Path: utzoo!mnetor!tmsoft!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!usc!apple!vsi1!zorch!xanthian From: xanthian@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Kent Paul Dolan) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: software for preschooler Message-ID: <1990Dec18.163352.5965@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> Date: 18 Dec 90 16:33:52 GMT References: <1990Dec7.020450.8408@infonode.ingr.com> Organization: SF-Bay Public-Access Unix Lines: 30 ekins@infonode.ingr.com (Brian Ekins) writes: >Since Christmas is almost here I was wondering if anyone could recomend some >software (commercial or PD)that would be appropriate for preschool age >children (3-5). Thanks Well, many years ago, on an Apple ][+, I tailored a subset of Logo for my four year old daughter and taught her to program in this little language. There exists an extremely unimpressive, but functional, Logo for the Amiga from Commodore, and Logo as Logo is a wonderful way to make anyone, and kids most of all, comfortable with programming. You don't want to push something like this on kids who aren't quite to the right developmental level; you'll just frustrate them beyond belief, but if you have one of these burning flames waiting for intellectual fuel around the house, Logo could be a good choice. Another thing I did that little kids enjoyed was write a paint program in AmigaBASIC; my youngest loved to sit and draw pictures, then mess with the color sliders for R, G, and B for half an hour at a time. Go to your dealer and find the paint program with the _least_ controls, to simplify the interface requirements for developing motor skills. Your kids will get more entertainment out of being creative than from any game or "educational program" you can buy. A third choice: I believe MasterType exists as an Amiga Port; my kids loved the Apple version. This is a typing tutor disguised as a game in which you type the correct letter (to match one shown on the screen) to ward off the alien spacecraft converging on your space station. Kent, the man from xanth.