A living computer for kids. Parent manual.
Setup takes about 60 seconds:
That's it. Your child now has a full-screen computer. They type, things happen. No account needed for the trial.
Your child types on a keyboard. A 32x32 character canvas shows a living world. Everything they create persists and moves autonomously.
The system has two layers:
make cat, cat jump, look execute instantly with no AI callAn enforcement layer runs after every AI response to ensure:
| Command | Example | What happens |
|---|---|---|
make <thing> | make otter | Creates a creature or object that walks around |
<thing> jump | otter jump | Makes it jump, dance, fly, spin, bounce, run |
<thing> chase <other> | otter chase fish | One creature follows another |
teach <thing> to <action> | teach otter to bob | AI creates a new behavior the child invented |
when X near Y, Y jump | when otter near shell, otter dance | Creates a proximity rule (real programming!) |
<thing> speed <n> | otter speed 3 | Sets numeric speed (1-10) |
<thing> color <color> | shell color pearl | Changes color. Also: otter color same as shell |
draw <shape> at X Y | draw shell at 10 5 | Places a shape at a specific grid position |
rename X to Y | rename otter to kelp | Changes an entity's name |
remove <thing> | remove shell | Removes an entity (undoable) |
undo | undo | Brings back the last removed entity |
send X to Y | send otter to wes | Sends a creature to a sibling's computer |
share with <name> | share with wes | Both kids see the same canvas |
story about ... | story about an otter with a lucky shell | AI tells a complete story with animated characters |
show code | show code | Shows the JavaScript behind the world |
how does X work | how does otter work | Shows code for one specific entity |
look | look | Lists everything in the world |
help | help | Shows all commands |
code: <js> | code: spawn('star','*','yellow') | Runs JavaScript directly (for older kids) |
No Enter key needed. The computer auto-submits after 3 seconds of no typing. Every burst of key-mashing gets:
The letter-word mapping is personal. If your child's name is Kai, "K is for Kai!" If you entered the name "Sofia," "S is for Sofia!"
Your child can make creatures and command them. The system handles phonetic spelling and short commands.
Full access to rules, teaching, stories, code view, and direct JavaScript entry.
Everything above, plus direct code entry via code: spawn('star','*','#f1c40f'). The "show code" and "how does X work" commands bridge from play to real programming.
make otter, make fish, make shell. How many sea friends can you make?otter chase fish. What happens when they get close?otter color blue, shell color pearl. Make a rainbow beach.otter speed 1 then fish speed 3. Who's faster?send shell to [sibling] delivers a creature or treasure.when otter near shell, otter dance — the otter celebrates every time it finds treasure.teach otter to bob then otter bob — the trick becomes part of the world.draw shell at 10 5, draw wave at 16 5, then add creatures that live there.how does otter work to see the JavaScript.code: for(var i=0; i<5; i++) spawn("star"+i, "*", "#f1c40f")otter bob-spinOpen the tiny menu button in the top-right corner of your child's computer. From there you can copy the Parent Link, open the manual, change settings, or copy a full debug record.
Open that URL on your phone or another browser tab. You'll see:
If something odd happens in a session, open that same menu and click Copy Debug Record. It copies the transcript, event log, click context, transmitted canvas code, current canvas state, and environment details in one pasteable bundle.
The parent link is a private URL containing a random secret. Anyone with the link can view the session. Treat it like a password.
From the parent dashboard, click + Add Another Computer. This generates a link you can open on another device or browser tab. The new computer setup will ask for the child's name and age. All computers linked to the same family share one subscription.
All computers linked to the same family secret appear on the same parent dashboard. Kids can send creatures to each other and share canvases.
KidShell by OtterChip uses Claude Sonnet for all child-facing interactions. In our testing across thousands of interactions, Sonnet follows age-appropriate rules reliably: letter teaching for toddlers, no lectures for young kids, proper word limits, and contextual awareness.
We chose Sonnet because cheaper models (like Haiku) failed to follow the pedagogical rules — responding to the wrong topic 60% of the time in longer sessions and ignoring letter teaching requirements entirely.
Your $5/month subscription covers the AI costs. A typical family of 3 children generates about 200 AI interactions per day.
| Data | Where | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Child's name, age | Your browser (localStorage) | Until you clear browser data |
| Family identifier | Your browser + our server | Persistent (for subscription) |
| Subscription status | Our server | While subscribed |
| Session data (entities, events) | Server memory only | Deleted when tab closes |
| Entity cache | Your browser (localStorage) | Until you clear browser data |
When your child types something that isn't a built-in command, our server sends the following to Anthropic (the company that makes Claude):
These commands are processed entirely on the server with no AI call: make, look, help, remove, undo, rename, send, share, draw, music, save, show code, when rules, action verbs (jump, fly, dance, etc.), and speed/color changes.
No. It runs in any modern web browser.
No. Every input produces a response. Key-mashing creates letter entities and teaches the alphabet. There is no wrong input.
The AI has a 467-line instruction set that prohibits scary, negative, or inappropriate content. An enforcement layer runs after every response to catch drift. Word limits are enforced mechanically. However, no AI system is 100% predictable. We recommend occasional monitoring via the parent dashboard.
The first week is free. After that, $5/month covers the AI costs for your whole family (all computers). Cancel any time.
Yes. Kids can send creatures to each other (they fly across with animation) or share with [name] to co-edit the same canvas in real time. All computers in a family share one subscription.
The server-side session ends, but your child's entities are cached in the browser. When they come back, the canvas shows what they had before. (Full cross-session persistence is coming soon.)