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Ask HN: How do I give my son a head start?

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Re: Ask HN: How do I give my son a head start?

#141

Post by wiredfool »

g2046 wrote: post #74
axod wrote: post #64

buy Lego. Lots of it.

Legomindstorms - once they kids get older. Don't you find lego is very kit-based (you buy a box and get to build a specific "thing" - wouldn't it be better to buy some building toy which allows one to build whatever they want). How about meccano? (again not the kit based). What other construction toys?

Sort of kit based, but there aren't that many lego pieces that only work for one type of thing, everything can be repurposed if they have enough other bits and pieces. (though frankly, right now all thelegos in my house are in dump truck form)

Konects are kinda cool, but the variety of what's straightforward to make is lower than Lego.

Plain old blocks are the other big construction thing around here, supplemented with some rough cut rounds from our forest. Overall though, I'd say that the legos are used at least as much as all the other construction stuff combined. Ymmv, I've got three boys, 6,3.5 and 1.

Re: Ask HN: How do I give my son a head start?

#142

Post by wiredfool »

First, I'd say, be flexible. No learning plan survives first contact with the child.

Reading is critical, but I wouldn't push it till the child is ready. Once they're ready to read, it comes quickly when taught correctly. But both you and they need to be willing to put in 1/2 hour a day, every day, for a few months.

My kids love knowing how stuff works, and as a engineering type, I'm pretty well situated to give them some good answers and point them in the right direction. David Mcauly's books are good, esp. The way things work, and Castle.

Finally, throw away your tv. It makes them do other things that take brainpower, even if it is just playing with dump trucks in the sand box. Also, when there's no tv, the stories come from books (and from their heads), so there much more of a pull to go digging for hose stories in a way that will help them in the long run.

Also,YMMV. Kids are all different, and will respond differently to the same people and stimuli. So you have to change and adapt.

Re: Ask HN: How do I give my son a head start?

#143

Post by anthonyb »

teyc wrote: post #134

> He's 6 months old currently You're already 15 months too late. If you haven't started on Baby Einstein, do it right now. In addition, instead of teaching ABCs, teach him to sing Q..W..E..R..T..Y.. . Trust me, it'll make his life a whole lot easier. You can also buy DVDs where kids sing their multiplication tables. Unfortunately, the ones I have come across is in Mandarin. But why not have him learn a second languag…

Baby Einstein is crap, like most of the stuff which is forced on parents: http://www.google.com.au/search?q=baby+einstein+is+crap

Re: Ask HN: How do I give my son a head start?

#144

Post by brudgers »

"I was thinking that I could introduce him to things like BASIC not long after he masters the art of counting to ten but I would love to hear from you guys."

I was talking with a neighbor about how my son was growing.

I started to say, "Back when he was little..."

Only to be interrupted with, "He's only four weeks old."

In ten years, your son will still be a little kid, even though he leads the league in scoring, has a black belt, and can explain photosynthesis.

As he grows all he will really want is to spend time with you. Don't waste it. You're building a person not a programmer.

Re: Ask HN: How do I give my son a head start?

#146

Post by ryanteo »

"Teach yourself programming in 10 years" by Peter Norvig (http://norvig.com/21-days.html)? There's Alice and Squeak. Funnily enough, I actually think I was more fascinated by the map editor in Starcraft than the game itself. (Of course, I've only started picking up a little bit of programming recently.) I think for slightly older kids who would have fun building robots and physical things that can do tasks, there's Lego Mindstorm.

Other than that, there are 2 books which cover kid prodigies which might be applicable. "In Code - A Mathematical Journey". [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Code-Mathematical-Sarah-Flannery-Dav...] It's the story of Sarah Flannery, who got interested in cryptography at a young age due to her family environment.

Another interesting book is "The Art of Learning" by Josh Waitzkin. [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Learning-Journey-Optimal-Perform...] Josh Waitzkin was an American chess champion, before burning out at around 20. He then picked up Taijiquan, becoming the Taijiquan world champion.

Re: Ask HN: How do I give my son a head start?

#148

Post by ryanteo »

jonnathanson wrote: post #30

Another random thought, though probably for slightly older kids: getting into programming through game modding. Starcraft 2 editor, WC3 editor, XML editing/modding, eventually Python editing, etc. The bait is the chance to tweak and modify your games to make them more fun and personal for you. Could be a fun and pain-free segue into programming proper.

Haha, that's how I got one of my first introductions to programming too, through the Starcraft map editor. It's kind of fun learning through a game.

Many years later, for a group assignment on entrepreneurship, we submitted a custom map in Warcraft III that simulated competitive strategies among startups. We basically played Warcraft III in class while our lecturer was smiling approvingly. One of the most fun lessons in university..

Re: Ask HN: How do I give my son a head start?

#149

Post by KoZeN »

benofsky wrote: post #90

Make it clear from the start that success comes from hard work not necessarily raw intelligence, it took me quite a while to overcome this idea instilled in me by my parents (i.e. when your kid does something good, "well done, you must have worked so hard to do that" opposed to "well done, you're so smart")

Not sure why you're being downvoted. I personally think this is pretty good advice.

I never really excelled academically yet I became quite succeessful through pure hard work. Unfortunately I got a lot of bad advice as a kid and it was drilled into me that I would never be as successful as 'smart' people. Had I known that I could counter-act my disadvantage with pure grunt work then I probably would have been more successful from a younger age.

Re: Ask HN: How do I give my son a head start?

#150

Post by KoZeN »

edw519 wrote: post #58

Love him. Unconditionally. And make sure he always knows it. Everything else is just details. With this, things will inevitably fall nicely into place, no matter what tactics you take. Without it, he will be fucked up no matter what you do and will be coming to hacker news in 2028 posting, "Ask HN: I'm confused and depressed and don't know why."

With all due respect, this much is blatantly obvious but not necessarily the key to giving him a head start.

My father loved me unconditionally and I can't think of a single moment of my childhood where I ever questioned his love for me but with that said, my childhood was a mess. I sincerely struggled at school, I lacked any decent social skills and I was incredibly naïve when it came to how the world worked.

Whilst I'm happy that I've overcome these obstacles, I can think of plenty my father could have done to counter-act them in the first place.

Like every other father (and mother) that participates in this community, I would move mountains for my boy. I would happily lay my own life on the line to protect him and the question I initially asked was based on the assumption that the basic fundamentals of being a good parent were a given.

Now that those bases are covered, what can I do to ensure that he is at least one step ahead of the average kid growing up in a world where technology develops at an incredible rate and those who embrace this change storm ahead of the mean?

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