I have decided to give my daughter (who is not quite a year old) her own laptop (an old Sony I have in the garage). I am doing this because 
1) I am tired of her sneak attaching me when I am working on my computers and think if she had her own it would help quell this. So far this has worked for books, magazines, etc.
2) I am tired of working with her with flash cards and would like some applications designed by educational professionals.
3) I want her to be interested in computers as something other then those forbidden objects that take all of daddy's time.  Thus I want something a young child could learn how to use over the next few years.

Any suggestions for distribution and applications.  - Please only serious suggestions - Slackware need not apply