[vox] age 1-2 kids Linux software

[Bill Kendrick]

On Wed, Jan 19, 2011 at 09:54:26AM -0800, Wes Hardaker wrote:
> >>>>> On Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:43:44 -0800, Scott Miller <scottlinux at gmail.com> said:
> 
> SM> Has anyone heard of anything like this?
> 
> GCompris actually has a large number of things devoted to really small
> kids.

There's also Childsplay, a similar app by someone else, using a completely
different platform.  (Chilsplay is C, Gcompris is Python.)

There are some kid-friendly Linux distros, like Qimo, as well.  Not that
I'm suggesting you specifically install a new distro, but it might be
useful to take a peek at the software they ship with by default.

There used to be a software review site run by a fellow, called
"Linux for Kids," but it's long gone. :(  SchoolForge or HappyPenguin
might be good bets.  On Debian or Ubuntu, check for "jr" or "edu" packages
(maybe in the metadata?)  e.g., Tux Paint is listed as:

  Purpose: learning
  Works with: image, raster image
  Role: program
  User Interface: X Window System
  ...etc.

Gcompris is:

  Purpose: game playing, learning
  Games and amusement: puzzle, typiung tutor
  ...etc.

Hrm, this might be useful :)

  http://screenshots.debian.net/packages?debtag=use%3A%3Alearning


I'd be curious to hear what you come up with.  My son gets plenty of
time playing kids games or simple video games on the Sega Genesis
(Richard Scarry's Busy Town), Wii (WiiFit, New Super Mario...) and
random other systems (Ataris, etc.), and we don't really have a spare
computer for him to poke on.  So he only gets computer time when one of
us sits down and plays with him (and usually that's Tux Paint, or watching
some videos on YouTube).

Thanks & good luck!

-- 
-bill!
Sent from my computer