Scratch (Score 2, Informative)

My research group at the MIT Media Lab developed Scratch. I just got a chance to read this thread, and thought I'd provide a little background on the project...

Scratch is deeply influenced by Logo, but aims to go beyond it in (at least) three ways:

• it uses drag-and-drop graphical programming so that kids can focus on core computational ideas (like iteration, conditionals, variables) and logical thinking, not obscure syntax
• it supports media-manipulation activities (integrating images, sound, music), so that kids can create projects they really care about
• it supports online sharing of projects, so that kids can see other people's projects (for ideas and inspiration) and share their own projects (for motivation and feedback)

I'd encourage you to check out the Scratch website to download the software and see what other people are creating with Scratch. There's already a great variety of projects created by the Scratch community, including strategy games http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/bmarcell/1137, science simulations http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/jay/495, paint programs http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/fab_programmer123/ 4645, and animated stories http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/vally/1224. If you have suggestions, please share them on the Forums on the Scratch website. Thanks.