1. It's in the living room next to an SNES and an N64.
2. I showed her vscode, did a short HTML tutorial, and printed out some HTML cheat sheet.
3. Some modest games.
4. No YouTube or social.
Most of the buzzwords are not important (power, freedom) but I want something "unrefined". That is, a little bit of the 1980s, 90s "neat creative toy" experience but nothing with a Recommender Engine. No "digital crack".
As an entertainment product, it's definitely 100% inferior to modern software, but you actually don't want it to "win" a contest against:
1. yourself
2. other children
3. healthy activities
Recommenders and modern games are really strong. Do not invite strong, self-interested parties to compete for your child's time and life against yourself, their siblings, their friends, their neighborhood and their own developing bodies.
Common pattern: Wake up; play one cup of Mario Kart 64; leave it behind and go outside for ten hours. Or play it together. A cute little nice thing in its little proper place.
Oh good question so there is a neighborhood, we’re surrounded by playgrounds and parks with other children and in the summer it’s surprisingly easy to keep busy. I did get her a bit of a kit (flip phone, radio, skates, nice bag) and she is quite outgoing. This area is expensive (not upper class but price-wise) but it’s very dense and safe landscape for a child.
I should add. _Other_ children being on phones poaches them off, but currently enough are "let out" that it's not a total child desert. (This was harder for the previous child, long ago, so I think there is a trend.) A lot of them are given smart watches and she reports being teased for having a flip phone and not a smart device. I explained a little the situation as I understand and taught her some "cocky-funny" and "agree & amplify" deflections. This is a tricky skill to pull off but she managed.
Also also: winter will be harder (less kids out, short daylight) but she managed to get numbers and build "relationships" before winter. I'm so relieved.
1. It's in the living room next to an SNES and an N64.
2. I showed her vscode, did a short HTML tutorial, and printed out some HTML cheat sheet.
3. Some modest games.
4. No YouTube or social.
Most of the buzzwords are not important (power, freedom) but I want something "unrefined". That is, a little bit of the 1980s, 90s "neat creative toy" experience but nothing with a Recommender Engine. No "digital crack".
As an entertainment product, it's definitely 100% inferior to modern software, but you actually don't want it to "win" a contest against:
1. yourself
2. other children
3. healthy activities
Recommenders and modern games are really strong. Do not invite strong, self-interested parties to compete for your child's time and life against yourself, their siblings, their friends, their neighborhood and their own developing bodies.
Common pattern: Wake up; play one cup of Mario Kart 64; leave it behind and go outside for ten hours. Or play it together. A cute little nice thing in its little proper place.