Teaching kids about computers...

OK, I've managed to catch up with the thread now. Nice to see so many replies (I figured it'd generate a few, but I didn't expect this many :-) A few individual points: Re. BBC micro: will definitely have one over here at some point. It'd be nice to find a US-spec one, but I expect they're a little rare even in the US (I've only ever seen one on the UK side). Main worry about the BBC though is that it's perhaps overkill for that initial learning step (i.e. focus on ROM/RAM/CPU and basic I/O) but is a fantastic machine once initial concepts have been grasped. (C64 perhaps falls into the same category as the BBC - it might be a bit too daunting initially simply because it can do so much more than the basic stuff) Re. Zaks "Programming the Z80" - good idea. I've actually got two copies anyway, but they're boxed up in the UK; perhaps I could manage to get one sent over 'early' though. Definitely is a good book... Re. Alice. Interesting. I've not come across that before, but looking at the front page of the site it looks like it has potential - I'll do some more reading! I'm still not sure how to approach the low-level electronics side of things. Way back when in the UK, we had some electronics 'kits' at school which had basic logic gates mounted on a board and allowed kids to jump wires between them to make circuits (they contained a few LEDs, an LDR, some switches etc. too). Blue fronts, with the component legends drawn out in white (you couldn't actually see the ICs themselves). Did something similar exist in US schools? That sort of thing might be a good practical introduction... I'd still like to find a 'simple' machine for him to play on - something on a par with a 48KB Spectrum; i.e. just ROM/RAM/CPU, keyboard, cassette storage, and TV output. Extra credit for having a 'common' CPU such as the Z80 or 6502 :-) (didn't the 48KB Spectrum sell in the US via Timex? Did it have a 'proper' keyboard? Having something with a 'real' keyboard would be nice...). Maybe an Apple ][ is a good candidate and still readily obtainable in the US? Reluctant to go the emulator route (just because it feels wrong to me personally :-) but maybe that's another option... I think I'm sort of aiming for a three-pronged 'attack' here: give him the ability to learn some electronics, learn how a computer fundamentally works, and learn how computers are programmed. Maybe he'll naturally gravitate toward one area (but, like I was, maybe he'll enjoy all three equally). Too early to tell at the moment though, so it'd be nice to keep options open. cheers Jules