Advice needed....

stefanhendriks · May 4, 2005

I am developing a website for children. Basicly i will develop very simple, fun looking, but also 'educational' software. I don't have any artists that work with me yet, and if there are any, they are free to mail me. Anyhow, that is not the seek for advice:

The website is just 1 day old now. Its in its bare-bones. Basicly the design is finished, but i wonder if this will be sufficient. Do note, it is english for the moment, and i will probably make a dutch translation for it.

The website name is "4 Kids" , pronounce it to get the idea...

URL: http://www.fundynamic.nl/4kids

the questions about the site:

- will children find their information easily enough?

- will parents find their information easily enough?

- hints on linking?

- hints on design?

- other comments?

Questions regarding games/software for children:

- should one program support 1 'type of age' or a wide range?

- how?

- what do you think that children really need to learn?

My introduction game will be 'simon'.

Its a principle based on "Simon says". The game will consist out of 4 squares (for a good differentiation i will make this optional, ranging from 2 till perhaps 6 'squares'). The game will 'lit up' (optional) and make a sound (optional as well!). It begins with 1, and you have to repeat the sequence. After each correct repeat of the sequence, the computer will add one new square color.

Example:

RED

RED , YELLOW

RED , YELLOW, GREEN

RED , YELLOW, GREEN, RED

I think children learn a few things from this:

- train their memory

- based upon the options, they either train it visually only, or auditive. Or both (in combination)

to make this game more attractive for 'older' children (age 10/11/12) i am thinking of having cool pictures, with cars, and so forth. I need some cool cartoonish gfx for this though...

This is just a start. Basicly the entire 4KIDS program package should consist out of an introduction, where a child can set up his 'account' and launch programs from there. The main program receives data from the other programs and will calculate a score out of that. THats the idea...

i have nothing written in code so far...

comments are welcome. I feel like this will be a cool and neat project to do that actually has something to do with my field of 'study' at the moment ;)

Thanks in advance!

Terror · May 5, 2005

I have no tips yet. Except that I realy hate the overabundance of 2, instead of 'too/to' or 4 instead of 'for'. It may be popular but I don't think that it makes the kids any better.

nemafakei · May 5, 2005

I don't know much about children, but I don't think they need you to teech them text messaging language / leet.

Dunenewt · May 5, 2005

No, you need to teach them proper English.

stefanhendriks · May 6, 2005

Actually i think 'l33t' can be used in a way to extend the knowledge of language. Its a auditive discrimination that makes us write words as we 'hear' them. But taking this beyond this extend we can even use numbers to create a sort of 'alphabet'. Not that i think children must write this way, i do think that using this will make it more next to the childrens 'world'.

Anyhow, its also a name, not a sentence ;)

Cyborg · May 6, 2005

The problem with introducing leet to children is that they tend to like it more than proper language.

And for the "civilized" world, it's so annoying.

stefanhendriks · May 6, 2005

A civilized world knows many different languages and accepts them as well. Actually every country has a problem with 'different languages by kids' already. The only 'problem' here is that you can read it...

There is no such thing as l33t speak by kids, its just 'their' language. Like SMS language. MSN language. And so forth. You can't stop this development. You can try to understand it, before you're way beyond your time ;)

Ow, and the real world does not give a ... for leet speak or whatever. I don't think schools will suddendly give you an A+ on english lessons when kids write down l33t speak. Kids know the difference. And i think, everybody has. I can't possibly imagine for one that everybody SPEAKS as he WRITES... just to name a thought.

exatreide · May 6, 2005

No ,leet must be eradicated at all costs, its source hunted down and sqaushed, its freinds slaughterd and butcherd.

Just because people speak ebonics, doesn't mean its taught.

gryphon · May 6, 2005

There is no such thing as l33t speak by kids, its just 'their' language. Like SMS language. MSN language. And so forth. You can't stop this development. You can try to understand it, before you're way beyond your time ;)

It might be a development youngsters are enforcing .. but then some linguistics might say that introducing typo's into a language to make it simpler is not a good way of progress.

Rememer the saying the more complex the language the more advanced the society is related to that language...

nemafakei · May 7, 2005

There's a school of linguistics which basically says that there's no 'right' way of doing things, and any development is a valid one. On the other hand, there is a practical question surrounding the ability to communicate. If developments like 'leet' become more conventional for some than the standard, then the language will begin to diverge, and people may have serious problems communicating.

Tako · May 7, 2005

Well I like the idea,, because you are aming at the children at the age of 10-12 it must be apealing to them. Children of that age already speak leet at MSN and SMS so why bother about that. If you want a website that is truly for those children you might want to speak like they do. That way the children will be more interested in your website.

Also I'd like to know if the website is to teach them leet or if it is intended as a educational site overall, not only writing skills.

If you want to do something about the leet language you could develop a game that challanges the kids to write a proper letter something like:

The following is a letter between you and your friends but: it is a schoolproject and the teacher will not accept this,

DO: re-write the letter in proper english (dutch, french etc) so you can give this to your teacher

The children will have to take out the leet and replace them with "proper"words

stefanhendriks · May 7, 2005

No ,leet must be eradicated at all costs, its source hunted down and sqaushed, its freinds slaughterd and butcherd.
Just because people speak ebonics, doesn't mean its taught.

lol, when thinking of that, lets hunt down everybody who does not speak dutch! :P

gryphon · May 7, 2005

lol, when thinking of that, lets hunt down everybody who does not speak dutch! :P

You should visit Amsterdam or Rotterdam . . think half of the people there don't even know what Dutch is . . .

Khan · May 7, 2005

You should visit Amsterdam or Rotterdam . . think half of the people there don't even know what Dutch is . . .

That's 'cos it sounds silly... ;).

Tako · May 7, 2005

You just bumped yourself to the top of the list Khan >:(

do not toy with the dutch we are not silly :-*

stefanhendriks · May 7, 2005

i know what he means, but we are not talking about 'dutch people' but we are talking about the dutch language. Besides that, when you really go back in the past, the human race once lived on the one same piece of land.... :P

Khan · May 7, 2005

And it was kinda supposed to be a joke, heh.

Tako · May 7, 2005

I know jeesh, gotta work on my sarcasm :-X

but still my idea for the game was good was'nt it nice solution

Kiyouta · May 7, 2005

You just bumped yourself to the top of the list Khan >:(

Khan why do you insist on causing kafuffles? :-

Nice site btw, kids like colour I suppose. I thought dutch people are colourblind tho? ;)

Khan · May 8, 2005

I know jeesh, gotta work on my sarcasm :-X
but still my idea for the game was good was'nt it nice solution

Yeah the internet isn't good for sarcasm. :-

Tako · May 8, 2005

yeah I gotta remember that one, still never mess with the dutch you never know...... 8)

lowzeewee · May 13, 2005

I say work on the website more and spice it up with flash animations and stuff that make kids interested and 'motivated'(ummm it would be better to say 'keep them awake') and make it for young children from 3 to 6? I don't really know, I think you should know better. Besides, I don't want to have anything to do with Dutch, especially after Dennis Bergkamp is gonna hog his first-team spot at Arsenal again! >:(

Btw, Stefan Hendriks is currently on trial at Fed2k Football Club. :O

stefanhendriks · May 13, 2005

Btw, Stefan Hendriks is currently on trial at Fed2k Football Club. :O

i am?!?!?

lowzeewee · May 14, 2005

We are short of a back-up defender and could of use you. :D Navaros gets red-card suspensions too often and we have nobody covering every part of the defence. Our midfield and attack is fine though. Yesterday we beat Tottenham 3-1 at their homeground. Spurs scored first due to a defensive error then Gunwounds equalised with a rasping right-flank drive that left the entire Tottenham backline stunned and rooted to their spot and Jack Leaf gave us an 85th minute lead with a header from a Lowzeewee cross then the game was finished off in the final seconds as Nema Fakei scored with a bizarre and lucky 45-yarder.

Stefan, so what is the main aim of your site?

exatreide · May 14, 2005

Wow, I speak english, and I have no idea what the hell you just said.

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