{"id":3400,"date":"2015-10-07T12:22:08","date_gmt":"2015-10-07T10:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diocesanos.es\/blogs\/equipotic\/?p=3400"},"modified":"2015-10-04T17:55:58","modified_gmt":"2015-10-04T15:55:58","slug":"5-reasons-to-give-your-kids-a-raspberry-pi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diocesanos.es\/blogs\/equipotic\/2015\/10\/07\/5-reasons-to-give-your-kids-a-raspberry-pi\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Reasons to Give Your Kids a Raspberry Pi"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Raspberry Pi 2<\/a> was released in 2015 and brings improved speed and processing power to the line of computers first launched in 2012. If you don\u2019t own one of these computers and you have children of a suitable age, you need to seriously think about bringing one home.<\/p>\n

\"raspberry-kids\"<\/a>Put simply, the Raspberry Pi<\/a> could transform your child\u2019s life. Don\u2019t believe me? That\u2019s okay, I\u2019ve outlined five reasons below that explain why.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s the LEGO<\/a> of Computers<\/h2>\n

Buying the bare Raspberry Pi board will give your children lots of fun, but they\u2019ll be left with an exposed circuit board\u00a0that could do with a case. Bringing the construction of a case into the equation is a good idea, and is the basis of the Kano kit<\/a>, which we reviewed in April 2015.<\/p>\n

\"muo-diy-review-kano-building\"<\/a>The Kano kit\u00a0\u2013 available for $100 from kano.me<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 is designed for children to assemble. You get a plastic case that snaps together around a Raspberry Pi Model B+, with a choice of color\u00a0covers. The wireless dongle and cables are brightly colored, and the Kano OS (which you can download separately, for free) is designed to focus the user\u2019s attention on learning how to code and build software, using tools like Scratch<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The learning experience of building the case is reflected in the OS and onboard software, making Kano a great Raspberry Pi introduction\u00a0for under 10s. If you don\u2019t want to pay for the extra kit, but like the sound of the Kano flavored operating system, it can be downloaded for free<\/a>\u00a0and installed the usual way<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Automation Is Coming, and It Will Change Everything<\/h2>\n

You want your children to use computers, and to understand their importance. Preparing your offspring for a world of automation and software development is not only exercising foresight, it is also helping them get ahead, giving them the chance to build important skills.<\/p>\n

In a world where blue collar jobs are falling every day to automation, in a world where robots are slowly taking over menial, hard-working and dangerous tasks, understanding how these machines work and how to program and repair them is already an important job.<\/p>\n

Current estimates suggest that the march of automation will be all but complete by 2030. Children being born in 2015 will be graduating into a world of domestic and industrial robots. Even with the intention to study other subjects, having a grounding in software development and computing will be as useful in day-to-day life as math.<\/p>\n

The Raspberry Pi Likes Toys<\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve already compared the Pi to LEGO, and the popular building bricks can be used to build a case for the Raspberry Pi. You can even buy unofficial LEGO-style cases while the Pi can be teamed up with LEGO Mindstorms kits<\/a> to take robotics learning to a new level, as demonstrated with the successful BrickPi Kickstarter project<\/a> which is available for $169.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you prefer to keep things more grounded, however, the Pi can be used to control model railways, as seen in this video:<\/p>\n