The Freedom Software 自由ソフト time slot is back to Wednesdays. There were a lot more people then usual this Wednesday because of a special event with the people from the nearby army (Self Defense Forces 自衛隊) base. Usually it's only one guy doing camouflage hiding, stealth walking and interesting exercises. This time there were a group of people in organizing some sort of quiet run event. It was hot so sometimes kids would come inside for a coolness break. Three elementary school tried GCompris and TuxPaint. I tell everyone if they bring in an old PC, or some machine that no one is using I'll set it up the same way. It's mostly just planting seeds now I guess, maybe when the Win10 support ends... I should really talk to the people about a special Freedom Software presentation and demonstration by then, I guess...

It's good to have something like this that forces you out into the town to talk with people, see faces, carry babies around. I'll have to remember to take Maron more often. She was popular with everyone and might enjoy the change of scenery. It will be important to remember she's out there and that she should be reassured regularly. Hopefully nothing will sneak into the yard and eat the chickens while she's gone. With the longer days the chickens don't go to roost for the night in their safe cages until after 6:30 or so.. Makes it hard to go out for the night without worrying about getting back and shutting their cages before they get eaten.

#TuxPaint #GCompris #FreeNightSchool #よる学校 #三股よる学校 #MimataFreeNightSchool

On Tuesdays, the Free Night School (and the Social Welfare Office and...??? One day I'll ask someone how it's all organized and be ready to sit still listening or a couple dozen minutes...) does a Free Meal. There are some many kids and guardians to chat with, to run around with, I can't eat there but it looks like it's helpful for people with kids. There's never a day off, kids have to eat every day like dogs and chickens, but more than twice and the kids meals are a lot more involved right? There's are rooms set aside for studying and talking in a building a short walk from this "Biotope" building. The study sessions are in a building that was refurbished as two parts, on half a little local cafe and the other half some sort of playroom. Some kids go and play dodge ball or jump on the trampoline in the big roofed area by the after-school facility.. The local buddhist temple with the nursery school operation is central to all the activity I think. That's a how all the people get access to buildings and facilities. And the staff support from the Local Welfare office seems important too. It must make it easier for the Moms and their kids to get together and help each other out. Some of the regulars are great at ignoring me (for them I probably have what Coleridge called that odor that teachers can have) but they are really sweet to the new shy kids. I wasn't sure how it would work out but the bigger kids were sweet about bringing a little 7yo into their board game, and making sure she got a cup of water too. I guess they're used to helping out with younger siblings too, and all running around this area with different ages...

The Sign say TateYokoNaname, Vertical Horizontal Diagonal, as the idea for the various ways to go about organizing things: hopefully all together I guess. たてよこななめ #たてよこななめ #
#縦横斜め
#FreeNightSchool #三股よる学校 #夜学校

Wednesday's Free Night School was another slow day. It got a little cold again. Slow nights are good for quiet chats about upcoming events, ASL for We Are the World, this weekend anti-nuke concert and march... One 9yo girl wanted play with the Freedom PCs. She must have done it before months ago as she knew she prefered TuxPaint over GCompris. She figured out how to get a new cavans and make it all sparkly. It's not too cold for half the kids to be out half the time doing soccer, trampoline, dodge ball..
#よる学校 #三股よる学校 #MimataNightSchool #FreeNightSchool

It's good to set up at least one Freedom-working PC at the night school. It's always worthwhile to go and see who shows up, talk with people.. There are times when it seems like the bother of starting the PCs could be skipped. This time a 9?yo girl found 3 G-Compris activities while I talked with a young guy from the Social Welfare office. When she was done with the PCs I sat at the poetry table we caught up on Luddites, Byron, Bender and Gebru.
#よる学校 #三股よる学校 #MimataNightSchool #FreeNightSchool

昨日のよう学校は今まで一番人が少なかった。 やっぱり冷い冬の夜、 家から出て行くのが辛いかも。 だけど、 充実していた。 中学校の先生たちと新聞記者さんとGDM^1とフリーソフト^2の話をした。先生たちに GCompris, TuxPaint, TuxTyping、Emacs Psychotherapist(「ネットバカ」のイライザ?で有名なAI?)体験を。 そしてRacket Slideshow^3とdocsで基礎プログラミングの習い方、教え方を一緒に考えて行こう雰囲気になった。 今、持って行くパソコンがぼろすぎる。 今度もっと性能のいい奴でRacketを使った頭体操します!!
^1 https://www.gdm-japan.net/introduction/about-gdm/
^2 https://www.gnu.org/education/edu-why.ja.html
^3 https://docs.racket-lang.org/quick/index.html
#三股よる学校 #MimataNightSchool

Another Free Software Wednesday at the Local Night School. Today a lot of people worked with GCompris and TuxTyping.. At first a young woman college student started exploring GCompris and the some elementary school girls got her to to let them use it. They seemed to like doing the pair games against each other. It was the first time I ever had two mouses (mice?) connected (usb) at the same time. Two sisters 3- and 8- years old got really excited with the card-guessing game. The college young woman was a decent typist, worked through Lesson 32 with Tux Typing and did some higher level games of Comet Zap and Fish Feeding with Trees and Plants... I showed the emacs Psychotherapist and Tetris too. Got giggles. Towards the end I showed Inkscape, since it was easier for me than Gimp to start learning.. One of the staff must go to the same college as the young woman because after a very quick, very simple demonstration of DrRacket and slideshow `(slide (t "Welcom to Racket!! Slideshow!!")) (slide (circle 500))` they were thrilled and wanted me to teach programming instead of the difficult teacher they have now. That was a first! Maybe they'll find some old PCs and bring them so I can set them up with Debian machines with all the goodies, emacs, Inkscape, Racket, Gimp, GCompris, TuxPaint.... #FreeSoftwared #YoruGakkou #MimataYoruGakkou #よる学校 #三股よる学校 #自由ソフト #GCompris #TuxTyping

No photos in my camera from last nights "PC Saving" slot at the Free Night School. The time is dedicated to Free Software and two Moms and a kid played with TuxPaint and G-Compris. The color matching activity in G-Compris seems to fascinate. And the TuxPaint stamps with frog and bird pictures looks fun. The new Mom (a recent Mom brought her friend) seemed interested in putting the Free OS and activities on an old computer....
#FreeNightSchool #よる学校 #三股よる学校