12yo wants to be an engineer…

[SingToTheSleigh]

Not actually sure what type but it’s the direction he wants to head in. He’s autistic/ADHD and has always been obsessed with Lego and Transformers, makes amazing moving models etc.

Looking for an interesting non-Lego present idea that somehow captures this. There are a lot of kits like for cams/gears, electronics etc but they all seem a bit “one trick pony” I suppose? Like he’d build the model and that would be it. So I’m wondering if there’s anything that might have a bit more versatility and longevity. He’s not too keen on knex or meccano so I’m stumped!

Any ideas welcome 💐

I got an electronics kit when I was 10. If you get the separate components you can add to them.

If he looks up 'logic gates' on google, he will find some simulations which he can then make into an actual thing eg a calculator.

But he could start building his own logic gates.

I actually came across the advent calendar he has, electronics components would go well with that.

Something a bit out of left field but has he considered making a pin hole camera? That can lead on to quite a few things.

Yenka also has some great software, they have one where you create a flow chart that makes a character dance. And it is free for home use.

www.yenka.com/en/Yenka_Electronics/

The suggestion of carpentry tools is good as he can create original designs and physically make them. For example, building a bridge over a train track. He would learn experimentation through trial and error. Plus working with the hands will develop new ways of thinking.

Following for ideas xx

Meccano

Some of my children were very into physics/engineering and k'nex was an excellent resource for them.

My advice is avoid 'kits' that are designed to build one thing and buy plenty of basic components and see what they can design. Mine would watch a documentary e.g. mill, tower, lifting bridges then build a version of the machine. Need to get gears as well as straights/connectors.

Great thread. Has he tried coding with Scratch? for my son with ASD it was definitely the way in to coding ( rather than a raspberry pi which for some reason didn't interest him much) and is used in schools to get kids into programming. He'd probably pick it up very quickly (it's aimed at 8-16) and then move onto python which seems to be the next step. Basically all the commands are there for you to use you don't have to type any of them out.

My first suggestion was a Turing Tumble, which I see you already have.

It would be interesting to establish his preference: for the actual physical device or a software emulator. There are a few emulators

community.turingtumble.com/t/software-simulator/294

I'm very much a software person and have not had the device out of its box since I discovered the emulator. Just a different level of abstraction which would be an interesting indicator of what type of engineering might suit.

Maybe vintage Meccano?
Not really a Christmas present but if there is any opportunity to hang out with a family member who "tinkers" with cars or DIY or anything hands on like that, you sort of absorb the problem solving mindset and mixture of curiosity/technical skill/ideas/attention to detail. I think my dad made me an engineer as much as my education or my Lego.

Model railway might be another option too.

@Tal45

Great thread. Has he tried coding with Scratch? for my son with ASD it was definitely the way in to coding ( rather than a raspberry pi which for some reason didn't interest him much) and is used in schools to get kids into programming. He'd probably pick it up very quickly (it's aimed at 8-16) and then move onto python which seems to be the next step. Basically all the commands are there for you to use you don't have to type any of them out.

Rasberry Pi has scratch loaded, so they get a lot of good coding options on there.

Just inspired by the "celebrities you have written to" thread, if any of the young engineers on this thread were moved to send their designs to the President of the Royal Society Of Engineering, he was incredibly helpful to my Junior Engineer and sent him a quite sizeable parcel of engineering goodies to work on and share with the school.

Raspberry pi, or lots of Lego.

Lego books. Remote control Lego. Lego mindstorms (programmable Lego).

I know you said something that isn't Lego, you can never have enough Lego.

You’re not wrong there 😁 he is running out of space in his tiny room sadly! Mindstorms is a possibility though (we have a very generous family friend who likes to get him a huge Lego set every year and he’s been asking for a while if he could buy it for him 😱)

Is it easy to get really decent Meccano? When we’ve tried it, it just didn’t fit together properly :( not sure if that’s a “not like it used to be” type issue.

I had no idea there was an online version of the TT! I will show him although I would bet it’s the real thing he prefers - he does enjoy screen time and watches lots of videos of experiments, Rube Goldberg machines, domino rallies etc - but it seems to be a way of trying to satisfy his need to constantly do hands on stuff when he can’t, if that makes sense.

@rrhuth

Some of my children were very into physics/engineering and k'nex was an excellent resource for them.

My advice is avoid 'kits' that are designed to build one thing and buy plenty of basic components and see what they can design. Mine would watch a documentary e.g. mill, tower, lifting bridges then build a version of the machine. Need to get gears as well as straights/connectors.

Thank you, that’s what I was concerned about with the kits really - some have several models but they seem like after that they wouldn’t have much use really? Unless they could be fit together in new ways, but being extremely NOT engineer minded 😬 I really wouldn’t have a clue how to tell before purchase.

“Raw” components would be really good, and tools of course, but I haven’t the foggiest how to find the former?!

@SingToTheSleigh just to add I'm an engineer, DS1 is ASD, DS2 is a Lego fanatic and will probably do something engineering related.

I had some Meccano as a kid, it was a useless to be honest.

Lego is great because it teaches excellent spacial reasoning, I literally think in 3D. Some of the bricks - particularly bricklink - are incredible, DS2 has built limited slip differentials and continuously variable transmissions. And lots of really fun stuff like remote control tanks etc. 12 13 is around about the age when they break stuff up after a week and combine stuff to make something different from their imagination.

The other thing I'd recommend is Minecraft, again incredible spacial awareness but also rudimentary programming, DS built a working calculator. Programming is a key skill for practising engineers these days.

I seem to remember we got some real bargains using Tesco clubcard.

Oh he loves minecraft :o it would be good to get him doing more in depth stuff with it though and I’m a bit lost with that. We have the PS4 version but I gather there are some things you can only do on PC?

He is amazing with Lego (biased mum alert!) - lots of stuff that can transform, he does keep some models from sets but mostly he’s making his own stuff from the huge box of random bricks, hinges, axles etc. It would be good to do more with the mechanics though (I’m going to Google those terms because I have no clue 🤣). I have had some Lego books on my wish list for a while (like ones specifically about using technic pieces) and about various paper mechanics as well, but he doesn’t seem to learn from books at all unfortunately. Although I suppose we could get them as a home ed resource to do during “school” time as he’s receptive to more then!

Interesting you mention spatial reasoning too. We had the DCs screened for various things by a charity, and one of the things that came up for DS was an insanely high score in visual processing. It really made sense with his interests and building skills.

(It also turned out DD1 has a severe deficit in the same, like the other end of the scale… no wonder they struggled to work in the same way!)

I know you said not Lego, but Lego Mindstorms is amazing and brings a lot of STEM topics together.
Does your son's school do First Lego League? If not, I would strongly recommend you encourage them to look into it for next year. (This year's competition is already under way.) My children did it for several years and got a huge amount out of it.

@SingToTheSleigh knex can be used in multiple ways, it is flexible - but you can buy big sets of basic stuff.

@SingToTheSleigh

Also eBay is very good for secondhand knex.

I think Leonardo da Vinci pictures and models really catch attention. Things like making bridges without nails etc are intriguing and help bed down the physics that underlies the engineering.