Don't teach a language, teach the logic.
Teach the kids how to think through a problem step by step. How to write this down, so that one of their classmates could undertand it.
Teach them how to create a Nassi-Shneidermann Diagram for example (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nassi%E2%80%93Shneiderman_diagram), and they will have a good building block for any kind of code later on.
Maybee even integrate Lego-technic into the classroom. Build a roboter and programm it to drive in a circle.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
