[CLUE-Talk] Teaching Linux and/or programming to kids

[Dale K. Hawkins]

Nate Duehr <nate at natetech.com> writes:

> Generally if it's fun for the kid, they'll do it.  Good luck on
> finding some good interesting things for your nine-year old nephew.
> Uncle Dale will be remembered as "the cool uncle" in years to come,
> I'm sure!  :-)

I should hope so.  He lives with us, now!  I would generally have a
better take on how to do this, but he's only been with us since
August.  It takes a while to really learn what interests him.

I am think long and hard about hobbies which interest him with being
dangerous.  Computers seem to have quite a lot to offer (they did for
me).  I also want him to learn to work independently.  I am trying to
get him to explore, but Linux is a pretty big landscape and I am at a
loss as to a good starting point.  That is why I am leaning towards
programming -- it is what I know best.

I have shown him some simple things on the computer.  And he uses
Kword for his homework.  But what are some good hooks for plain-old
exploration?

Heck, with DOS, I figured out most of what it could do in a month.
(And I was pretty disappointed even back then.)

-Dale