Recommendations for children interested in programming

[d000hg]

A friend's kid is interested in programming; the dad is techy but not a programmer and wondered what might be a good way to learn. They've ordered a Pi but I reckon for a kid Java is a big ask, there's so much stuff on top of the basics.

Are there good (free) versions of BASIC or such things as we learned on decades ago, floating around? I have fond memories of GWBASIC and QBASIC, not to mention BBC-BASIC and LOGO.
I kind of imagine there might be nice web-based versions in this day which could allow a kid to get into writing code for fun?

[northernladuk]

Something like BBC emulators?

The BBC lives! -- Emulators

Should take them too long to get their name flashing on the screen for a bit of fun to see if they have the bug.

How old are you talking here?

Could you not get them some very basic HTML editor and get them to start messing about with webpages. Not quite programming but might show structure and form of code which has a visual output in the form of their own webpage?

[d000hg]

In my opinion, web-development is an ugly and complicated car-crash of over-stretched technologies contorted to do things they were never meant for, which lags behind proper development languages by a generation, and behind modern development tools by several generations I wouldn't recommend it as an entry to programming to anyone!

[northernladuk]

Fair comment. Just thought it might have a quick rewards v effort to keep younger kids interested.

Would like someone elses ideas as I could be interested in this. They are hooked on minecraft at the moment so will have to be fun to capture their interest.

[d000hg]

Not sure about a strict BBC emulator but a web-based simple BASIC sounds quite neat to me... seems like an HTML5 or iPad app must exist.

I found Quite BASIC for instance.

[russell]

Start them on C or it's a waste of time. Close to the machine so they understand how a computer works.

[d000hg]

Rubbish. Start people on C for proper programming, sure... start kids on something they can understand. A 5-year-old write a simple BASIC script without sub-routines but C is fundamentally more complicated with more difficult concepts to grasp.

[northernladuk]

Rubbish. Start people on C for proper programming, sure... start kids on something they can understand. A 5-year-old write a simple BASIC script without sub-routines but C is fundamentally more complicated with more difficult concepts to grasp.

Fortran? End of my programming career that crap was. Lecturer loved it so much it put me off for life.

[Bunk]

Rubbish. Start people on C for proper programming, sure... start kids on something they can understand. A 5-year-old write a simple BASIC script without sub-routines but C is fundamentally more complicated with more difficult concepts to grasp.

I agree. Start with the basics - variables, if statements, loops, functions etc. Once they've got the hang of that they can think about moving to a more complicated language or topics.

[vetran]

Start close to the metal:

Minibloq: Documentation

or

Modkit - Alpha Club


That way they appreciate the hardware. And the joy of flashing an LED or writing your name on an LCD is great. Arduino cost ~ £20.

Its easy writing code with visual studio, its difficult to write good code without the appreciation of how the hardware works.