[justjash]

I will agree with this. I think the problem solving aspect is much more beneficial than actually programming. If you have great problem solving/critical thinking skill then converting those into some program is trivial.

I also think 5 is a little young... I'd be more afraid of turning a child off to the concept due to it being boring. My son is now 11 and they started doing some Scratch programming at school last year and he thinks it is pretty cool. It has also triggered some interest in him wondering what I do at work especially if I work from home and have something pulled up in Eclipse.