On 9/3/08, Eugen Leitl <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I've been casting a bit for an educational toy for our kid > (20 months, likes letters and gadgets). So far the only decent > system I've been able to find is LeapFrog Leapster. > > Any alternative suggestions? Eugen,
Dunno whether the following would be qualified as toys or even make culturally meaningful alternatives - but they provide endless hours of work and fun for the children. I have tried these with our kids (from 2 years upwards).pleasantly successfully. 1. Checkout various kinds of materials (for play / work continuum) available off Nienhuis - a good manufacturer of quality 'educational' materials - all of them lehman's nonelectric types of course...:: http://montessori.nienhuis.com/html/01_products_cat_index.php?pcid=34&fluxmenu=m4____m25 On many occasions I've found it easier to make these things at home or substitute/assemble locally available system-integrated stuff based on these ideas - rather than importing them or the route of 'requesting' supersillyious NRI visitors to bring along stuff... 8-) 2. Ant watching (bee hive watching, if adventurous) - this can be done safely if you could locate a good ant nest/hill; has to be done with a patient adult. It is amazing how many questions spring from this activity, may be not immediately, but after a few days of observation by the kids. It is better than looking at lit pixels or virtual triviality. Is this activity in the realm of MEGO? may be. :-) 3. Allowing the kid to learn how to safely use a pair of scissors (a nick ot two is fine) and then giving ENORMOUS quantities of 1 inch x 8-12 inches of newspaper strips. The idea is to fold them to say 1" x 2" or less and then teaching the kid to cut/snip various patterns into them. The discovery of cutely unfolding patterns is too good from the pov of kids and can keep them absorbed in the activity hours on end - your efforts will also be rewarded more so, if you see/observe with pleasure the face of the child lighting up every time a new pattern emerges... It could also be in preparation for participating in the PLoP conf series, for the kid, that is. Hope this helps or doesn't. ramjee. -- http://www.qsl.net/vu2sro/ The lyfe so short, the Craft so long to lerne. -- Geoffrey Chaucer (The Assembly of Fowles)
