[kde-edu]: Math Software for young children

[Clay Harryman]

I am a stay-at-home homeschool dad with two young children (ages 6 and 
almost 2).  My wife and I are teaching our children using our home-grown 
cirriculum for math.  It is working quite well, but we need to be 
present to help at all times.  My experience is that properly designed 
software allows us to get her started and then cook dinner or do 
laundry.  I should note at this time that, while both of us are college 
educated, neither of us is a professional educator.  I have a BS in 
Computer Science, while my wife mastered in Public Administration.

What I have envisioned, long before I decided to install Linux, and 
longer before I ever heard of KDE, was a tool that would have the 
following traits:

   1. Parent involvement
         1. Parents must control the 'level' of the software
         2. The software should deliver reports about the student's
            progress and recommend advancement or remedial steps.
         3. Parents should be encouraged to help the children, not just
            put them on the computer to fend for themselves.
   2. Fun:  I wrote a program using Delphi for Windows (my
      wife/children's computer is running XP) that teaches math. 
      Problem is, the interface was rather bland.  My kids wanted
      nothing to do with it.  I was disappointed and erased it.  I
      cannot develop a fun interface -- I'm too technical.  Ideal
      software would:
         1. Use cartoon characters and animation would be a huge plus --
            especially at the 4-8 year old range.
         2. Talk to the kids through the sound system
         3. Encourage kids to advance, rather than keep working an
            'easy' level (a trait I found lacking in most of the
            software we have purchased for Windows).
   3. Specific levels:
         1. Adding (examples):
               1. Single-digit adding without 'carrying' (5+4, 1+2, etc.).
               2. Single-digit adding with carrying (5+6, 9+9, etc.).
               3. Multi-digit adding with carrying (39+83, etc.).
               4. Multi-row adding (469+238+312, etc.)
         2. Subtracting (examples):
               1. Single-digit subtraction without 'borrowing' (5-4,
                  9-2, etc.).
               2. Multi-digit subtraction without 'borrowing' (18-5, etc.)
               3. Multi-digit subtraction with borrowing (15-8, etc.)
         3. Etc., etc., etc.
   4. Grow with the child (this may be too much):
         1. Begin with simple counting
         2. Introduce putting groups together (3 oranges + 4 oranges =
            how man oranges?)
         3. Show the relationship between #4-2 and adding numbers (3+4=?)
         4. When adding at a certain level, introduce subtraction - I
            don't know where the twain should meet, however.
         5. Keep growing /at the child's pace/ and produce a report for
            the parents at the end of each day.

If anyone is interested in helping me pursue this project, please e-mail 
me - clayharryman at houston.rr.com <mailto:clayharryman at houston.rr.com>.  
I've never been very good at object-oriented stuff, but I'm trying to 
learn java via the web.  I do have some basic plans laid out based on 
our research.

Thank you,
Clay Harryman