Which electronics Kit (play and learn) for 6 year old ??

[macboy]

When I was around 6, my dad got me a Radio Shack 50-in-1 electronics kit for Christmas. I am quite certain it was this one, complete with wooden box:

Little did he know that playing with that would spark an interest in electronics that would form into a hobby and a career.

I would like to get my 6 year old (boy not that it matters) something similar this year. There are many choices out there, from "Makey Makey", Thames & Kosmos, Snap Circuits, etc. etc.  I was quite interested in Snap Circuits "Snaptricity".

Lots of these things snap together, making it easy to build the tutorial circuits, but more difficult to go "off label" and connect the kit's bits to random other bits like parts from dissected toys (definitely something I enjoyed doing!). With the wire and spring-clip connections of my old kit, making random warranty-voiding connections was easy and fun.

Does anyone have opinions on what to get or to avoid?

[djacobow]

My 6 year old boy enjoyed Snap Circuits. He has two sets. One with a "green energy" theme, and another with a spinning fan thingy that shoots up to the ceiling.

I'd say at the conceptual level, he has learned that circuits require a closed loop, and he has certainly gotten good at making the motors and lights turn on. He has learned switches. He has not really grasped anything about energy: charging, discharging, etc.

I had a spring-based 160-in-one as a kid and enjoyed the heck out of that thing. However, based on what I've observed of my son, it would be too soon to get him that sort of kit.

He also has been given an electromagnetic exploration kit that included a spool of magnet wire and instructions to wind various solenoids. This one, too, has required a lot of parental intervention because the instructions were a bit difficult for him and because he's just not that coordinated for the fine motor skills. But we did make a cool little motor with a spool of wire with the ends de-shellacked on one side, suspended by two paperclips.

Honestly, he has a lot of fun with just batteries, some wire, and various LEDs and other bits and bobs he steals from my bench.

[vk3yedotcom]

If making up a kit from individual parts, I suggest:

* a large nail & wire (for electromagnet)
* a battery holder with 4 x AA batteries (nonrechargeable unless you want to explore what happens when you short a nicad/nimh!)
* a switch
* light globes in holder (though there is the risk of blowing depending on voltage)
* Two tin lids and a sponge (for a foot switch)
* a DC buzzer
* a diode
* a relay  (and maybe a resistor & capacitor)
* a morse key (and other types of switches eg magnet & reed switch)
* an audio amp with microphone
* an old radio and various speakers

All with wires so they can just be twisted to make a connection

[denelec]

My first kit was the Solar 25 in 1 from Radio-Shack.  I was 9.  I loved it.  It sparked my interest for electronics. 

My second kit was the ELBK-200; 200 in 1.  Great kit except for the atrocious manual.  It only gave a very short descriptions of the circuits. One or two sentences. Absolutely no indications on how things worked.  Great hardware; abysmal manual. 

At 6, your son will probably more interested in lights, switch, buzzers, relays and electromagnets than transistors and capacitors.

[aroby]

My son enjoyed Snap circuits.  He also is pretty adept at taking old stuff apart and reusing small parts. Motors are a favorite and he now plays around withone of my small lab power supplies. He also learned a lot when he poked a paper clip into a mains socket ...

[Bassman59]

Like the others posting here, my son, now 6, also has the big Snap Circuits kit and has worked through all of the experiments. He really does get the fact that circuits are a closed loop and all of the basics. It's fascinating to see.

He also has me soldering up lights, batteries, switches, all of that. He doesn't want to do the soldering himself. Maybe next year!

[johnboxall]

When I was around 6, my dad got me a Radio Shack 50-in-1 electronics kit for Christmas. I am quite certain it was this one, complete with wooden box:

Little did he know that playing with that would spark an interest in electronics that would form into a hobby and a career.

You can still buy those kits, we have them here in Australia so someone in Canada should also have them:
http://www.altronics.com.au/kits-toys/educational-kits/

[pickle9000]

RP still has some (in Canada)

http://www.rpelectronics.com/electronic-kits-modules/experimenter-kits/experimentor-lab-kits

or Google

Elenco Maxitronix

[denelec]

Snap Circuits and other kits are available in Canada:
http://www.robotshop.com/ca/en/elenco-snap-circuits-jr-100-in-1.html
http://www.robotshop.com/ca/en/electronic-kits.html

[Stonent]

When I was around 6, my dad got me a Radio Shack 50-in-1 electronics kit for Christmas. I am quite certain it was this one, complete with wooden box:

Little did he know that playing with that would spark an interest in electronics that would form into a hobby and a career.

I would like to get my 6 year old (boy not that it matters) something similar this year. There are many choices out there, from "Makey Makey", Thames & Kosmos, Snap Circuits, etc. etc.  I was quite interested in Snap Circuits "Snaptricity".

Lots of these things snap together, making it easy to build the tutorial circuits, but more difficult to go "off label" and connect the kit's bits to random other bits like parts from dissected toys (definitely something I enjoyed doing!). With the wire and spring-clip connections of my old kit, making random warranty-voiding connections was easy and fun.

Does anyone have opinions on what to get or to avoid?

I had the same wooden one. I took it to school for show and tell. I was cool for about 5 minutes.

They are made by or sold by Elenco now.

[German_EE]

Aged eight or nine I had a Philips kit, one of these but I cannot remember which one:

http://ee.old.no/library/

The breadboard system with the springs lasted me well into my teenage years so it was money well spent by my father.

[AndyC_772]

I had one of these at around that age:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Electronics-1-Thomas-Salter-Science-set-from-the-1980-039-s-Boxed-/121452410232?pt=UK_Toys_Creative_Educational_RL&hash=item1c4720b578&nma=true&si=g31O%252BBeztmmY7%252BMj%252F45S1csHNIQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Can't say I ever really understood how any of it worked at the time, though. It was easy to build the circuits from the manual, and they did work, but I didn't have a hope of really learning anything much beyond the fact that batteries go flat, and simple radios need an antenna a mile long or they don't work properly.

It was another ten years before I really started to get to grips with how circuits actually worked, but at least by then I'd developed the practical skills to actually build things. With hindsight, perhaps that was the best way round to do it... learn how to build things first, and only when you can actually do that reliably and with a minimum of fuss, start to experiment.

I imagine the other way around could have been very frustrating.

[denelec]

My brother had a 40 in i kit.
Good kit with a good manual. The circuits were explained unlike in my ELBK-200 200 in 1 kit.
I learned how a transistor worked with a simple drawing...

[nctnico]

My 6 year old boy enjoyed Snap Circuits. He has two sets. One with a "green energy" theme, and another with a spinning fan thingy that shoots up to the ceiling.

Over here it is called different but the Snaptricity kit looks just what I have given to my kids as well. They didn't play with it much though.