How computer programming languages for kids have evolved and where they're going
Having animals and colorful bricks is okay, so long as we&#x27;re not in conflict with what is actually fun about what is being taught here...<p>Programming is fun because we can control the machine, and make it do things... magically, at our whim, with the right combination of instructions.<p>So compared to that, having a cat walk towards a barn seems like a completely irrelevant layer of entertainment forcefully tailored to the taste of the students, who at best are distracted from the real fun, or at worst presumed to be incapable of understanding why programming itself might be fun.<p>For all practical purposes HTML is a great place to start. Immediate output, can share it online, and it&#x27;s easy. And easy to expand upon with CSS and Javascript and everything else. Also Processing is great for an art cs class. Not to mention both web development and computer graphics being two highly relevant skills in today&#x27;s job market (thought that is thinking a bit ahead considering the ages here, but better relevant than sorry).