bit board inside)
GCompris - educational games
Anki - flashcard based learning, of many downloadable topics(whatever their interests are)
Ktuberling - Mr Potatohead, scene creator
Powdertoy - Falling sand sandbox physics program. Can be fun(TNT) or serious, plenty of downloadable creations like: nuclear reactor, steam turbine, car(ICE) etc
You can make an image of the / drive so it’s easier to restore if they break the system.
I you can slowly teach them to use the command line, if they can read fluently using the cli shouldn’t be that hard. You can teach them the basic commands, and teach them to install a program with apt.
Also, you said write a short story? The teach them vim (or emacs if you prefer that).
You can install vmpk (or some other music keyboard emulation program) so they can play some music. And if they get more interested get them LMMS and later ardour + advanced stuff.
Krita is a super nice program to draw, and colour (tho no fun without a drawing tablet), maybe you can teach them vectorial drawing on inkscape. And if they like it then install Blender and go 3D.
Teach them to launch Vim, and they can spend their remaining computer use time using Vim.
Unless they figure out how to exit vim, then please have them come teach me how.
Sorry. I will see myself out.
https://vimsnake.com/ is a good one for getting used to vim.
That’s so cool. This should also help with all those roguelikes that map vim navigation!
You can make an image of the / drive so it’s easier to restore if they break the system.
That’s good advice. I always meant to do that with computers my kids access.
Although I haven’t ever had my kids break a Linux Mint install. I set them up as non-sudo users and that was enough.
Of course, they grew older and have sudo now, so I should actually think about taking a drive image, now.
My kids have Raspberry Pi 400s (which I ought to upgrade to 500s, as they complain about them being too slow).
I think those specifically are a good choice for this use-case because they come with a big (physical, paper!) book that teaches kids all sorts of stuff that can be done with them.
A great skill to have in life regsthing computers is typing fast, so give him the challenge to reach a certain wpm
IT guy here, I disagree, typing fast isn’t really useful enough to dedicate focus to.
I have never formally learned typing fast, I developed my own version of touch typing as I gamed and typed as I grew up.
I am a decently quick typist when typing normally, but my speed absolutely plummet when I do typing speed tests, I find it increadibly annoying to retype stuff from the screen.
Typing speed in and of itself is fairly meaningless, once you have gone beyond the hunt-and-peck stage.
take a look at endless os.
https://www.endlessglobal.com/foundation/access/operating-system
specifically, the ‘full’ install with all the goodies and content ‘preinstalled’.
notes from personal experience (i use endless at home): don’t be tempted by the ability to install alongside windows and dual boot. it’s not optimal by any stretch. that configuration uses windows as the boot manager (windows has to basically boot to get to that menu), and endless and its data is then stored in a loop device (slow, especially with old hdd). do a normal install (use the ‘advanced’ option in the windows installer to make an ‘endless usb stick’ then choose the ‘full’ image). you will need a 64gb flash drive for an english language ‘full’ installer of the current (6.0.8) version.
I learnt as a 5 year old typing stuff into DOS because I wanted to play games on it.
What do your kids want to do at the computer? That drive will make them motivated learners.
An arduino would pair well and do some pretty cool stuff, maybe motivate them towards coding. They make some Lego compatible projects too. Maybe also typing challenge games or offline only minecraft
I made them a rainbow light thing from an ESP32. Need to fix that with them.
The first thing I did in Linux was to change my wallpaper/ UI and Icon themes.
Maybe these would be really easy first challenges that a child would look into anyways, to make the system feel like theirs. I remember constantly changing wallpapers when I was a kid. I wonder what I’d had done with the options Linux offered.
Further down the line I’d explain
sudo apt update/ upgrade (or equivalent)to them, so they can do some basic maintenance.Maybe coming up with coded messages? With a code language.
(they don’t need to be difficult)
