Which kid's beginners programming - Python or Forth?

[D H]

BORT wrote:
> So, that said...   In ~simplest~ terms for the stated goal -- Forth or
> Python?
> ...the goal is NOT the spelling tutor... it is learning how to use a
> tool to solve a problem.  I am asking which tool is more suited to an
> otherwise arbitrary direction of "spelling tutor program."

Python is easier to learn that most other popular programming languages.

For a games approach, check out this online "book" targeted to kids: 
http://staff.easthighschool.net/lee/computers/book/
It uses pygame and Lee Harr's pygsear.

For another graphical approach, playing around with images and sound 
files, see the Jython Environment for Students (JES).  Jython is python 
running on top of java's virtual machine.
http://coweb.cc.gatech.edu/mediaComp-plan/94
http://coweb.cc.gatech.edu/mediaComp-plan/27
http://coweb.cc.gatech.edu/mediaComp-plan

For text-to-speech, if you are using Windows and python, see the pyTTS 
module and this link: http://www.cs.unc.edu/~parente/tech/tr02.shtml
If you are using jython, see FreeTTS instead: 
http://freetts.sourceforge.net/docs/index.php

But since your son is only 10 years old, I'd really recommend first some
non-python development environments that are even more geared to kids:
- Lego Mindstorms, which has a graphical programming environment to 
control robots you build (you connect a flow chart to describe the 
program instead of having to type and indent everything perfectly).  It 
is targetted specifically for kids his age, but it is a bit expensive.
- http://agentsheets.com/ - Very neat java-based authoring tool, but 
unfortunately costs money too.  Trial version only lasts 10 days, but 
you can learn a lot in that time using this tool.
- NetLogo (and the older version StarLogo): 
http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/  Uses Logo to script hundreds of 
"turtles" in parallel.  This is a free tool.
- http://e-slate.cti.gr/ really awesome authoring tool, but hasn't been 
updated in a couple of years because I guess the funding ran out.