[ Basic ] Computer knowledge For Kids - 2019

          Computer has become the biggest innovation of mankind. It is one of the most basic necessities. Computer learning has become an integral part of School Curriculum. Ever growing advancement in the field of technology has motivated children to become progressive learners. Hence it is extremely important to familiarize our children with computers as early as possible. This gives them plenty of time to grasp and learn different applications with utmost ease.

Learning Outcome : To understand the Parts of Computers.

Computer and its Uses

         Computer is a very useful machine. You can play games, write letters, draw pictures, do calculations, and even listen to music on a computers. Computer are playing a vital role in almost every field and making our day-to day tasks more manageable. Computers were only used to perform complex numerical calculations in a previous time, but they have reached too far and now perform many different roles. They are now performing diverse set functions from complicated colocations to generating business repots, bill generation to education, programming or development to entertainment, etc.

Features of a Computer : A Computer works on electricity.

      A Computer works on electricity. It has the following features that make it special.

• A Computer stores a large amount of information and never forgets it.
• A Computer works very fast and can do many jobs at the same time.
• A Computer does not get tired and can work for long hours.
• A Computer does not make any mistake.
• A Computer cannot take its own decisions.
• A Computers can send and receive information and messages

Uses of Computer in different fields

Computers are used in almost all the fields.

In Schools : For preparing report cards. storing students records and as a teaching aid.

In Offices : For keeping records of official data and letters.

In Homes : For storing addresses, keeping record of expenses, playing games, listening to music, and watching movies etc.

In Shops : For storing data, price list, calculating and printing bills.

In Railways and Airlines : For online booking of tickets.

In Hospitals : For keeping records of patients.

Parts of a Computers 

       As you have different parts in your body, in the same way, a computer also has many parts. All these parts work together to do any work in a computer. The Basic parts of a desktop computer are the computer case, monitor, keyboard, mouse, Printer and CPU . Each part plays an important role  whenever you use a computer.

Monitor:1) It looks like a T.V Screen. It is also known as Screen and VDU (Visual Display Unit). 2) It shows the text which you type through a keyboard. 3) It also displays the result.

Keyboard : 1) The standard keyboard has 104 keys on it. 2) These keys are used to type letters, numbers, and symbols.

Mouse : 1) A Computer mouse has two or three butters on it. 2) It is used to point and select any item on the screen. 3) It also helps us to draw pictures, and play games.

CPU : 1) CPU stands for Central Processing Unit. 2) It is the brain of a computers. 3) It helps a computer to do all types of calculations. 4) All the information or data is stored in it.

Printer :1) A printer is used to take the printout of the text or picture on paper. 2) The printed copy on paper is called the hard copy.

More Parts OF A Computers

      A Computer has some more parts which can be attached to it for different functions. These are :  Microphone, Speakers, CD / DVD

Microphone : It is used to record voice and different sounds into the computer.

Speakers : They are used to play the recorded sound and music stored in a computers.

CD / DVD : 1) A CD is round in shape. 2)You can store large amount of data in it. 3) It is also used for listening to music and watching movies.

Working of a Computers

    A Computer cannot work on its own. You need to enter letters. numbers and instructions into the computer to work on it. This is called Data.

A Computer words on three basic steps:

Input                         process                Output

Blunt pencil         Sharpening         Sharp Pencil

Input                       Process                  Output

Dirty Clothes         Washing             Clean Clothes

          Let's understand these steps by taking an example of your body. When your teacher asks a question, you hear with your ears and see with your eyes. The ears ad eyes are the input unit. Your brain stores everything that a teachers says. Then, it thinks of an answer and orders you to speak. In this way, the brain works like a processing unit. When you answer with your mouth, it words like an output unit.

Input : When you enter data and instructions into the computers, it is called Input. You input data through a keyboard and a mouse.

Process : Working on the data is called processing. The CPU acts on the data to solve problems and gives the correct result.

Output : It means the final result. When the processing is finished you get the result. Which is called Output. 

Monitor and Printer are the most common output devices.

Handling A Mouse

          A mouse is an input device which helps us to move the pointer and draw pictures on the computer screen. It is small in size and has tail which is attached to the CPU.

It looks like a real mouse.

left Button : The button on the left side is called left button.

Right Button : The Button on the right side is called right button.

Mouse Pointer : It is slant arrow on the screen which shows mouse movements. The mouse has a ball at its bottom. As you move the mouse. the pointers moves on the screen in the same direction.

Mouse Pad : The pad on which we move the mouse is knows as the mouse pad.

Holding and Moving the Mouse

 ( Left Button , Index Finger, Middle Finger )

• keep the mouse on the mouse pad.
• place your palm on the mouse and hold it with your thumb and last two fingers.
• Place your index finger on the left button ad your middle finger on the right button.
• Move the mouse on the mouse pad. Watch the movements of the pointer on the screen as you move the mouse.

Functions Of A Mouse : 1) Clicking 2) Double - Clicking 3) Right - Clicking 4) Dragging

Clicking : When we press the left button of a mouse once and release it that makes a click sound. This is called clicking.

Let's Try : 

• Move the pointers and point to any object on the monitor.
• Press the left button and release it.
• The object will be selected.

Double-Clicking : Pressing the left mouse button twice without stopping and releasing is called double - clicking. Double - click ( Click-Click )

Let's Try : 

• Move the pointer to the Computer icon.
• Double - click the left mouse button.
• The Computer window will open.

Right-Clicking:  Pressing and releasing the right mouse button once will show a list of commands on the monitor.

Let's Try : 

• Move the mouse pointers to Computers and right - click on it.
• You will get a list of commands.

Dragging : To move an item on object by holding the left mouse button to a new place on the screen is called dragging.

Let's Try :

• Place the pointer over an item on the screen.
• Press and hold down the left button.
• Now move the pointer to the place where you want to place the item.
• Release the left button and you will see that the item has moved.

Keyboard and its Functions

       Keyboard is an important part of a computer. It has different types of keys. These keys are used to type letters, numbers and special characters. Whatever we type through a keyboard , appears on the monitor.

A Keyboard has three types of keys : Alphabet Keys, Number Keys, Special Character Keys

1)Alphabet Keys : The keys with the letters A to Z are called Alphabet keys. They are 26 in number. These keys are used to type letters. words and sentences.

2)Number Keys : These keys have numbers on them from 0 to 9. They are 10 in number. These keys are places above the alphabet keys. They are used to type in any number e.g. roll number, class telephone number, date , date of birth, etc.

3)Special Character Keys

These keys have different symbols on them like :

+ - * /"; : ' !' ~ @ # $ % ^ & ( )_ = { } [ ] ? < > . ,

Note : A Cursor is a small blinking line on the screen.

Some Special keys are explained below :

Spacebar Key : The Spacebar key is the longest key on the keyboard . It is used to give spaces between the words.

• Let's type sentence : MyNameisYash.
• Press the Spacebar key once between each word to give a space. 
• Output : My Name is Yash.

Caps Lock Key : It is used to type letters in capital. Press's the Caps Lock key once, the Caps Lock light will turn on.

Type the sentence : I LIKE MY Ball

       Now press the Caps Lock key again. The Caps Lock light will turn off. Type the sentence again and see the difference.

Enter Key : It is used to bring the cursor to the next line on the screen.

• Press the Enter key once. The cursor will jump to the next line.
• Type : I AM IN CLASS III.

Arrow Keys : There are four arrow keys that help to move the cursor on the screen.

👆 Up Arrow key is used to move the cursor up.

👇Down Arrow key is used to move the cursor down.

👈Left Arrow key is used to move the cursor left.

👉Right Arrow key is used to move the cursor right.

Backspace Key : This key erases the letters typed at the left of the cursor.

• Type : I LIVE IN MUMBAI.
• Where is the cursor now? It is after the word " Mumbai'. Now press the left Arrow key and bring the cursor after the word 'INN'.
• Press the Backspace key to erase the extra 'N' in the word 'INN'.

Delete Key : This key erases the letters typed at the right side of the cursor position.

To erase the character N in the sentence : I AM INN CKASS III.

• Move the cursor using the Left Arrows key to the left of the character N.
• Press the Delete key. The character N will be removed.

Introduction to Notepad 

        Notepad is a software mainly used for typing or editing a letter or any text document. It works on Windows operating system software. Notepad is a generic text editor included with all versions of Microsoft windows that lets you create, open, and read plaintext files with a.txt file extension. If the file contains special formatting or is not a plaintext file, it cannot be read in Notepad.     

How to Open Notepad 

           open Notepad by clicking the Start ⇾ All Programs ⇾  Accessories ⇾ Notepad

Title bar : It shows the file name and application name. It also displays Control buttons to its rights corner.

Menu bar : It is placed below the Title bar. It shows five menus under which you get various commands.

Work Area : In this space you type the text. 

Type the given text.

Good Manners 

• Always respect your parents and elders.
• Talk softy to everyone. Do not speak harsh words.

Changing the Font Style and Size.

• Move the cursor before the heading 'Good Manners'. Now, select the heading by pressing Shift key and left arrow key.
• Click the Format menu and select Font option.
• The Font window will open.  Change the font to Arial from the displayed list by clicking on it.
• change the Font Style to Bold.
• Select the Font Size to 14 from the 'Size' section.
• Click OK and notice the change.

How to cut, copy or paste the Text

• Using Shift key and Left arrow key. Select the line 'Talk softly to everyone. Do not speak harsh words.'
• Click the Edit menu, and then select Cut option.
• Place the Cursor before 'Always' and click the Edit menu and select Paste option.

Note: You can copy the text by selecting copy option from the Edit menu. Place the cursor where you want to paste the text and Select Edit > Paste option.

Saving a Notepad Document

• To save your document, click the File menu and select Save option.
• Save As box appears. Type a name in the File name box.
• Click on the Save button. Now, your documents is save in the computer.

Opening A Document

• Click on the File menu and select the Open option.
• The Open window appears. Select the desired file from the list.
• Click on the Open button.

Printing  A Document

         To print a document in Notepad , follow the given steps :

• Click the print option from the File menu or press Ctrl + P on Your keyboard.
• The print window will appears.
• To take more than one print out of your document, increase the number in the Number of copies box.
• Click on Print button.

Operating a Computer

       Children, you have already learnt about the parts and functions of a computers. Now, let's learn how to starts a computers, follow these steps:

• Switch on the main power supply button.
• Switch on the UPS button. If the electricity goes off, the UPS makes the computers work.
• Switch on the power supply button of the CPU.
• Switch on the monitor button and wait for some time.

You will find the welcome screen of Windows.

                Windows is the most popular program that makes the computers work.

       Once the computers is switched on, you get the first display screen knows as Desktop. It holds many small pictures knows as icons. You can open and view many programs in Windows like Paint, music, movies and games.

Starting A Program

         To open the Notepad program, follow the given steps :

• Click on Start > All Programs > Accessories > Notepad.
• A Notepad window opens.

Re-sizing a window

You can change the size of a window. 

• Look at the Control buttons at the top right corner of the Title bar.
• Click on the middle button (Restore Down button).
• The Notepad window will become smaller in size.
• Click again on the middle button to get back to its normal size.

Moving the Window

• Click on the middle button (Restore Down). The window will become smaller in size.
• Click and hold the left mouse button on the Title bar.
• Drag the Notepad window to the right side.
• Move the pointer over the desktop area and click once.
• The Title bar of Notepad window turns gray. It means that it is not active.
• Now, click once on the Notepad working area. The Title bar turns blue. It means the Notepad window is active.

How To Shut Down A Computer

• Now wait for some time till the computer turns off automatically.
• Then switch off the monitor button.
• Switch off the UPS and the main power supply button.

Computer Care Tips Switching off the main power supply button directly without shutting down the CPU can harm the computers.

Drawing With Paint

        Children, we know that you like drawing as it brings out your creative ideas. Let us have some fun with drawing and coloring on the computer. Paint program helps us to make colorful drawings.

How To Open Paint

Click on Start , Choose All Programs , Click on Accessories , Click on Paint Program .

Past Of The Paint Window

The Paint window is divided into the following main parts :

1. Title Bar : The blue bar at the top of the screen is knows as the Title bar. It display the program name and the file name.

2. Quick Access Toolbar : It contains the buttons to do common tasks. We can also add buttons on this toolbar as needed.

3. Paint Button : It contains different options to work in Paint.

4. Ribbon : The Ribbon consists of two parts : Tabs and Groups.

• Tab : Each tab contains tools arranged in different groups.
• Group : A GROUP IS A SET OF RELATED COMANDS.

5. Drawing Area : It covers the major part of the Paint window. This area is used for making colour full drawings.

Using The Tools Group

         The Tools group has many tools that have different functions. These tools help us in making drawings.

     

        To use any tool, simply click on the tool. It will be selected.

• Move the pointers to the Drawing area.
• Press and hold down the left mouse button. Now drag the mouse to draw a picture.
• When the picture is completed, release the button.

Drawing Shapes

      Paint program provides various options to draw different shapes like rectangles, rounded rectangles, polygons and oval etc.

Drawing A Rounded Rectangle

To draw a rounded rectangle, follow these steps : 

• Click on Rounded Rectangle tool in the Shapes group on the Home tab.
• Select any colour from the Color group.
• Move the pointers to the Drawing area.
• The pointers will change to cross hair + sign.
• Hold down the left mouse button and drag the pointer diagonally.   

Tip :;- To Change the fill style of a square, select the Rectangle tool. Select any colour of your choice. Click on the Fill option in the Shapes group and select any option. Hold down the Shift key and drag the mouse pointers to draw the shape. Now, select the Fill with color tool and click inside the object. To define the line style of an object, click on the Outline option in the Shapes group and choose any desired option.

Pencil Tool : The Pencil tool is used to draw free-form lines or curves. 

• Select the Pencil tool from the Tools group.
• Select any colour from the Color group.
• Move the pointers to the Drawing area.
• Press and hold down the left mouse button and drag the pointer to draw kites as shown in the given figure.

Fill with Color Tool

To fill the colour in a kite, follow these steps: 

• Place the mouse pointers on any colour in the Color group and click on it.
• Select the Fill with color tool.
• Bring the mouse pointers on the kite and click once on any part.
• Similarly, fill colours in the other parts of the kite as shown in the figure.

Lines with Varies Thickness

• Select the Line tool  from the Shapes group.
• Click on the drop-down arrow of the Size button displaying different thickness of the lines.
• Move the pointers on the displayed list and select any of the thickness option. 
• Now move the pointers to the Drawing Area.
• Press and hold down the left mouse button. Drag it in the right direction and release the button when the line is drawn.

Using Curve Tool

• Click on the Curve tool in the Shapes group.
• Select any colour and the required thickness.
• Bring the mouse pointer on the Drawing area.
• Click and drag the pointers to draw a line.
• Move the pointer to the point where you want to add a curve.
• Click and drag the line to draw a curve
• You can modify the curve in the same way.

Note : A Curve can be modified only two times.

Adding Text 

• Click on the Text tool  A. The pointer changes into a cross hair ' + ' Sign Click and drag the pointers on the Drawing Area, where you want to place the text.
• A dotted rectangular box will appear with a blinking cursor inside it.
• Type the text as shown in the text box.

Saving the Drawing

        It is important to save your work in between so that you do not  lose it in case of power failure.

• Draw any picture in the Drawing Area. 
• Click on the Paint Button and select the Save option . The save As window appears on the screen.
• Types a name in the File name box. Click on the Save button. Now your drawing is saved in the computers.

Project Work

MS Paint 

         MS Paint, is a simple program that allows users to create basic graphic art on a computers. Paint has been included with every version of Microsoft Windows since its inception. Paint provides basic functionality for drawing and painting in color or black and white, and shaped stencils and cured line tools to create geometrical designs.

 Patterns using different tools in MS Paint.

• Use the Rectangle too along with the Shift key to make a square shape.
• Use Polygon tool to draw a triangle shape.
• Use Pencil tool and Curve tool to draw boy and girl's face.
• Use Oval tool to draw a circle.