It may be worth having a look at Great Cow BASIC, It can program most if
not all the PIC 10/12/16/18 Devices as well as some AVR Devices, has a nice
IDE that is easy to use and generates more efficient code than XC8 in my
limited experience. It also has a graphical programming tool specifically
for kids and a decent text compiler / Assembler for more mainstream
applications. Free and Opensource. I am seriously considering it as a
teaching tool for all skill levels as well as having developed a couple of
simple applications with it (An alarm System for my apartment and an
automated test rig for a PIC32 Based production board)

Here are some links to have a look at:
http://gcbasic.sourceforge.net/
http://www.greatcowbasic.com/





On Thu, Nov 12, 2015 at 2:42 PM, John J. McDonough <mcd@is-sixsigma.com>
wrote:

> James has it exactly right.  They need to get some quick gratification
> at least at first.  Especially, don't underestimate the kids.  They are
> amazingly quick to pick things up.  The challenge is moving fast enough
> that they don't get bored.
>
>
> On Thu, 2015-11-12 at 22:52 +1100, James Cameron wrote:
> > Yes.  Kids are automatically ready at that stage.  That's not the
> > problem though; the problem is to keep them interested with the
> > possibilities.  Having to install, configure and test an IDE or tool
> > chain is boring yak-shaving.  It has to be ready.
> >
> > On Thu, Nov 12, 2015 at 10:47:22AM +0100, Kevin McGuinness wrote:
> > > Thanks for all of the feedback. I had never heard of the Sparkfun
> RedBot
> > > nor ChipKit.
> > >
> > > In terms of programming these devices, you could use MPLAB,
> > > arduino/ArduBlock or LabVIEW. Which of these tools would be most
> suitable
> > > for a 12 year old?
> > >
> > > To put it another way, for kids who have used Scratch and edited a
> python
> > > file, would they then ready to take the plunge into the IDEs mentione=
d
> in
> > > the recent "[OT] PC Software Development tools?" discussion?
> > >
> > > Kevin
> > >
> > > On 11 November 2015 at 23:00, Brooke Clarke <brooke@pacific.net>
> wrote:
> > >
> > > > Hi:
> > > >
> > > > Did you consider ChipKit?
> > > > http://chipkit.net/
> > > >
> > > > I found out about them because of the home version of LabVIEW <
> > > > http://www.prc68.com/I/LabVIEW.html>.
> > > > It's my understanding it uses not only Arduino shields, but also
> Pmods
> > > > some of which are based on very sophisticated ICs.
> > > > http://digilentinc.com/Products/Catalog.cfm?NavPath=3D2,401&Cat=3D9
> > > >
> > > > Mail_Attachment --
> > > > Have Fun,
> > > >
> > > > Brooke Clarke
> > > > http://www.PRC68.com
> > > > http://www.end2partygovernment.com/2012Issues.html
> > > > http://www.prc68.com/I/DietNutrition.html
> > > > piclist-request@mit.edu wrote:
> > > > > [OT] Robots as an educational tool for kids
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive
> > > > View/change your membership options at
> > > > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist
> > > >
> > > --
> > > http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive
> > > View/change your membership options at
> > > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist
> >
> > --
> > James Cameron
> > http://quozl.linux.org.au/
>
>
> --
> http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive
> View/change your membership options at
> http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist
>
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