Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Original poster

Basic electronics kit for a 5yo?

11 replies

ThomasRichard · 01/09/2015 22:52

DS loves inventing gadgets and building things so I was thinking that a basic electronics kit would be perfect for him. I'm stuck between two kits:

Logiblocs Electric City and Snap Circuits, which looks a bit trickier.

Does anyone have experience with either of these, or have a different recommendation?

OP posts:
MidnightDinosaur · 02/09/2015 08:11

Don't have experience with either but had the same dilemma, we're going for snap circuits for 6yr old. We felt Logiblocs was just a bit too basic and we want something that he can tinker with for a few years without growing out of it iyswim.

I follow a Home Ed blog and the blogger has snap circuits for her 6yr old boy and has always had something good to say about them.

Original poster
ThomasRichard · 02/09/2015 12:32

That's good to know. He's almost 6 but not having seen either kit in RL I wasn't sure if Snap Circuits would be too complicated. They both look great!

OP posts:
LaughingHyena · 02/09/2015 13:42

We have a couple of the Cambridge Brainbox sets, which look identical to the snap circuits. The primary 2 kit has plenty of bits for quite a few projects. We also like the boat & car set.

DS has been using them since 6ish. He's still very much following the plans in the booklet and doesn't tend to experiment that much, but he's like that with a lot of things. Always one to follow the lego instructions too.

They use the same kits in the children's school so it's been nice when he can come home and recreate what they did.

CoffeeChocolateWine · 02/09/2015 23:18

We bought my son Hot Wires last Christmas when he had just turned 6. It is AWESOME and my son loves it. He doesn't play with much in the way of toys but this he comes back to again and again and again. Highly recommended. It comes with a booklet with over 100 circuits in it, and a lot of them are pretty complicated but the earlier ones in the booklet are very straight forward and fine for younger children even though it says age 8+.

5madthings · 02/09/2015 23:22

We bought the snap circuits years ago for the madthings, still works fine and there were Extremely kits you could get to add to it. My boys have loved it, pretty sure we bought it for ds1 who is now 16 and it gets used by ds3 10 and Ds4 7. Was also used by ds2, so it's lasted well and been good value for money!

wlv12 · 03/09/2015 12:06

We bought Hot wires last year for my then 7 and 5 year old, they both love it and it's provided hours of entertainment and they love coming back to it again and again and making different circuits. Highly recommend.

SoThisIsSummer · 03/09/2015 13:12

after lots of research and reviews I have also got Hot Wires this year, it seems to be sturdy, lots of variety and something that can be passed down ) hopefully it was bloody expensive!!)

Original poster
ThomasRichard · 03/09/2015 19:46

You're not kidding! That would definitely be his only present!

OP posts:
WeAllHaveWings · 09/09/2015 13:35

DS(11) got hot wires 2 years ago and it was a bit of a damp squid for him, he's more into footie, scooters, drawing, reading etc.

He never got past the first few experiments in the instructions and found the whole thing a bit bland and pointless. Its been sitting in the cupboard for 2 years now barely touched. Will probably put onto Gumtree this year.

Original poster
ThomasRichard · 23/09/2015 19:27

In case anyone was also looking, the Snap Circuits kits are on Amazon deals today, here and here.

OP posts:
Questionsquestionsquestions · 23/09/2015 21:13

My 5 yo loved snap circuits, and is till using them now he's 7. Very good, with bits that can be added.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page