Teaching a Kid..

[C-pher]

Any tips? My 6 year old...soon to be 7 in July asked if she could, "get her letters." When I told her about having to study and take her test...she asked if I could teach her the questions.

I really don't know how to go about it. She can read, but I don't think that she can read most of the words needed to pass the test. I'm guessing that I could read her the questions and the answers...and then have her learn the right ones.

Anyway, if anyone has any history with teaching kids Ham Radio...I would apprecaite it. She does love to sit with me when I'm in the basement talking...and she will get on and say hi and do a little talking. So I know that she would love to get her own call.

 

[cockpitbob]

C-pher, that's great! We need more kids in amateur radio. I think that reading the questions and only the correct answers to her is your best bet. And of course as she's watching you work the radio you can narrate what you are doing and why. Both my boys wanted their licenses. My 9 year old dropped out but the 11year old got it. During the process I looked all over for ham related books for kids and came up dry. There is one called "Riding the Air Waves with Alpha and Omega". Even though copies sell for big money on eBay, my kids and I found it worthless (local library happened to have it). So, I don't think there's much help in books.

BTW, the way my boy and I got our licenses was to take an all day cram course with the test at the end (we did some studying in the weeks before the class too). All they had us do was study the correct answers ("don't even look at the other 3 answers"). The philosophy was to "get our letters" (that's so cute) and the theory will come along later on its own.

 

[C-pher]

SO, I think that someone already did the questions and answers for the Tech...if they did, can they let me know and send them to me?

 

[cockpitbob]

SO, I think that someone already did the questions and answers for the Tech...if they did, can they let me know and send them to me?

About 6 NESers did it. The handouts were nothing more than a book with all 300ish questions from the question pool with the correct answer in bold. They were divided into 6 categories and we spent each of the six 1hr sessions on one of the categories. If you like I can send you mine. I assume your address in the FCC-ULS database works.

ETA: I wonder how many kids we have within reach of a common repeater. I'd love to see a kids net.

 

[C-pher]

Yea, but I think that someone took the question pool from the ARRL website and took out the wrong answers. I did it for the General, but it took me two days to do it...if someone already did I would hate to reinvent the wheel.

 

[cockpitbob]

The booklet is on the way. Enjoy.

 

[C-pher]

The booklet is on the way. Enjoy.

Thank you!

 

[Realtor MA]

I'm guessing she'll pick it up quickly. As someone else had mentioned if you let her watch and turn some dials it will all make sense to her.
My son is a little older(13). He used hamtestonline.com it works pretty well.
I would love to see some sort of net for the kids. Wondering if we can get that started with the few kids we have here on NES??

 

[cockpitbob]

I would love to see some sort of net for the kids. Wondering if we can get that started with the few kids we have here on NES??

I've got one licensed (11) would would be IN and one unlicensed (9) who is a maybe. I know of a family of hams near by with 11 and 9 year old kids (don't have "their letters") that may be interested.