You might not like it
But why not teach them Javascript with HTML/CSS
This means that they do not have to learn any of the clunky 'windows' GUI concepts.
They can just focus on logic and printing things to the 'screen'. They can then make things funky with HTML/CSS.
They don't need any clever environment, no need for a server to run it on, just code single pages.
Bonus is that most computers come with a browser and a basic editor, so the cost of entry is zero.