A simple method to get some feedback from the Raspberry Pi is to use Text To Speech (TTS).

I this Instructable I will show you how to do this using Python and Espeak.

Parts required:

-Raspberry Pi with internet connection (internet just for setup)

-Speaker

Step 1: Install Python

If you haven't installed Python already, install it via apt-get:

sudo apt-get install python-dev

Step 2: Install Espeak

To install the TTS engine (Espeak) and the Python module, use the following command:

sudo apt-get install espeak
sudo apt-get install espeak python-espeak

To speak a sentence, use the command

espeak Hello Instructables!

or in Python:

from espeak import espeak

espeak.synth("Hello Instructables!")