I've looked around all last night and this morning. So far I've found a few Kids Computer teaching aids, but nothing that looks as nice as Kano and usually their more expensive! Sorry, thought I might be able to find something!

Thank you so much for spending time on this. I really appreciate it! The Kano does look great except for the folks that had problems with it and reported them on Amazon. I don't want to make more work for his parents.

If it were at all possible I'd be happy to teach them! I'm sure a few others here would also do it too! Have you ever thought about teaching them yourself? You could buy the parts to build yourself a new computer and have them help you build it! Or like I stated above, buy a couple of old computers and have them experiment with them, seeing if they can get them running.

I wish I could teach them but it's not possible at this time for many reasons. One of my first computer classes 15 years ago was building a computer. I wish I could take it again now that computers make more sense.

Computers are pretty much just plugging in the Hardware and installing the Operating system. Nothing like it was 15-20 years ago! There are lots of YouTube Videos on building computers! YouTube could always help you out. You buy the hardware and YouTube could teach!

I forgot to say thank you for offering to teach them! The idea of having them build one from scratch sounds really good, but I need to wait until I have more free time. In addition to teaching them their father and grandfather could learn it as well.

As usual my friends on GardenWeb have fabulous ideas and I so appreciate you sharing them with me.

Ginny

A Raspberry Pi? They would certainly fit in the budget.

I don't know how beneficial learning how to "build" a computer would be these days given that mainstream machines are mostly commodity items.

Might be more beneficial to learn how to program. Look into Arduino as well.

Mike, I don't disagree with that! But even with Programming you need to be in the right place at the right time! My son has two Degrees in Programming and is still unemployed, he's not the only one I know either. I have a step son that is in the same boat. He is most likely the smartest person I've ever known but can't find a job! Part of his problem is that he can't function in the real world (Absolutely No Personality, No Common Sense, etc...).

The reason I'd say to go with something like building a computer is because it a Hands on project and these are young kids! The two I spoke of above have both built their own computers before. But they both chose to go the programming direction! Programming can always come later! Myself, I took a couple of programming classes and it wasn't my cup of coffee (I hate tea)!

Great Idea!

Facebook keeps advertising these to me.

Dash & Dot
Little Bits Learn to Code

The thing about programming is every time there is a boom, they hastily train a bunch of techies with a shallow understanding of the latest languages and software, and throw money at them. Then when their is a bust, the ones that aren't able to stay employed in computers and "wait it out" end up with obsolete skills. Then they whine that no one knows computers. I find computer programmers with a background in math or engineering have longer careers...although ones with far less training can do very well if they have the luck to enter the workforce at the right moment\.

I think some of their trouble is that they are really not living in an Area Where Computer Programming is big. Both are extremely Intelligent, with Background in Mathematics. Only one of them has a Degree in Engineering (Step Son). My son I know for a fact Aced every class he took for his degrees, I assume my Step son did also (but don't know 100% for sure). Like I said above, he is the smartest person I've ever met!