One device with such a low barrier to getting started programming that kids still have access to is TI graphing calculators - I got into programming through my

One device with such a low barrier to getting started programming that kids still have access to is TI graphing calculators - I got into programming through my TI-84 back in middle school, writing quadratic equation solvers and the like , and eventually playing with graphics and simple games. I certainly wouldn't recommend that anyone specifically choose the calculator as a starting platform, but it's a great way to accidentally discover programming. And it was a great way to kill time at school for several years...