Introducing Microcontrollers to a toddler

[iTpHo3NiX]

As my daughter gets older, I intend to learn and teach to my daughter microcontrollers.  I hope that by the time she is 10, she will be more knowledgeable in computers than myself. I never had a teacher or mentor as you will as my dad was interested in computers, but too involved with his lady meth to pay much attention to me. I want to start her off with something simple. So techb, what do you suggest (Others can chime in as well)

[Stackprotector]

eh, i think the best is to give her technical insight rather than a specific thing. And in the end remember, never force your kids to things you would have like to achieved.

[lucid]

As my daughter gets older, I intend to learn and teach to my daughter microcontrollers.  I hope that by the time she is 10, she will be more knowledgeable in computers than myself. I never had a teacher or mentor as you will as my dad was interested in computers, but too involved with his lady meth to pay much attention to me. I want to start her off with something simple. So techb, what do you suggest (Others can chime in as well)

Sadly, techb hasn't posted in quite some time, so I don't think you will get an answer from him. I also agree with Faction about not forcing your kids to do anything they don't want to. However, I'm sure if you're introducing it to her at a young enough age, you can get her interested in it just fine. Might as well give it a try.

As for the actual topic.... sorry, I don't know much about microcontrollers.

[iTpHo3NiX]

Yes I'm not going to force it, but I am going to try . I was thinking about picking up something like this:

http://www.frys.com/product/7938320?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

They have a bunch of things like that which are geared for kids. She's barely 1, so we'll see where things go.

[The_West]

Have you thought about a product like this. Hell haha I almost bought this for myself. When I was younger my dad got me into electronics he bought me my first electronics kit for Xmass.

http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-SC-300-Snap-Circuits/dp/B0000683A4

[Uriah]

https://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3814337

Thats the link techB gave me when I asked him about learning electronics. He said it was how he learned when he was younger. Also gave some links towards electronics books by forest mims but the links are dead now

Since you asked for TechB i thought i could be a little helpful with this in his absence

[Kulverstukas]

Been discussed before: http://evilzone.org/random/teaching-an-8-year-old/

[iTpHo3NiX]

Been discussed before: http://evilzone.org/random/teaching-an-8-year-old/

Have a cookie :-) I'll actually read it when I'm not drunk

[techb]

I would agree with the links to the other thread, but that was for an 8yr old.

For something that young, anything to hold her interest. Blinky lights and something interactive. The snap circuits are a good idea, but she;ll be more interested when it does something like blinky or move something. The important part is she understands that she herself made it happen and that she could do that kinda thing. But at around 1, come on it's not in the terrible 2's yet.

Something I have always loved and is the perfect project from people like us and down to the kids, it this one:
[can't seem to find the link]
It's on http://letsmakerobots.com/ but I had it bookmarked but it might be lost in time now, I'll explain the jest of it anyway.

Well, it was an Arduino with a couple servos to roll around on. But, it had some headers and color coded wires. Such as red is stop, green is forward, yellow is left, blue is right, and white is reverse. There are multiple of each color and enough headers to plug them all into, and it steps through the first header till the last and then stops, or loops if you wanted.

The kid can plug the wires in how ever they like but they know if the green wire goes first it moves forward. Then they can make it go where ever and know why it goes there and such. They might get curious and want to know how it works blah blah blah.

If it would be a boy, how about a bomb defuse prop/toy. He has to pull the right wire before it goes off, and he can set the time limit and stuff. Make it a game, defuse the bomb or clean your room. Make it like 6 or so choices of wire to pull, and have it be a random wire every time. So the house always wins (at least over time) cause of rng.

Now once they get to like 6 or so, then show them code and more intricate things. But the thing is, they need to see results. They need to know they are actually doing something.

$0.02

[iTpHo3NiX]

I would agree with the links to the other thread, but that was for an 8yr old.

For something that young, anything to hold her interest. Blinky lights and something interactive. The snap circuits are a good idea, but she;ll be more interested when it does something like blinky or move something. The important part is she understands that she herself made it happen and that she could do that kinda thing. But at around 1, come on it's not in the terrible 2's yet.

Something I have always loved and is the perfect project from people like us and down to the kids, it this one:
[can't seem to find the link]
It's on http://letsmakerobots.com/ but I had it bookmarked but it might be lost in time now, I'll explain the jest of it anyway.

Well, it was an Arduino with a couple servos to roll around on. But, it had some headers and color coded wires. Such as red is stop, green is forward, yellow is left, blue is right, and white is reverse. There are multiple of each color and enough headers to plug them all into, and it steps through the first header till the last and then stops, or loops if you wanted.

The kid can plug the wires in how ever they like but they know if the green wire goes first it moves forward. Then they can make it go where ever and know why it goes there and such. They might get curious and want to know how it works blah blah blah.

If it would be a boy, how about a bomb defuse prop/toy. He has to pull the right wire before it goes off, and he can set the time limit and stuff. Make it a game, defuse the bomb or clean your room. Make it like 6 or so choices of wire to pull, and have it be a random wire every time. So the house always wins (at least over time) cause of rng.

Now once they get to like 6 or so, then show them code and more intricate things. But the thing is, they need to see results. They need to know they are actually doing something.

$0.02

Great info and although she is only one I plan on introducing it to her soon. She is already fascinated with computers and loves smashing the keys about. It will hold her interest for a little when I teach her to press the keys and she sees things move on the monitor. I think blinky things and noises will work good with her. I still like the bomb defuse idea when she gets older. Thanks for all the input and more ideas are welcome

[lucid]

Sadly, techb hasn't posted in quite some time, so I don't think you will get an answer from him.

I would agree with the links to the other thread, but that was for an 8yr old.

For something that young, anything to hold her interest. Blinky lights and something interactive. The snap circuits are a good idea, but she;ll be more interested when it does something like blinky or move something. The important part is she understands that she herself made it happen and that she could do that kinda thing. But at around 1, come on it's not in the terrible 2's yet.

Something I have always loved and is the perfect project from people like us and down to the kids, it this one:
[can't seem to find the link]
It's on http://letsmakerobots.com/ but I had it bookmarked but it might be lost in time now, I'll explain the jest of it anyway.

Well, it was an Arduino with a couple servos to roll around on. But, it had some headers and color coded wires. Such as red is stop, green is forward, yellow is left, blue is right, and white is reverse. There are multiple of each color and enough headers to plug them all into, and it steps through the first header till the last and then stops, or loops if you wanted.

The kid can plug the wires in how ever they like but they know if the green wire goes first it moves forward. Then they can make it go where ever and know why it goes there and such. They might get curious and want to know how it works blah blah blah.

If it would be a boy, how about a bomb defuse prop/toy. He has to pull the right wire before it goes off, and he can set the time limit and stuff. Make it a game, defuse the bomb or clean your room. Make it like 6 or so choices of wire to pull, and have it be a random wire every time. So the house always wins (at least over time) cause of rng.

Now once they get to like 6 or so, then show them code and more intricate things. But the thing is, they need to see results. They need to know they are actually doing something.

$0.02

Lol. Guess I was wrong.