Simpson_Jr:
One other thing I thought of... Who's going to help the absolute beginner ?One can of course ask questions on this forum, I must say support in general is great,
but answers can sometimes also be a little intimidating...
This is exactly what I am trying to figure out! Some attempts at http://yourduino.com
But that's an online environment, and even though young people are comfortable there it doesn't work for everyone.
One new fantasy of mine is a publication for Parents or Mentors or Teachers which shows how to start DOing things with Arduino, and encouraging young people to get involved. "Hey, look at what this does! How do you think this works? How could you make it do something different? "
Later let the kid take over 'your Arduino'... 
John, I'm glad you started this discussion!