As I mentioned earlier, Thomas has show some interest in learning how to program computers. After a discussion with some colleagues at work, I decided to introduce him to Logo, a graphics-centered language that is based on the more sophisticated Lisp.
A quick Google of “logo+mac” got me this website where you can download a free version of Logo for the Mac. I had him download it and try some of the tutorials here. He took to it immediately and it was interesting enough to keep him off of Runescape for a few hours.
Logo has been around since before I got into computers so there are many resources available to support learning endeavors. I searched for books on Half.com and Amazon and found a compelling review for this book by Brian Harvey. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a very good price for it.
On a whim, I googled the author’s name and found his website. He works at UC Berkeley now and has provided free online editions of all three volumes of his Computer Science Logo Style series:
I told Thomas that when he was through with Logo, I’d show him Java, the cross-platform language from Sun. He wants to learn Java already, but I’m holding him back for awhile. The second volume of the Harvey series has a few game examples, so I think that will keep him busy for the time being.