kids and computer programming
 

hello, I'd like to introduce my partner's son in computer programming, rather than just games. I've searched on the internet but can't find anything. Surely there must be something you can get that explains basic programming and gives a basic environment in which to learn. I remember loving my ZX81.

Any ideas ?

try the computing forum

http://www.kidsdomain.com/down/program.html

or to look further:
http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=e...e+Search&meta=

How old is the kid? If the kid is into programming just introduce it any way you know how and if they like it, they ought to pick up own their own from there. I taught myself to program at age 11. One of the hardest things I've ever done.

he's 9.
I was thinking of getting something like stagecast creator but they want $35 to ship to the uk whick i think is an absolute rip-off. I've found some stuff on the net for qbasic but internet downloads don't really make nice xmas pressies :)

You could buy him the Lego robtics set - it includes an easy to use graphical programming tool - and is a load of fun to play with. Then he can advance to a more script-like langage to program his robots. (there are several other languages you can use - even VB)

That should spark his interest in programming.

I first learnt at 11 on ol' QBasic. It's a classic!

I messed around with ASM and Basic on my TI-whateverthefuckitwas calculator in HS, it was too much of a brainfuck for me, then again, I was stoned a lot.

logo and basic are good languages to start kids on.

there are free logo programs out there on the net.

I like the lego Mindworks idea - the problem with programming is getting an idea of what is going on inside the computer - what better way of showing up the differences in the electronic world and the outside world than by trying to get a computer to control a robot.

Plus I loved Lego as a kid.

I started programming on a C64 back in 81 or 82 - but back then, just getting some words to show up on a screen was exciting, let alone graphics or sound etc. I think one problem with understanding computers to day is that there are so many layers of abstraction, that it's difficult to realise exactly how clunky the workings of a computer's mind really are. Plus when you have the choice between typing something along the lines of

(which at the time - for a 10 year-old me anyway - was incredibly exciting)

or slaying thousands of gun-toting freaks in a photo-perfect first-person shooter - I wonder whether I would have spent all those hours actually learning something other than how to rapidly twitch my trigger finger.

You can still get old computers on eBay, why not get the full kit (disk-drive, tapes etc) and start off retro - it might be different enough to inspire your children into learning something different. Especially since many of the programs that you used to have to shell out the readies for are now available for download etc. This is more of a project, but something I'd quite like to do properly at some point with a C64, a 1571 disk-drive, cassette deck etc - it would be like stepping back into 1984.

But now I've said too much ;)

QBasic is also pretty good, but you need a way to inspire interest - perhaps by finding an existing program and showing your children how it works behind the scenes, and how they can change it to do what they want it to do.

i got to play with that in high school, it was great fun. i already knew how to program in VB and it was easy to jump to. some others in my group with no programmign experiance were able to pick up the system easily.

they are expensive but alot of fun.

i was taught to code in school in the 4th and 5th grades. i don't recall any of the specifics (including the language) beyond that it was on ancient apples and i coded a program that drew a ferris wheel rotating around and flashing words :)

and now i'm a senior in computer engineering. go figure. by teaching a kid to computer programming you might be condemning him to a poor job market and slaving over a keyboard for life ;)

I wonder if programming is as appealing to kids today as it was to me more than 20 years ago. Back then, I was amazed by the control I had over my computers -- first my TI-99/4A, then my Apple II, PC Clone, and so on. But while I spent days designing sprites and making rudimentary games, would this be appealing to kids today, when they have games with gorgeous graphics from their console boxes? I started out programming with BASIC and LOGO, and I thought it was really cool at the time. But at that time, the best game consoles were Atari 2600s and Colecovisions, so it was easy to be amazed. I'm just not sure that kids would be as interested in, say, moving a turtle icon around on a screen. It just doesn't seem that interesting anymore.

But I would whole-heartedly encourage my kids to program when they're a little older. I think I would start with Lego Mindstorms -- there's an immediate pay-off to some simple programming instructions. After they're sick of that, I might move them to something like C-Robots and Logo. And after that, maybe some simple VB or .NET programming.

And of course, I'm trying to expose them right now to the wonders of case-modding and other hardware stuff. I'm happy to say that my 4-year old knows the difference between a USB and a FireWire port. :)

I'm also looking forward to this being a good bonding experience, because I've always loved computers all my life, and I hope to share this with my kids.

VB is a great way to get immediate visual results in a way that they're familiar with, in a friendly environment.
I swear, if I had started learning in some kinda C and tried to make Hello World only to have the compiler go "link error, link error, link error, link error" I would have quit on the spot.

How old is the kid? Maybe you could start with something simple like HTML. It's nice because you can get instant results and it teaches some basic structures.