Helping Children Learn on the PCjr
                     By Mary LeCompte

  	Our five young children, ages two through eight, like learning with their PCjr. Over the past four years we have purchased over 50 educational programs ranging from those that help learn the alphabet to those that teach typing skills. The children often choose their PCjr over the television (and they really enjoy the television). 
	Also, it works! All of our school age children are at least a grade level above average in reading and math.
 	I know other families whose children barely use their computer. I want my kids to use computers not only for the skills that educational programs can introduce and reinforce, but also because computers will be an integral part of their future schooling and careers. Here are a few ideas I have found effective in making the PCjr a useful tool for teaching children:
 	AVAILABILITY: My family started out with one PCjr four years ago. Between my increasing use of it for budgeting and correspondence, and my husband’s use of it for work, we found ourselves telling the kids more than occasionally that they could not use it when they asked. Finally, we bought a second junior just for them, available whenever they wanted to play. 	 LOCATION: Another thing that encourages the kids to use the computer is its location. I spend much of my time in and around the kitchen, and the kids often want to be around me. Locating their PCjr on a small desk in the corner of the kitchen lets them be near me and gives them something to do other than what I’m doing. This arrangement lets me conveniently alternate between the work I have to get done and the assistance (and encouragement) they frequently need when taking on a new computer challenge.
 	FREEDOM TO INVESTIGATE: Initially I learned how to use programs in order to teach my children how to use them. One program, Donald Duck’s Playground, particularly baffled me. My then six year-old daughter stood at my side nagging me to let her try. I was having a lot of trouble trying to catch things in the "Produce Bin". My daughter was watching me struggle, saying "Let me try it! Let me try it!" 
	Finally, I gave up and let her try, thinking she would be back to have me help her. She spent 14 hours at the computer and then taught me to use the program! One of the best programs we have, I presented at a PC Club meeting and had my daughter demonstrate it. Children approach the computer with no fear. They have no inhibitions about trying things. They explore, find things, and use the computer very creatively. (And they have much better eye-hand coordination than their parents, as my experience with the "Produce Bin" in Donald Duck’s Playground proved to me. 
After that, I taught my children how to turn on the computer and how to handle a disk and I allow them free access to the computer and their programs. 
	ALTERNATE MEDIA WITHIN A LEARNING ROUTINE: For my pre-school and elementary school age children, I have found scheduling a set "computer time" to be effective in using the computer to teach mundane skills. Every morning and every evening, including weekends, they spend 30 minutes with school work. On a rotating basis, one of them is allowed to use an arithmetic, spelling, or vocabulary game on the computer for that period. The ones who are not on the computer read books or work in reading or math skills workbooks. They all look forward to their turns on the computer for the sake of variety in learning methods. Their enthusiasm carries over to their free use of the computer during the rest of the day also.  
	VARIETY OF PROGRAMS: When children have only a few games to play over and over, they come to look at the computer as a dose of medicine. As I said above, I have over 50 educational games. We have programs for learning geography, math, reading, spelling, matching skills, numbers, and so on. Some of them I have obtained at practically no cost from bulletin boards using my modem. However, the best things in life are often not free, so I usually buy them at a discount store that allows me to "test drive", such as Egghead Discount Software. Ask before you buy whether you may try the program in the store, or at least return the program if it is not to your satisfaction. Before buying, check to see whether the program is copy-protected. If so, check the terms for obtaining replacement disks. I try to make copies of all of the programs I purchase using CopyIIPC, because my kids sometimes act like children! If your child ruins an original program disk and you don’t have a back-up, you’re sunk. Some programs, even though they cannot be copied, allow you to make a "working copy". You then boot up the game with the original, put the original in a safe place, and run the game with the copy. Over four years, I have had to replace only two original disks at a cost of $5 each.