Filling the long winter doing things with / for your kids.

[Bubba1235]

Seems this time of year pretty much everyone starts getting cabin fever from lack of anything interesting to do and if you are like me I hate seening a kid waste hours in front of a video game day after day. So, how about something cheap that you can do with them and (gasp) is even educational? Heck, it may even open the door to a carreer for them if you aren't careful.

I am talking about a little known computer known as the Raspberry Pi. No it is NOT a PC, but it can be made to act like one. It is NOT a dedicated controler, but again it can be made into one. Imagine a credit card sized computer that costs a whopping $35 and dozens of web sites with examples of "projects" you and your kids can do and even lots of code to go with it. That's what you get with the Pi.

Lots of kids shrug their shoulders at new software applications or even apps on small devices (seen it all before) but when you get them into how it actually all works the majority take to it like a duck takes to water and the first time they make it do something they want the rewards and results have to be seen to be believed.

Heck, for $35 if they mess with it for a week and decided they don't care for it you haven't lost much and if you want you can use it yourself to play movies on the jumbo tron in the living room.

Forum rules won't allow me to post web sites but a simple search on Google for "Raspberry Pi" should get you all the information you could want.

 

[JB]

Re: Filling the long winter doing things with / for your kids.

To the devil with all those portable electronic devices.

Let Mom rest while you and the kid(s) prepare a gourmet dinner.

Go for walks in the woods. Discover new species of birds/critters.

Overhaul an outboard.

Build a scale model pond sailer.

Do something physical; get outdoors; burn calories.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: Filling the long winter doing things with / for your kids.

Tell ya what, I took the kids roller skating them other day and we had a blast!

My bride said to me...

"Ja, I couldn't tell who was having more fun out there, you or the kids!"

It was them first time in like 25 years I had been roller skating, super fun!

We made snowmen yesterday, great stuff too!

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Filling the long winter doing things with / for your kids.

Oh to be sure there ae things you can do, I'm just offering another.

OK, if you are going to dump on any suggestions other than yours....this truly is a pointless thread.

Just load the kids up with more electronics...exactly what they need. :facepalm:

JB as usual, hit it out of the park....embrace the winter if that's what you have for 1/4 of the year. If you get around to considering actual real life options to enjoy this time of year, I'm sure you'll get countless ideas....there are a million fun and productive ways to pass the time....and many of them don't cost a cent.

 

[r.j.dawg]

Re: Filling the long winter doing things with / for your kids.

Bubba - I remember back in the day, when we weren't playing hockey, my dad would always include us in his winter projects around the house. He taught us how to solder old TV boards, sweat copper pipe, cut 45's in 2x4's and biscuit joint them. Change a light socket on a lamp or rewire a plug. Sand down parts of the old Starcraft we had. Repaint the old Johnny. It was a great time and we learned a lot. It might be a bit old fashioned now, but I sure miss those times and my old man.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Filling the long winter doing things with / for your kids.

Four games of chess with my middle kid in the last three days ... we're tied at the moment. She's starting to really make me work for it

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: Filling the long winter doing things with / for your kids.

OK, if you are going to dump on any suggestions other than yours....this truly is a pointless thread.

Just load the kids up with more electronics...exactly what they need. :facepalm:

...or we all (need) and use at some point...apparently, unless you posted that reply using a homemade banana and bark radio transmitter?

(heh, heh...just funnin' with ya' Tim!!
BP

 

[angus63]

Re: Filling the long winter doing things with / for your kids.

I take particular interest in my kids school work during the duldrums. They even save their homework until I get home so we can work together.
Weekends we pick a chore to do together. Cleaning and painting the utilility room together with some blasting music and pizza turns a chore into a family day.
Hit the library for some family videos and pick up a quart of their favorite ice cream.
Plenty of inexpensive, rewarding stuff to do if you look hard enough.
I also remember to just let them do what they want some days to even the field and maintain the smiles.

 

[rbh]

Re: Filling the long winter doing things with / for your kids.

If you have cabin fever, and so do the kids, regardless what you do at least you have time to do something together.


Its a busy world out there, stop and smell the roses once in awhile.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Filling the long winter doing things with / for your kids.

Careful, pretty soon she will be giving you lessons.

... more likely than you know. :faint2:

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: Filling the long winter doing things with / for your kids.

We haven't had a chance to get cabin fever yet because winter just decided to kick in. Hope me and my daughter can get out snowmobiling, ice fishing and x-country skiing. She's been playing b-ball for the last couple months. That takes up 2 nites a week. There's a car show that we attend each year in Feb. Old stuff, muscle, street rods etc...........

RBH - I don't know about up there, but here the roses are froze! lol

 

[rbh]

Re: Filling the long winter doing things with / for your kids.

We haven't had a chance to get cabin fever yet because winter just decided to kick in. Hope me and my daughter can get out snowmobiling, ice fishing and x-country skiing. She's been playing b-ball for the last couple months. That takes up 2 nites a week. There's a car show that we attend each year in Feb. Old stuff, muscle, street rods etc...........

RBH - I don't know about up there, but here the roses are froze! lol

^^^^


"Funny stuff"

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Filling the long winter doing things with / for your kids.

PS: If you have anything you would care to say to me, or feel the need to make snide remarks again, please send a PM, I'll be sure to answer it but the rest of the forum doesn't need to wade through it.

Austin...or Bubba if you prefer,
If you feel that my post was out of line, that's one of the things that the mods can determine...that's what the little triangle is for.

As far as "snide' remarks, that's not what I intended, or feel that I wrote. I simply think you were dismissive of the first two responses that you got, and that's what I said in my post.

As far as participating in PMs, you may have forgotten that the last time I answered a PM that you sent to me, you responded with a series of childish and thinly veiled threats.
Why would I have any interest in trying that again?

As far as you worrying about what the forum has to wade through?? Wow.....that's a bit like the Boston Strangler offering to straighten your tie....

 

[JB]

Re: Filling the long winter doing things with / for your kids.

Getting testy, there, guys. Let's not find offense in innocent comments. This is an interesting thread with well meaning suggestions. I would hate to have to edit/delete it.

 

[aspeck]

Re: Filling the long winter doing things with / for your kids.

I actually looked into the Raspberry Pi because of this thread. I am going to have to order one and check it out. This might be what I am looking for in regards to our Training Center in Ghana. If, for $35, an SD card, and a USB keyboard, and mouse I could get each student a computer ... that would be cool! (Need to see what they need for a power supply.) Most students have access to a TV and occasionally Daily Steal has really cheap new SanDisk SD cards (recently purchased 2 (two) 16G cards for $4, including shipping - that is delivered for $2 each!). Used USB keyboards from Penn State Salvage for $1 - $2 each and a box of mice for $5. This might work ...

Thanks for the idea, Bubba!

 

[korygrandy]

Re: Filling the long winter doing things with / for your kids.

Seems this time of year pretty much everyone starts getting cabin fever from lack of anything interesting to do and if you are like me I hate seening a kid waste hours in front of a video game day after day. So, how about something cheap that you can do with them and (gasp) is even educational? Heck, it may even open the door to a carreer for them if you aren't careful.

I am talking about a little known computer known as the Raspberry Pi. No it is NOT a PC, but it can be made to act like one. It is NOT a dedicated controler, but again it can be made into one. Imagine a credit card sized computer that costs a whopping $35 and dozens of web sites with examples of "projects" you and your kids can do and even lots of code to go with it. That's what you get with the Pi.

Lots of kids shrug their shoulders at new software applications or even apps on small devices (seen it all before) but when you get them into how it actually all works the majority take to it like a duck takes to water and the first time they make it do something they want the rewards and results have to be seen to be believed.

Heck, for $35 if they mess with it for a week and decided they don't care for it you haven't lost much and if you want you can use it yourself to play movies on the jumbo tron in the living room.

Forum rules won't allow me to post web sites but a simple search on Google for "Raspberry Pi" should get you all the information you could want.

+! Bubba! I've never played with Raspberry PI but I can agree with your statement it might actually define their careers.

All the time I was thinking I was going to be an architect, but little did I know when my ole man kept bringing home the latest and greatest, a Commodore 64, then a 14.4k modem to hook up, then a 286 and a 386 and a 500mb HDD and ooh wow now we have a Windows 3.1 OS... All along I was installing the building blocks to what later would become a very lucrative career.

Fast forward 15-20years and I am now getting all the cool toys just as I was as a kid, only this time my employer is buying them for me instead of my dad. I would presume if I had a kid, and me bringing home all these cool new Ipad 2's and Iphone 5's and Galaxy Tablets and Phones they would too take a liking and begin a similar self education and curiosity phase.

It's a rough life I know, but I basically click around on the web all day, sometimes I'll pick up an iPad or an iPhone depending on how this website should work but its pretty fun... all thanks to that commodore 64 my dad brought home when I was like 10.

I cannot thank my dad enough for allowing me to do what interested me, I know realize when you're very passionate about something it can turn into a nice job as well.

 

[angus63]

Re: Filling the long winter doing things with / for your kids.

^^^^^ bit rate, baud rate, handshake, polarity, channel, ascii, etc... Now I spend $3.99 to buy what took me weeks when I started with these dreaded machines. How many winter hours did we burn learning and applying ones and zeros?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Filling the long winter doing things with / for your kids.

How many winter hours did we burn learning and applying ones and zeros?

I am still working on those ones and zeros! Every single day!