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What about "The Little Schemer"? I remember thinking it would be a great book to teach a smart little kid about computer science. Unfortunately I don't have i

by mdakin 18y ago

What about "The Little Schemer"? I remember thinking it would be a great book to teach a smart little kid about computer science. Unfortunately I don't have it with me right now (and won't anytime soon) so I can't confirm my memory. I think it would take a lot of direct interaction with the kid; the book in one hand, a Scheme interpreter running on the computer and a live coach to ask good questions and explain. If done well this could be an amazing learning experience for the right sort of gifted kid.

steelhive 18y ago
The Little Schemer series of books might be my very favorite programming books of all time. But even though they look like they're for kids, I think they might be a bit too challenging. They even teach about the Y combinator. :-) I do wish there were some nice scheme books for a younger audience though.
- kylec 18y ago
  They even teach about the Y combinator This is great news. In his essays, pg has repeatedly expressed interest in the Y Combinator enabling younger people to start startups - why not 11 or 12 year olds? They can grow their service functionality and user base after school, present their software to investors on the weekends, pursue rounds of funding during school vacations, and either IPO or get acquired by the time they graduate high school. ;) I jest, of course, but it's an interesting idea. Sort of a high-powered lemonade stand for entrepreneur youth. With respect to the real Y combinator, it may be a little challenging for those without a foothold in the field (such as children) because if you don't know what recursion is it can be hard to see what's so special about it.
- mdakin 18y ago
  I think it really depends on just how gifted and motivated the student and teacher happen to be. I admit it probably would not work for most student/teacher combinations. But imagine understanding the Y combinator before the age of twelve! It would be beautiful. Lots of little kids can handle much more math and rigor than they get in traditional schooling.

by mdakin 18y ago

steelhive 18y ago

The Little Schemer series of books might be my very favorite programming books of all time. But even though they look like they're for kids, I think they might be a bit too challenging. They even teach about the Y combinator. :-) I do wish there were some nice scheme books for a younger audience though.

kylec 18y ago
They even teach about the Y combinator This is great news. In his essays, pg has repeatedly expressed interest in the Y Combinator enabling younger people to start startups - why not 11 or 12 year olds? They can grow their service functionality and user base after school, present their software to investors on the weekends, pursue rounds of funding during school vacations, and either IPO or get acquired by the time they graduate high school. ;) I jest, of course, but it's an interesting idea. Sort of a high-powered lemonade stand for entrepreneur youth. With respect to the real Y combinator, it may be a little challenging for those without a foothold in the field (such as children) because if you don't know what recursion is it can be hard to see what's so special about it.
mdakin 18y ago
I think it really depends on just how gifted and motivated the student and teacher happen to be. I admit it probably would not work for most student/teacher combinations. But imagine understanding the Y combinator before the age of twelve! It would be beautiful. Lots of little kids can handle much more math and rigor than they get in traditional schooling.