MANHATTAN BEACH : Keyed-Up Kids Strut Stuff at Computer Demo

Tate Tuckman knows all about computer graphic programs--how to double-click the mouse, select items from a pull-down menu at the top of the screen and erase a mistake with one tap of the escape key.

Not bad for a 4-year-old whose hand hardly spans the mouse and whose nose hits the rim of the keyboard.

“She can’t even read yet,” said her mother, Dory O’Toole. “I’m completely in awe of what kids can do. I’m not that computer-literate.”

And that’s why O’Toole was among several hundred Manhattan Beach parents who brought their children to the school district’s Family Technology Night at Mira Costa High School last week. The program was a cooperative effort among the Manhattan Beach Unified School District, software maker Microsoft, Compaq Computers and CompUSA.

A multimedia presentation served as an introduction to Microsoft’s educational software, but the real draws were the hands-on demonstrations.

Brent Skeens Willy, 5, was too engrossed in a downhill ski simulation to talk. “We came to find what programs are best for him, and what’s educational,” said his mother, Betsy. “Anything to get him away from those Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.”

Most adults hung back, but children rushed up to the computers, often tapping the keyboard and mouse simultaneously.

“This is all very intuitive for kids,” said Jeff Olander, a Microsoft representative. “They’ll just pick it up and start playing with it.”

Marlene Ramirez shook her head as she leaned over her two children, peering at the computer screen. “This is wonderful,” she said. “You feel like you want to catch up with your kids.”