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Ask HN: Seeking ideas for preschool/school projects

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Re: Ask HN: Seeking ideas for preschool/school projects

#31

Post by digitaltrees »

Kids love a projector that responds to their movements. So a movie of fish swimming that respond as the kids run around in the water.

I saw a cool one that had a water fall on a wall that became a river on a floor and the kids could take cushions and divert the river by blocking its flow. The 7 year olds would like that.

4 year olds like physical challenges. So you could use the projector to do a dynamic hop scotch or jumping game with Lilly pads.

I am actually not a big fan of getting kids involved with devices though. I think they need to learn to play in groups, spend time outside, and learn to be as physically capable as possible.

I think if you use tech it would ideally be to teach them a rule based team game where they have to work together, user their imagination and solve a problem.

Re: Ask HN: Seeking ideas for preschool/school projects

#32

Post by Modified3019 »

Have them try to ID common yard broadleaf “weeds”, which imo have rather nice (if small and hard to notice) flowers. Learning things like:

1. What conditions they like

2. How they behave over time

3. What insects are attracted to them or eats them

…puts them in touch with the world.

IDing grasses is much harder, even for me unless it has a seedhead out or you have a microscope and know how to use a species identification key, so I wouldn’t bother with those.

PlantNet.org has a pretty nice app to assist ID with photo, but you can’t take the first result at face value.

Re: Ask HN: Seeking ideas for preschool/school projects

#34

Post by underlipton »

Something perhaps a bit involved: 3D printing custom "counting" aids. I remember having the block sets that represented 1s (single, small blocks), 10s (a stack of them), 100s (a 10x10 plane), and 1000s (a solid 10x10x10 block) in class. Could make them something other than plain blocks, perhaps little figurines (apples? puppies?). Or take suggestions from the kids. Maybe something more relevant for the older kids. Then bring the 3D printer in and explain how it works. Making that connection between learning, tool-making, agency, and of course the specific technology itself.

Re: Ask HN: Seeking ideas for preschool/school projects

#36

Post by Franzeus »

nycdatasci wrote: post #19

Maybe just give some interactive demos to the kids showing the power of modern tech? Animate drawings: https://sketch.metademolab.com/ Generate music, based on ideas from the kids using Suno or Udio. Generate a story with GPT/Claude where kids in the classroom are the characters. Create images using Dall-e 3 and print copies so the kids can take it home. This would probably be of interest to many parents and teachers…

Can confirm the animated drawings. I built a company (dibulo.com) which does that (Age 3-8 mostly, but also adults and seniors seem to like it). We love that kids spend more time coloring than looking at the screen (although it is always a magic moment). We also do not have a lot of interaction with the screen itself and soon gonna add more and more educational elements to it.

Re: Ask HN: Seeking ideas for preschool/school projects

#38

Post by ddol »

ljlolel wrote: post #24
usgroup wrote: post #15

I focus on just using stuff with my kids. Things like piloting a remote control car is hard for a 4 year old, but they still want to do it. Playing Tetris on a slow speed, naughts and crosses, simplified chess, making objects out of paper, painting acorns, building train tracks, Lego, and so on. You need engagement first, in order to cause learning, and I guess any process that causes both learning and engagement mak…

You can teach a 4 year old chess I’ve done it many times (patiently)

I disagree. You can teach a 4-year-old the moves each chess piece can make, but expecting them to absorb strategy, or to visualise 2+ moves into the future is an unfair burden.

The following are much better perfect information games for kids. I play each with my kids and have listed the age when they were able to strategise 2+ moves ahead:

- Gobblet Gobblers (4)

- Onitama (6)

- Hive (8)

Re: Ask HN: Seeking ideas for preschool/school projects

#39

Post by sandworm101 »

Kids have voices, which they can control very well. Setup a mic, link it to a occiliscope-style display, the bigger the better. Teach them the difference between pitch and volume. They will enjoy "seeing" their own voice. And maybe some we learn about being quiet while others have a go.

Re: Ask HN: Seeking ideas for preschool/school projects

#40

Post by lubujackson »

A lot of these ideas are really advanced or technically hard to setup. There are a few books aimed at teach kids coding concepts without actually getting into coding.

I'd suggest make a simple maze on a piece of paper. Have a "robot" that will go through the maze they you will "program" to solve the maze. Then have the kids vote on the steps to take, and write them down as the program. Show then how the program will run.

Inevitably they will hit a wall or get turned around so show them how to debug the program and fix it iteratively. Lots of fun, interactivity and real programming concepts!

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