For my kids, Scratch from MIT was the thing that finally got them programming. It gives immediate rewards and every program can be shared on the site and modified ("remixed") by other users. So all the kids are building on each other's code and learning from what they see. The language features are limited, but it's more than just the language, since you can see what everyone else is creating and directly play with code you find neat.
The games they create are not slick but they're sophisticated enough that the kids are learning how to work through real programming problems on their own resources. And the kids evidently find this very rewarding and addictive.
Compared to that they find even Lego Mindstorms kind of dull. The social aspect of Scratch is a brilliant touch.
The games they create are not slick but they're sophisticated enough that the kids are learning how to work through real programming problems on their own resources. And the kids evidently find this very rewarding and addictive.
Compared to that they find even Lego Mindstorms kind of dull. The social aspect of Scratch is a brilliant touch.