What To Load On a 4-Year-Old's Netbook? 742
nostrodecus writes "I have a nephew who is very young, but who has the techie gene — he found the Gruffalo on YouTube before anyone knew he could spell. Now he's almost 4, and I was thinking of giving him my netbook (Acer running XP), which I hardly use any more. So, of course, I will be deleting all the porn, but what should I load up on it? Are there tools/apps that I can load up on it to protect it and him from things he shouldn't see until college? Also, what apps or games could I load on it that a 4-year-old will get some use out of?"
Regardless (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Regardless (Score:4, Insightful)
Regardless of what you install there's no guaranteed way to stop your kid from stumbling upon boobs on the internet.
Yes, boobs in both senses of the word. And most likely he will stumble on to the idiot-inane-nincompoop sense first. Then the other.
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Re:Regardless (Score:5, Informative)
If you just want casual filtering, I would recommend OpenDNS. Just set your DNS server to 208.67.222.123, and it will quietly block porn, malware and warez sites. I haven't found many false positives either. It won't catch everything, but if you want to delay teaching your kid about such things until he's mature enough to understand it, it works well enough.
As for productivity software, try letting the kid loose on Blender. Open-source 3d modelling/rendering program. Might be a bit slow on netbooks, but if the kid's creative, he'll find something to do with it.
Re:Regardless (Score:5, Insightful)
The thread below this pretty much sums up my feelings here.
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It's too late. If you don't start them training with Blender before they can speak they'll never be able to master the interface.
Re:Regardless (Score:4, Informative)
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> Regardless of what you install there's no guaranteed way to stop your kid from stumbling upon boobs on the internet.
Yes, but that shouldn't stop you from trying. A 4-year-old should be on a whitelist-only browser. Also, put some discrete logging on the router. Better to know. I m
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Re:Regardless (Score:5, Funny)
I'm going to agree.
My 5 year old has his own account on the Vista machine at home. He knows how to load up Chrome. He has accounts on Youtube and Netflix and can watch what he wants whenever he wants.
It keeps him occupied for hours at a stretch. It really frees me up to go shopping and other things that would have been tough with him along.
Hmm (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm going to agree.
...
It keeps him occupied for hours at a stretch. It really frees me up to go shopping and other things that would have been tough with him along.
I sincerely hope you're fucking joking.
Re:Hmm (Score:5, Interesting)
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if you can't handle raising children who listen to you, maybe you shouldn't have had them in the first place.
Well, it's a little too late for that, don't you think?
Re:Hmm (Score:5, Insightful)
Seriously, just a generation ago, it was simply no big deal for a 5 year old to spend a short amount of time alone. By 10 or 11, they could spend the night alone, and by 12 or 13, they were babysitting other kids for the weekend. I don't know what kind of mass genetic disease has spread through the populations, but for those kids whose genetic code is still in tact, leaving a 5 year old at home is NOT child abuse. No matter what most state agencies say.
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I was better off for it. Locking our children up and wrapping them in cotton wool is exactly whats causing them harm, they are actually missing out on life lessons. No wonder so many kids are immature brats these days.
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Yes, child abduction is a concern
Not really, and especially not if there's no custody issues involving the kid.
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Absolutely agree. I wouldn't let my 5-year-old wander alone, but I have no problem letting my 2 7-year-olds, my 6-year-old, and my 5-year-old (blended family) walk home from the bus, maybe 1/2 mile.
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Re:Hmm (Score:4, Insightful)
yes there is. your post is the same assholery than people arguing that *they* can drive drunk because they know their limits so well, and handle alcohol so well. they don't, you don't, your kids are not exceptional, and your parenting skills are subpar if you think different.
little kids cannot be counted upon to be reliable safe alone for any period of time.add to that the possibility of an exogenous emergency or upset...
Re:Hmm (Score:5, Funny)
According to a study performed by the universities of Dublin and Warsaw, sterility is genetic. If your parents don't have any children, chances are you won't either.
Re:Hmm (Score:4, Insightful)
That's insane. What police state do you live in?
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It is a police state when parents are not able to teach their children responsibility by giving them time to care for themselves in appropriate doses. What is t
Ah, the wonders of rich societies. (Score:4, Interesting)
I was left uncountable times alone with my siblings (me being the oldest) from the age of 10.
Who were my evil parents?
A couple that had to break their backs working in order to see us through school and provide for us by means of their lowly paid jobs, one of them made a Masters degree on evening and weekend school, with the only purpose of getting a better paid job because it happened we were studying music, we were applying ourselves to it, and it was a bit expensive (my sister is now a professional musician, music kept my brother out of trouble, I can play one or two tunes and know more about Opera, the music genre, not the browser, that most of you will ever care to know).
We certainly had often an uncle caring for us, but it wasn't always possible, and neighbours around us had enough problems of their own so it was unlikely that they would agree to take care of us, as for paid childcare, go on , tell me that poor people can afford it so I can laugh in your face.
And why would they risk it? Simple: they knew us well and made a careful assessment of the risks and rewards.
Did anything happen to us? Yeah, one day we were watching a Japanese TV program, and it scared the shit out of us (Ultraman, old version, for some reason one of the monsters really sacred the heck out of us :-) ).
It is a real shame that nowadays people in rich countries consider evil to allow parents to decide how they raise their children, and how people jump in the the "child abuse" bandwagon with such abandon, like in the case that generated this thread, in which there is not the slightest bit of evidence that the original poster is leaving children alone, bar for the panicky reading of one of the many "do gooders" that limit their dogooding to enraged typing after a biased interpretation of a post.
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Re:Hmm (Score:5, Funny)
I'd love for you to try it.
Number One Observatory Circle
3450 Massachusetts Ave.
Washington, DC 20007
202-762-1489
Ask for Joe.
Re:LOLWHAT?!?! You posted your add. and #?!? (Score:4, Insightful)
People here are all talk. Keyboard warriors.
In real life, they are pussies and won't do a goddamned thing about it.
Re:LOLWHAT?!?! You posted your add. and #?!? (Score:4, Informative)
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
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I use Dans Guardian as a content filter and they HATE it LOL
I love the filter though and have been using it for many years. It has a wonderful where I can adjust the level of filtering based on the average age of those going through the filter. Naturally you can add certain IPs to not go though it.
Thankfully they have found no way to bypass it YET
Huh? (Score:5, Insightful)
Why in God's name would you give a computer to a 4-year-old? Give him a damn baseball or something, the last thing he needs in his formative years is to vegetate in front of a screen.
Brett
Re:Huh? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Huh? (Score:5, Funny)
Because taking apart a screwdriver is such an enriching experience.
Re:Huh? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Huh? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Huh? (Score:4, Informative)
By 4, most kids are ready to move onto the real thing. Duplo is for 1, 2 and 3 year olds who like to put things in their mouths and might choke on Lego, and aren't yet fully in control of their limbs so need the bigger size and tolerences of Duplo to avoid frustration.
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Yeah, why would you encourage him towards a life of living in his mom's basement, fighting brain-dead management, and with a computer as a girlfriend.
Oh, is that just me?
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Yeah, striking things with a bat or running around after balls seem so much better.
Re:Huh? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Huh? (Score:4, Insightful)
development of fine motor skills comes later--four years olds are still working on gross motor skills (large movements [slashdot.org] with even the fingers). This alone is reason to encourage continued outdoor activity as without it, there might never be appropriate development for the kid and it could affect a variety of areas in his life.
A computer does not prevent or conflict with outdoor activity unless it is used inappropriately. In late November in the US the sun sets at around 5:00pm, but no four year old is ready for bed at that time. Sure, there are books and movies and craft projects and family time, but these are not always available/desirable/possible. A four year old can handle PBS Kids just fine, and there are times when it is the best choice.
Re:Huh? (Score:5, Interesting)
In response to the OP, and at the risk of starting a flame war, the first thing that I would do is wipe the thing and put some flavor of Linux on it. Expose them at a very young age to the fact that there is more to the world of technology than Microsoft and Apple. My kids are 8 and 10 and share a laptop with Kubuntu on it, and they love it. I like showing them all of the stuff that they can do it on and the fact that I can load it with software that does everything that they want to do without having to pay for any of it or violate (admittedly dumb) copyright laws.
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Child development [wikipedia.org]
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Give him a damn baseball or something, the last thing he needs in his formative years is to vegetate in front of a screen.
My kid learned to read the spell lists in Oblivion at the age of three, how is yours doing with the baseball?
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Give him a damn baseball or something, the last thing he needs in his formative years is to vegetate in front of a screen.
My kid learned to read the spell lists in Oblivion at the age of three, how is yours doing with the baseball?
He can spell "spalding". He can almost spell "ambulance", but he keeps doing it backward.
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My dad gave my two year old son a soccer ball last month, he threw it down the stairs and grabbed my mom's iPhone. Kids aren't born with blank slates, they have natural inclinations. You can fight those inclinations, and the children, but all you end up doing is screwing them up. If the kid has an inclination towards gadgetry, support him.
Certainly as parents we will have to force our kids to recognize the need for physical fitness (just like brushing teeth, hands and household chores), and chase after them
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Exactly. We all know that no useful work has ever been accomplished with a computer, and since they weren't around when I was 4 it's safe to assume that there's no use a 4-year-old could ever have for a device that can facilitate communication, entertainment, computation, artwork, reading, document creation, or access to the outside world. Clearly a round, static object is a more useful learning tool -- if you let him read the Interwebs he might learn about gravity from other people's work, rather than spen
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Why in God's name would you give a computer to a 4-year-old? Give him a damn baseball or something, the last thing he needs in his formative years is to vegetate in front of a screen.
It's perfectly appropriate for a 4 year old to have access to a computer. There are plenty of times when it is not feasible to play baseball... Short winter days, rainy summer days, under-the-weather days, etc. Having a computer != "vegetate in front of a screen". There are plenty of things a little kid can do on a computer that are enriching. Of course he needs guidance. But he needs guidance in nearly every aspect of his life, just like every other four year old. You don't just give a kid a basebal
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I'd definitely recommend against putting internet on the thing until he's at least ol
Zoodles (Score:2, Informative)
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Start with a good hosts file (Score:3, Informative)
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+1
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Four letter word for a four year old kid (Score:3, Insightful)
LOGO
If he really has the techie gene, he will seriously best his sister's crappy pen-and-paper Spirograph!
Internet access ~= public access; Creativity (Score:2)
If you're considering giving him internet access, consider what it means. It means the ability to interact with random strangers on the internet. I don't mean to over-exaggerate the risk of this, but it's something you would never consider doing in-person unattended.
If he has internet access at all, make sure it's supervised.
Make sure there's some form of security/anti-virus. Other than that, let him run wild, and see what he comes up with, as opposed to what you'd give him :)
A way to turn it off and go outside to play. (Score:3, Insightful)
A way to turn it off and go outside to play.
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Yes. Especially then. It builds character.
Don't blacklist... (Score:3, Insightful)
When I was 4 I used to love playing around with a computer, I didn't have educational games or anything, I just to just play lemmings, or mess around with a word processor or something. Try to let the kid get used to using a computer at a young age for normal tasks.
If you really feel adventurous, give him a Pascal IDE or something.
Flash (Score:3, Insightful)
Say what you will about Flash, but there is a lot of pretty good content for kids out there.
Edubuntu (Score:2, Informative)
Install a lock on the Netbook (Score:2)
World of Warcraft (Score:3, Interesting)
Load up what he sees you play with, whether word processors, or games, or the Internet. Give him some shortcuts to get to the things you think will interest him. And let him go. He'll tell you when he wants something different and if he's having trouble with something. Oh, and for age appropriate things, he also likes Fisher-Price's Cool School.
How about the OLPC/Sugar system? (Score:5, Informative)
Personally (Score:2, Interesting)
Minecraft (Score:2, Offtopic)
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I was going to post this. My daughter (6) loves nothing more then to play Minecraft with me - which means telling me what to do constantly. Her favorite activity seems to be kiting creepers.
She hasn't got the coordination/experience to manage to play herself - she much prefers to tell me what to do. It must be a girl thing.
Tuxpaint.. (Score:2)
http://www.tuxpaint.org/ [tuxpaint.org]
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Agreed, my nieces were using TuxPaint when they were 3.
Xandros (Score:2)
I bought an EeePC which had Eee-Xandros pre-installed. I've found it to be absolutely fantastic for children with its big icons and really simplistic interface. It even came with a ton of pre-installed games and educational apps for children so it was clearly designed with that in mind.
The only issue is that I'm not sure how you go about getting the EeePC distro of Xandros without buying an EeePC (the regular Xandros distro is quite different and doesn't have the customised interface).
bumps (Score:2)
FreeDOS (Score:5, Funny)
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I don't think there are DOS drivers for the sound chips you find in current (from the past 10 years) computers, so no worry there.
how about a fishing pole (Score:4, Insightful)
Get your 4 year old outside and away from computers for at least a little while longer, my kids cannot even contemplate getting on a bicycle and riding all over town like we did as kids, most of the time on a beautiful day in Florida they are inside surfing the web, playing computer games or texting on their cell phones. Just saying...
Re:how about a fishing pole (Score:4, Insightful)
How about *you* get on a bicycle and cycle around in your spare time.
Oh, because it's not that much fun to do it all the time? Double standards?
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its dark here in Florida - I did spend today outside and not on-line :-)
Re:how about a fishing pole (Score:5, Insightful)
Tux Paint, Scratch, and Google Earth (Score:2, Insightful)
Forget the laptop. (Score:2)
Give the kid something physical to do. Something he can share with others. Stomp Rocket Junior [fatbraintoys.com] Thinking building blocks. Tricycles. Pedal cars. Toys that have been around for a century or more.
The photographs and videos you take of him playing will become more priceless with each passing year.
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So why aren't you doing that?
Windows Live (Score:2)
Here you go (Score:2)
If you would consider upgrading it to Windows 7 you will get parental controls that are simple to control. You can set allowed access times, game access based on ratings, and which apps the child can/cannot run.
Set the machine so it can only browse pbskids.org, which should keep him busy for hours. If you do this at the router level then you don't have to worry about the kid being able to defeat the filter.
I have a 12-yr old with autism, and as soon as he was curious about computers (5 yr old or so), that's
Jolicloud (Score:2)
If your computer can run XP, it can run Jolicloud. The kid probably lives on the web anyway and Jolicloud apps are mostly web apps. So load Jolicloud alongside Windows, so he can see that it's possible to be a geek without being being loyal to any one platform, be it Windows, Mac, or Linux.
Here's what my 4 year-old loves... (Score:2)
I've got a desktop in the basement with just a vga cable, usb cable and audio coming up through the floor. This way he (and, more importantly, his 2 year-old brother) can't damage the CD drive, etc. Tray-loading drives are immensely popular with the "break things" set.
He spends the vast majority of his computer time in Chrome, at:
Starfall [starfall.com] (by far my personal favorite, if you've got a toddler around, spend some quality Starfall time with them)
PBS Kids [pbskids.org]
Playhouse Disney [go.com]
Nick Jr. [nickjr.com]
We also have 2-3 Dora games instal
Scratch (Score:4, Informative)
While Scratch [mit.edu] is geared towards 6 - 16 year olds, it may be worth a look.
My experience with kids and comps/games (Score:4, Interesting)
Disclosure: I have 3 kids: a 7, 4 and 1-year-old. The first is a confirmed geek, second one is pending. The 1yo will, 10 times out of 10, find an IT device in a pile of non-devices and chew it.
Boobs don't mean squat to a 4YO (other than vague memories of food). More serious stuff does. Top things I am incredibly concerned with re early age kids and computer:
1. Teaching them to control and ward off gaming addiction. Yes, there is such a thing as gaming addiction, and it is completely not trivial to (teach them to) keep it at bay while having a life.
This is not a no-brainer when you're a gamer dad - they see me dump 300 game hours into a large-scale RPG, despite it being after their bedtime etc.
I need to minimize their exposure to ultra-violent games (Fallout, Borderlands), while focusing on games that have SOME developmental value. Spore and Civ are awesome from the moment they can read (they figure it out way faster than you'd think). Before that... I'll let other people answer.
I'm not against "non-realistic" 3D shooters and getting their competitive shooter skills up to scratch, even from 4yo, despite what my wife says, so long as it doesn't emphasize the violence too much (Unreal Tournament is marginally ok in my books, as is "Prince of Persia") (sidenote: they both do Karate and Parkour classes, so anything Parkour-related is generally liked).
The real problem comes in the form of MMOs, which, in year/grade 2 in school, everyone plays. It's lame dumb-ass web-based MMOs (Penguins and Mushy Monsters) with a multitude of flash games, but all their friends hang there, and the BIG problem is that the games are built around them NEEDING to be there to maintain their avatars more often than not, which undermines (read: DESTROYS) my ability to teach them to have a life alongside a game. So I passionately despise them and do my best to entice the kids with real games or non-gaming activities.
2. YOUTUBE. When they find the badger song, you're DONE. You can seek a good asylum at that point, and plan to come back when they're 35.
(ask me how I know).
3. Internet - I'm a believer in monitoring their usage rather than filtering it. Yes, there's a lot of nasty shit out there, and they're growing into a world where it's part of the backdrop they need to be able to contend with. From 4yo? You make that call with your own kids. I say might as well. If not at your place, they'll do it at their best mate's on a sleepover. It's not hard to find an unrestricted device nowadays. Any stuff I forbid will pull attention to itself, entice and pull them. If I don't, it'll just be "Yes, it's there, not a big deal, now where's the interesting stuff". .
Another thing that I found incredibly helpful (this was for the 7yo tho) - he got his computer in parts. He also got a paper with an OS matrix (with WinXP, Win7 and Linux), against their RAM requirements and gaming capabilities. And the CD/DVD for each. And I let them choose. Next project is to cut his wifi access on his PC, give him and old box and, if he wants networking, build his own linux wifi router.
As I share time on the first two kids with my ex-wife, they only live with me some of the time. I routinely pull bits (and break stuff) on my older son's computer, to train up his troubleshooting skills.
My 2 cents.
A notebook for a 4 year old? (Score:3, Insightful)
This is what I have loaded on my daughter's laptop (Score:3, Insightful)
Anyway....I've scoured around trying to find good content and have a good list. Steer clear of all the Disney and other commerical stuff, that stuff will rot their brains. It's also badly coded and mainly a vehicle to advertise to the kids.
This is what I have installed on her laptop. They are all links to flash sites as almost all good kids stuff is on-line now. Anything that you have to install probably lists Windows ME as the system requirement on the box:
1) Poisson Rouge (http://www.poissonrouge.com/ [poissonrouge.com]) - This is a French/English flash site with has no instructions and just encourages the child to explore the pages and work out what to do. It's probably the best site on-line for the 3-5 age group.
2) Boowah & Kwala (http://boowakwala.uptoten.com/ [uptoten.com]) - This is another French/English site originally made by a husband and wife for their daughter and has grown from there. It's more instructional in its activities, but has an enormous amount of content delivered in a great way. The two main characters (see the names) are voiced by the parents and are very funny.
3) Sesame Street (http://www.sesamestreet.org/ [sesamestreet.org]) - This one is a no-brainer...they have a great variety of games for different ages.
4) StarFall (http://www.starfall.com/ [starfall.com]) – A reading site that runs from letter recognition all the way to full reading. It’s got some very fun stuff in it.
5) WordWorld (http://pbskids.org/wordworld/index_flash.html [pbskids.org]) – A very rich and interactive reading site with lots of fun characters made out of letters.
Enjoy!
Re:Mac OSX (Score:4, Insightful)
If your kid is visiting websites which could give him viruses, then you really need to keep an eye on him.
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