Lessons for Home

In CyberGarden classes we learn how to take care of our computers in the classroom. These rules can and should also be applied at home so that the children learn proper care for computers wherever they go. This will help to preserve your investments at home. The rules below are some basic guidelines for computer usage at home. Click on the pictures to open larger versions suitable for printing. These posters can be used to reinforce proper care for computers in the home.

	Remember to wash your hands! If your hands are dirty, when you touch the computer you will make the computer dirty. Having clean hands help to keep your computer clean too.
If you have a drink at your computer, it could spill! That would break the computer. If you eat food at the computer, crumbs will get inside the keyboard and the mouse and they won't work the way they are supposed to. Its important to eat food in the kitchen or in the dining room and leave the computer table just for working on the computer	.
	Fingerprints on the screen make it hard to see. The screen also has a special coating on it so you have to use special cleaner on it. Regular cleaner will hurt the screen. LCD (thin panel monitors) are especially delicate and can be easily ruined by fingers touching and poking at them. Make sure to keep your fingers off the screen to keep from damaging it and to help it last a long time.
Be sure to keep all magnets away from computers and disks. Even your refrigerator magnets can damage the data on a disk. Don't let them near your computer area!
	Sometimes, things don't go our way when we are working on a computer. We should remember that computers are fragile and to always treat them with care. Mistakes on computers can almost always be fixed while broken computer components cost money to replace.
Always ask permission from your parents or teachers before using the computer. Using the computer improperly could cause you to lose the privilege of using the computer at all.
	.Remember to update your Anti-Virus software. New viruses come out each day that could harm your computer. Keeping your anti-virus information current could save your computer from getting "sick". Also, beware of downloading any file that isn't from a reputable source. Even the cutest screen savers could have a virus hidden inside that will harm your computer.
Sometimes its fun to chat with your friends online. You should ALWAYS ask permission before chatting online. Many times bad people pretend they are kids in order to meet kids online. This can be very dangerous so don't ever talk to strangers online!