Interactive Computer Exhibits For Ages 3-8?

Johnny Mnemonic writes "My company has the opportunity to contribute to a children's museum in our area. We are a technology company, so I'd like the exhibit to be computer/networking related, and to raise the awareness and understanding of how the Internet, networking, and computers work. However, children's museums cater to a pretty young age group, 3-8 years old, so the the exhibit needs to be highly interactive, durable, tactile, and yet instructive of the concepts. Google fails to turn up any turn-key options, and, although the concepts are computer related, a computer-based exhibit tends to be too fragile and susceptible to withstand the rigors of 250 preschoolers/day. How would you design a display that meets these requirements and is still fun and educational?"

Exhibit idea

[Anonymous Coward]

I assume that the exhibit will be American, so:

• Put an Xbox360 or PS3 with two controllers connected to a plasma tv in the middle of a pen, then release groups into it and watch them all fight each other over who gets to play.
• Let them try to operate a PC with Linux installed. The first three who don't cry win ribbons.
• Let them sit in a 3ftx3ft cubicle while their parents say within earshot, "The Indian kids are so much cheaper than our kids...maybe we should trade!"
• Leashing their necks to the rear bumper of a car 5 at a time and then driving the car around the block a few times at 3 MpH, for a little exercise.
• Bust the kids for child porn when it's discovered that there are pics of them nude in the bathtub.

Re:this

[seifried]

Considering these kids will mostly grow up with laptops and cell phones this strikes me as a definite museum appropriate exhibit =).

Re:Packet Data

[Anonymous Coward]

Good luck explaining packets loss to the parents.

Re:Physical logic gates?

[Anonymous Coward]

I totally agree. If they can't understand Boolean logic at the age of 3, they clearly should attend "slow baby" school instead of going to exhibitions.

Re:Packet Data

[TubeSteak]

Good luck explaining packets loss to the parents.

That's what twins^H redundancy is for.

Re:Anonymous Coward

[supernova_hq]

totally unbreakable.

famous last words