I saw someone else mention Scheme, but I don't think that poster did justice to a Scheme recommendation.
Sure, young people could easily get bored with the complications involved with writing, then compiling, linking, etc. C or C++ code. That's why an interpreted language is a very good idea for a programming newbie. Although I like and use Perl, and have heard good things about Python, Scheme is in a class of its own. Define a function to calculate factorials, and you can calculate 12345! (after a while) precisely. This may not be of any interest to your children at this point, but it's a great feature to have.
The structure of the language is, I think, extremely condusive to learning. I learned to program C and C++ before trying Scheme, but it was with Scheme that I learned programming.
Check out DrScheme--runs on Windows boxes, a nice GUI interface, and clear error messages. Rehash that old BASIC gaming standby "Hammurabi" into Scheme; it may only be text based, but I recall it being fun back when I coded it up on my Commodore 64 when I was little. I just feel all warm and fuzzy inside thinking about hours spent reading reports like
"Hammurabi, I beg to report to you:
This year, Rats ate all of your grain, Your citizens have all contracted a plague, Locusts ate all of your crops, and You have 0 gold pieces."
Slashdot Mirror
I saw someone else mention Scheme, but I don't think that poster did justice to a Scheme recommendation.
Sure, young people could easily get bored with the complications involved with writing, then compiling, linking, etc. C or C++ code. That's why an interpreted language is a very good idea for a programming newbie. Although I like and use Perl, and have heard good things about Python, Scheme is in a class of its own. Define a function to calculate factorials, and you can calculate 12345! (after a while) precisely. This may not be of any interest to your children at this point, but it's a great feature to have.
The structure of the language is, I think, extremely condusive to learning. I learned to program C and C++ before trying Scheme, but it was with Scheme that I learned programming.
Check out DrScheme--runs on Windows boxes, a nice GUI interface, and clear error messages.
Rehash that old BASIC gaming standby "Hammurabi" into Scheme; it may only be text based, but I recall it being fun back when I coded it up on my Commodore 64 when I was little. I just feel all warm and fuzzy inside thinking about hours spent reading reports like
"Hammurabi, I beg to report to you:
This year,
Rats ate all of your grain,
Your citizens have all contracted a plague,
Locusts ate all of your crops, and
You have 0 gold pieces."
Ah, the good old days.