![]() It would be helpful if there were more tutorials aimed at kids, not because kids aren't capable of learning the same things adults are but because they tend to have much shorter attention spans. I'm guessing that at some point they will actually get bored with just playing and then we can take a more organized approach. ![]() Now, the challenge is going to be getting the kids to stop experimenting long enough to teach them how to create what they want to create more or less intentionally, using some semblance of a proper workflow. I also teach community college students, and I'm pretty sure that some of them think that if they do anything that isn't in a tutorial their computer is going to explode. Kids seem to be a lot more open to just playing around and exploring than adults are, probably because they aren't afraid to learn something "the wrong way" or somehow "break" something. ![]() Then they'll find and start figuring out how to use tools that you didn't even know were there, just using trial and error. They'll find vertex paint on their own, and paint icing on their donut. What I've found so far is that if you just let kids loose in Blender with only minimal instruction in creating and manipulating primitive objects, in about 10 minutes, they'll have 3D modeled a donut, Yoda's head, an angry bird, or some other totally weird thing that an adult would never come up with. I'm actually teaching 3D modeling to 9-13 year olds as part of a STEAM (science, technology, arts & math) summer camp right now. Are there more Blender-for-kids initiatives out there that I'm not aware of?.If you're a parent, would you want to give your child the opportunity to learn Blender at a young age (10 and under)?.Is it wishful thinking that children could/would want to understand computer graphics and animation?.Surely they, too, are interested in learning how their favorite cartoons and movies are made. So what a shame it is that CG training content for children isn't more plentiful, right?! I've only heard a handful of stories about Blender for Kids workshops or online tutorials aimed at children. Perhaps that's a bit sensational - reeling this back to an adult (read less imaginative) level - but still, I think deep down, it's why we artists love this field. I could see in his eyes that he understood computer graphics to be what I understand it to be: The key to bringing his dreams and imagination to life! I can't recall exactly because I was paying closer attention to his face as he answered. When I asked Emitt what would be the first thing he'd do with Blender he answered something about making Spiderman swing through city buildings using his web shooters. And imagination is most uninhibited in the minds of children. It's the best way to realize our imaginations. I think because for myself and probably most 3D creatives, computer graphics keeps us a kid at heart. After all what kind of Blender/CG education is out there and readily available in a format that children could understand?īut certainly, it can be taught in such a way! Which got me really excited. Thus I don't think Emitt and his mom are likely to download and try Blender, and I can't blame them. She was happy to learn it was free but then responded dismissively with a key point: I told her this Blender program was free and she could download it for exploration if they wanted. His mom was very interested as well since she's the one who facilitates his activities and hobbies. ![]() Granted, I avoided technical terms, but the kid was getting it! In fact he would often confirm his comprehension by stating an example comparison: " Like the way mommy took a bunch of pictures to make Rudolph walk across the table". I compared sculpting to Play-Doh, texture painting to, well, painting ( that one was easy), rigging armatures to human skeletons and posable action figures, animation to stop-motion-photography - none of which seemed to confuse him. So he came over and was attentive as I explained the basics. Ok then - Maybe my neighbor, Emitt, could grasp the concepts. My wife reasoned that the children she nannies commonly navigate an iPhone very well, even before being able to speak. Then again, I've heard that young children are better able to understand complex things (like a second language) than if they're introduced to them later like high school or adulthood. This was intriguing to me since I feel it can be difficult to explain computer animation to a 30-year-old, much less a child. So he asked his mom to set up a time that I could give him a brief demo. My 5-year-old neighbor is like many boys his age: Energetic, imaginative, loves superheroes/dragons/animals/cartoons, and enjoys learning.Īs a big fan of the " How To Train Your Dragon" films he was intrigued to learn that his neighbor (me) does computer animation for a living.
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