- Buying early childhood equipment is somewhat common sense (I'm not a specialist in this area, and I do appreciate the value of specialists, so don't quote me over the true experts). Small children have smaller hands, so obviously smaller mice and keyboards are more effective and appropriate than regular sizes for adults. It is also useful to get the simplest keyboards and mice possible, without any special programmable buttons that will shut the computer down, bring up the media player, email or a calculator. If you’re stuck with these buttons, disable them or tape over them. Keeping these distractions to a minimum is much easier if you choose a keyboard without any ‘extra’ distractions in the first place.
- A link to a simple and small mouse is here. Little hands stretched across a big mouse, while trying to keep it still and press a button, can be extremely frustrating.
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- The keyboard and monitor needs to be an appropriate height and the mouse in easy reach. Bright colors are great for attracting attention, but also for health and safety reasons. Brightly colored cables and attachments are easier to see, especially if they end up on the floor accidentally. They also tell you when it’s time for them to cleaned, as dirt shows up better on a yellow keyboard more than a black one. Keyboard covers are a very effective to keep the keyboard clean, or you can get plastic keyboards that can be wiped easily with warm soapy water.
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- Based on the number of times I have seen students put their fingers in their mouth and noses, then touch keyboards and mice, I’d want to have a daily routine of cleaning and equipment that can handle daily cleaning (for example, UMPCs and EeePCs might seem like the perfect choice for young students, but unless you have a good cover, they can be difficult to keep clean, and the dirt (or plastic dinosaur where it shouldn't be) can cause product malfunctions.
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- The use of cable ties is pretty much essential, to physically limit the location of cables, and to lock them into a safe place.
- When I worked in early childhood environments, one of my favorite things to do was to put the mouse on the floor with a group of students, so they could take turns interacting with software. A wireless mouse could be perfect, but you can get the same effect with a USB extension cable. A long version can be found here.
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- I’ve also found some really interesting speakers and all-in-one devices that could be integrated into your daily routine. Audio teddy bears can tell stories and sing songs, character USB flash drives can store movies and daily surprises, and super-cute plush webcams can be held like mini cameras to record a game, a song, or any activity that might be great to record and play back again.
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Links to the Shop:
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