NEWS$show=/search/label/news

Here's where you'll find all the latest news about technology for children. We love to follow cool new inventions on Kickstarter and we hunt out all the latest announcements about tech toys and gadgets for the coming Christmas holidays. You'll also get our take on children's technology stories in the media.

REVIEWS$show=/search/label/review

Our kids technology product reviews are intended to help you work out whether a toy, gadget or kit is a good fit for your child or family. There's lots of cool stuff available, but is it the right choice for the child or teenager that you are buying for? We'll help you make the right choices and get the best value for money.

GIFT GUIDES$show=/search/label/gift%20guide

Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends assemble. We create gift lists to help you make good choices for kids technology which helps them develop the right skills for the future. We research the best in Coding Toys and Games, Making / Craft Tools and Kits, STEM/STEAM related gifts, Programmable Robots, Electronics Kits and Gadgets for Tech Age Kids and Teens.

PROJECTS$show=/search/label/project

Get crafty with technology. Here we'll post all our ideas and projects using technology to get creative and making with kids. You'll find anything from making a lemon battery to a glow-in-the-dark Minecraft sword. Our projects are tried and tested on our own kids or at events we run, so we are sure you can have a go at home with your kids. Some of our projects use specific tech gadgets which we provide links for you to purchase.

STEM$show=/search/label/stem

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. In recent years there is an increased focus in these areas of study. We like to include Art and Design too, so we often talk about STEAM (A stands for Art). At Tech Age Kids we believe Coding is a new literacy and children need to understand how technology works, practice making skills and grow in their curiosity to make a better future for us all.

CODING$show=/search/label/coding

Coding is increasingly being recognised as an important skill for children to learn. Some will learn to code at school or at a coding club, but it's brilliant if they get support at home too.

ELECTRONICS$show=/search/label/electronics

We think it's really important for kids to get hands-on with electronics and learn how to make circuits and write code to control hardware. Younger kids can start with conductive playdough. For kids who like to combine craft and tech, littleBits are fab. And we love SAM Labs wireless electronics components for making it easy for kids to make Internet of Things inventions. Lots of electronics kits for kids have support for the Arduino microprocessor environment. The DuinoKit Jr is one of our favourites. Arduino is a fab skill for older kids and teens to develop.

ROBOTICS$show=/search/label/robotics

We love robots at Tech Age Kids, especially programmable ones. We've got lots of them and write reviews and projects that use them. Our programmable robots for kids buying guide is a good place to start if you're not sure what's available. Roby the mBot Meccano robot dog is one of our popular projects and has been with us to lots of events. Our Ozobot LEGO trailer is fab for kids who love LEGO and robots.

MAKING AND CRAFT$show=/search/label/making

We're advocates of the creative use of technology, but this needs to be balanced with developing physical skills such as papercraft, woodwork, clay modelling, technical drawing and soldering. If children don't develop these skills as they grow up then physical making projects can become frustrating rather than fun. The Maker Community uses the term 'making' as a broad term to include all sorts of artisan skills or craft activities. Being able to make things can lead to life-long hobbies or even careers. It's a great feeling to be able to take a project from an idea in your head to a real object that does something. We're particularly interested to explore products that combine maker skills with tech skills such as electronics but others focus purely on the physical making skills that are still important to modern making.

Make My First Paper Computer with Hello Ruby


If you're looking for a fun paper-based computing activity for children then My First Computer from the Hello Ruby book, by Linda Liukas, is great.

Hello Ruby is a series of books about computers, coding and technology for children (and adults like me!) The whimsical stories lets you journey with the main character, Ruby, and learn how computers and technology works. Half the book is the story and the other half activities.


Hello Ruby - Adventures in Coding is the first book by Linda Liukas (published October 2015) and contains 10 different activities. There are also additional activities and resources available online.

I've read the book to my children as a bedtime story and they love doing the activities at the end of the story. In this post, I share our experience with the My First Computer activity. I also used the activity in my computing class at school (children aged 9-11). This activity reminded me of my eldest son that made his own paper laptops when he was young! (I wish I could find a picture of his mini paper laptop to include in this post.)

If you're looking for a screenless activity that still involves computers, this is the one!

My First Computer Activity

You can find all the resources for this activity on the Hello Ruby website. There is a linking activity where you connect the descriptions of computer components with their names. It's useful to do this one before making the computer so that you can learn about the different components.

To make the paper computer you will need scissors, glue stick and optionally some card to make it a little sturdier.

A downloadable printable is available which is best printed in colour.


How we made it

We made our laptop case sturdier by gluing it to a piece of card. Our tip would be to start with the components first. Younger kids may need some help to cut out the tiny components. My 9-year-old son and the children at school were able to do this activity independently. I had to help my 7 year old with the smaller pieces.




When you are ready to add the keyboard only put a strip of glue at the top part so that you create a flap and can still see the components under the keyboard.



Find a real keyboard and fill in the blanks on the paper version. If you have different types of computers at home, like a Windows laptop and a MAC, compare the keyboards and discuss how they differ. If you don't have a computer at home, visit your local library. (Or use the image of our laptop in this post!)



More Activities by Hello Ruby

There are more games and activities available on the Hello Ruby website. The Hello Ruby books include more games, exercises and activities. A second book Hello Ruby: Journey Inside the Computer (published October 2017) is also available and the third book Hello Ruby: Expedition to the Internet is coming in October 2018.



24 days of Scratch coding book cover and cute penguin
Name

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Tech Age Kids | Technology for Children: Make My First Paper Computer with Hello Ruby
Make My First Paper Computer with Hello Ruby
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Tech Age Kids | Technology for Children
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