It's funny that you and a sibling have essentially opposite asks [0]. The other commenter's anecdote is about how even the magic of expressions resolving to values goes over some novices' heads— how much more so would a full expression-oriented language!
I'm a fan of functional programming, but I also sympathize with OP's observation that even python might be too far from the CPU to be a good introduction to computing. It probably depends a lot on the child and the teacher—a functional programming language would probably appeal more to older kids (high school) who are comfortable with math.
I'm a fan of functional programming, but I also sympathize with OP's observation that even python might be too far from the CPU to be a good introduction to computing. It probably depends a lot on the child and the teacher—a functional programming language would probably appeal more to older kids (high school) who are comfortable with math.
[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38366268