A free version of the "Wolfram Language" (I can't help but still think of it as Mathematica) runs on the Raspberry Pi, which makes for not only a fast way make little hardware prototypes and tinker, but also a cheap way for someone to learn to be comfortable getting a computer to do things. I would have loved something like this in addition to the Lego, Construx, chemistry, and physics kits I toyed with as a kid.