(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best learning & education toys

Another gift for my two little cousins would be awesome. Here is a link to an item they'd love: http://www.amazon.com/POOF-Slinky-Scientific-Explorer-Science-Activities/dp/B000NQMAFO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1418961487&sr=8-2&keywords=science+kit

I was able to obtain a gift for them through the ebaygives, but a second gift for them would be awesome. They don't have any grandparents to spoil them as they have all passed away, so anything extra for them would be awesome. The oldest is 13 and the youngest is around 7, and unfortunately he doesn't even have any memories of his grandparents as the last of them passed away while he was just months old.

Thank yall so much for doing what you do, and giving those less fortunate than others an opportunity to enjoy Christmas. The generosity of people in these Christmas subs is awesome!

Has he applied for any jobs yet? I was given one of those leather pads with paper inside and a holder for resumes (something like this) except it was from my undergrad university with their emblem. Definitely gives you some confidence for interviews and recruiting sessions. Also you can get him some nice resume paper to go with it. That lasted me for years.

I also enjoyed having one or two of these demotivational posters in my room. Depends on his humor and if he has barren walls like I did.

If you know more details about which raspberry pi he has, you could get some shield extensions. These are boards that expand its capabilities. There are also newer boards with better specs. Also with two boards you can of course make them talk to each other ;)

Depends on his area of interest and your budget, but you could get him some kind of [introductory FPGA kit] (http://store.digilentinc.com/fpga-programmable-logic/) or DE0-Nano.

Tools... so many tools he might be interested in. USB logic analyzers are so cheap these days and go well with hobby boards. Again not sure your budget, so you can go all sorts of ranges here (Open Workbench Logic Sniffer or scanaplus or Saleae Logic 8 or a china clone of Saleae Logic 8). Saleae or the knockoff I think are the better options for the software compatibility. He may be in need of a soldering iron or a multimeter.

Something else unique, you could get him a "gift card" (they don't really sell them) or an IOU to a PCB printing service. Ask him to design his own board and you'll pay $X of the service. You'll want to make sure he knows the price structure on the website because they charge per square inch and it depends on his design how many layers he may need. He makes the schematic and they will print some circuit boards for him. They won't mount the parts, just do the schematic and he would have to hand solder the components.

If he likes old videogames you could get him some old school USB controllers and tell him to install lakka on his rasberry pi, or just get him a new Raspberry Pi3 to dedicate it as an old-school console emulator. It is quite impressive how many consoles they have emulated.

And back to more tools... more micro screwdriver bits than you would actually need. You can get him a starter pack of resistors, capacitors, and other assorted electronics sparkfun. There are also so many buttons, switches, LED screen displays, etc. that he probably wouldn't want to buy on his own. Maybe you could get a container with an assortment of circuit components (resistors, capacitors, transistors, and other sensors). Careful! This can add up real quick. All types of sensors exist... ultrasonic rangefinder, stress, photocell, temperature, etc. etc. endless!.

Kinetic sand

Backstory... I'm a bit of a geek. Seriously. I've also got Gallium And ferrofluid.

BEST april fools prank. I have one I just did, so not really april fools but still wonderful. My coworkers helped me saran wrap one of my employee's car. It was fantastic, yes I have photographic evidence if anyone is interested. Truly. Another is taping an airhorn to the underside of my GM's chair.

Fin or embarrassing fact or story... um... wow. Okay, this is fun and embarrassing. OK, here goes....

I like Zumba... Like REALLY like zumba... I would do it every day if I had time. Lots of panting and sweating with my wii controller strapped to my hip. So fun.

Fidget toys helped me tremendously. I really like this type https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/4c/13/18/4c13186332a6e6f3e4e62bf6c09ff7c6.jpg and also this type (don't buy that listing it is super overpriced, but I wanted to link to the JR because that was the best one for me, since I'm a woman and it's small enough I can use it in one hand while I read or am on the internet). I have several other friends who suffer from mild to severe CSP and have given the Tangles to all of them and a year later they've all told me how much it helps (including an 8 year old kid). I'd highly recommend sending her a package and also get yourself a few (they're fun even if you don't "need" them) and maybe just play with them while you're skyping with her, stuff like that. Good luck and you're a great partner!

1. I'm weird, but I had something like this when I was Adela's age and I absolutely loved it. If that's too gross/weird/advanced, perhaps this art kit would be of interest to her. I had one as well, and loved it.
   
   
2. For Isla, this My Little Pony Play-Doh set is pretty darn amazing. Crap, that's not Prime. Free shipping, but not prime...but, it's really awesome?!? Argh.
   
   
3. Good luck, William. Thanks for the contest!

Preschool teacher here!

Expensive STEM stuff -- I've worked with all of them. If I had to get one, I'd probably do Osmo.

Bee bots

Dot and Dash

Cubetto

Osmo

---------

Other Manipulatives and Toys:

Reptangles - I found these at Savers and my students are super in to them right now.

Snap Circuits

Ikea Cars (not really stem but fun and high quality)

Mobilos -- can create cars but also so many other things

Marble runs of any style

"Pattern Play" Blocks -- We have these but I don't have the instructions, but kids still end up making fun designs out of them!

BIG Waffle Blocks

Architectural blocks sets -- for example

------

I have a major soft spot for board games (and related) at this age. Here are a few I love.

Animal Upon Animal

The Little Orchard

Count Your Chickens

Snug as a Bug in a Rug

Snail's Pace Race

Rivers, Roads, and Rails

-----

Ultimately, though, your focus should be on having fun! Your 3 year old does not need to be reading and writing or doing basic math. He should be learning to play cooperatively, self regulate, and be independent. I would focus on language skills and his ability to communicate effectively and understand directions. I teach Pre-K (currently 5 year olds about to go into Kindergarten) and I do not care at all whether they can write their names or do simple math.

I have a few that I like, some of which others have mentioned.

1. Bike Chain Fidget - Simple, tactile, initially cold to the touch. Can be fidgeted with one hand and discreetly. It's my current favorite.
   
   
2. Spinners - they've become pretty ubiquitous. I'm sure you've heard of them and probably even seen them around.
   
   
3. Fidget Cube - Get the legitimate, high-quality one from Antsy Labs, or get a cheap knock-off from Amazon or eBay. Someone also developed a 12-sided fidget dice thing that takes the fidget cube idea a step further. And a fidget pad which is a cross between a SNES controller and a fidget cube. (I'm still waiting for my cube from Antsy Labs.)
   
   
4. Tangle, Tangle Jr. - Good desk toy. Keeps both hands busy, but leaves you free to look and listen. There are several variants, including textured pieces and silicone-covered pieces. My wife, my daughter, and I each have our own.
   
   
5. Bead + String fidget - This one can be fun, but it's VERY distracting for everyone around you. The best thing about it is that you can make one from two beads and a string in a couple minutes. I've thought about making a string that is mostly beads each with a different surface texture, and instead of swinging it around you just fidget with it in your hand. I need to get around to making that...
   
   
6. Wooden Fidget Puzzle - Just picked this one up a couple days ago. It's small, it's interesting, it has lots of possible configurations. It's good when you need to listen but don't need your hands or your eyes free.

Best gift ever? A large cardboard box. Seriously, see if you can get one free from a furniture or appliance store. You and he can turn it into a spaceship, a race car, a house, a pirate ship... possibilities are endless!

In terms of something you can actually buy on amazon... marble runs and magnetic building sets are great if you don't already have them. Maybe a fossil dig set? Or these adorable plush dinos?

Books are always great too - in particular, this one is pretty incredible; you could also go with a more general dinosaur reference book like this or this; or a Spiderman story collection like this; or a fun set of beginning readers like this.

I actually didn't tally up the cost as that wasn't really of a concern to me, but I'll try my best to provide links to the things I bought for this. Feel free to add it up for me!

• Lighting
  
  • T-5 Grow light (came with 6500K bulbs)
    
  • 2700K bulbs
    
  • Grow light hangers
    
• Grow medium
  
  • Net Cups
    
  • Black Buckets
    
  • Black lids
    
• Nutrients
  
  • General Hydroponics Flora Series
    
  • General Hydroponics pH control kit
    
  • pH/EC/Temp Meters
    
• Grow tent
  
• Air ventilation
  
  • The only thing I ended up using from this kit was the cheapest part, the ventilation duct...
    
  • The fan from this kit is way too powerful for my setup because my humidifier couldn't keep up
    
  • I didn't use the carbon filter because I'm not growing weed.
    
• Water Distiller
  
• Humidifier
  
  • The cheaper the humidifier, the better. I first bought (and destroyed) one that had some sort of digital switch, so it would always be in the off state when you first supply power to it, meaning you can't turn it on/off with just a relay.
    
• Plumbing
  
  • Aquatec 8852 booster pump
    
  • 2 Gallon accumulator tank
    
  • Pressure relief valve
    
  • Tubing
    
  • Inline Pre-filter (Sorry they must have taken the product down...)
    
  • Misting nozzle T's
    
  • Tube ball valves
    
  • Analog pressure gauge
    
  • Misting Nozzles
    
    • Note that these nozzles are meant for WAY higher pressure systems (~1000psi) and I actually had to take out the spring for them to operate correctly, but they never clogged up, are easy to clean, and worked perfectly for me!
      
• Electronics
  
  • Raspberry Pi 3 kit
    
  • Humidity sensor
    
  • Pressure sensor
    
  • Water solenoid valve
    
  • 5V 4-channel relay module
    
  • Analog-to-digital converter
    
  • 24V to 12V converter
    
  • 24V Power supply
    
  • Resistor kit
    
  • Semiconductor kit
    
  • Circuit boards
    
  • Standoffs
    
• Wiring
  
  • 22 gauge stranded wire
    
  • 22 gauge solid wire
    
  • Power supply cord
    
• Connectors
  
  • Electronic Connectors
    
    • JST-XHP Connectors
      
    • JST-SM Connectors
      
    • Dupont Connectors
      
  • Plumbing Connectors
    
    • Bulkhead connectors
      
    • Quick-connect kit
      
    • NPT to quick-connect connector
      
      I also bought various tools, like crimpers, Dremel kit, drill, etc, but I don't consider those to be project-specific as I'll have them for the foreseeable future. Let me know if there's anything you see that you think I missed!
      

For the 4 month old, toys that build sensory awareness are really good. Things like balls with different textures, different sizes, etc. There is a seahorse that Fisher Price makes that plays music that both my kids loved at that age. They make blue and pink.

For the 1 year olds, I got LeapFrog's Scout/Violet for each of my children on their first birthdays. They were hits with both of them (in fact my 4 year old still plays with her Violet every now and then). Scout is the boy version, Violet is the girl version. They can be personalized with the child's name and it is incorporated into songs that are played and little activities. It's very cool.

For the 20 month old, you could get this Twilight Turtle Constellation Night Light. Each of my children have one (4 yrs and 17 months) and it's a must have at bedtime for each of them. My daughter was so impressed by it, she named hers "wow" and that name has stuck (she's the 4 yo). You could also get the LeapFrog My First Leaptop. Again, both my kids love this (although we only have one and it's my daughter's, my son steals it frequently to play with himself).

Also, I did those recordable books from Hallmark as gifts when my daughter was a year old and she loves them very much. You could do one for your son. They are pretty cool.

Hope this helps!

Nice to see the new community for Make: Electronics. Charles Platt really did a awesome job of teaching electronics to beginners in a way that got their hands dirty quickly with some fun projects. Do yourself a favor and get the 2nd edition of the book as the projects were redone from readers input and the 2nd edition book now includes Arduino based projects so it is perfect IMO as you get to learn the basic circuits and foundation principals first which in turn leads you into microcontroller use and automation. I got the Make Electronics 2nd ed book and these electronic kits that have the components for each experiment in the book for my wife that I never thought was going to have a interest in electronics and she loved it. Right from the beginning when she was told to put a 9v battery on her tongue and wanted me to watch lol. It was perfect for her as she would of never spent the time to order all of the electronic parts to follow along with the projects if she didn't have the component kit. I just ordered another set for my nephew for x-mas as he just turned 12 and wants to learn robotics eventually so IMO this would be the perfect start for him to understand electronics and have a idea what is going on first.

You can do quite a bit with a few sets of pipettes and a small centrifuge. Basically any experiments you want to run up to 400 level Cell and Molec, but I would imagine you'd want to start simpler with 7th and 8th graders. Electrophoresis is cool, but the practical concepts behind it are probably a little beyond middle schoolers. If you wanted too though, you would need pipettes and a centrifuge anyway. Regardless, these are the two instruments they wil use the most should they actually pursue science, so it would probably be beneficial to have early exposure to them.
As for experiments, I always thought bacteria cultures were kind of fun when I was in high school. You can grow bacteria that glows in a black light. Kids love things that glow. Plus if you have a basic microscope you can actually count colonies, and run a full ap level lab experiment. If you don't have a microscope, you can use this TvEyeclops thing.

http://www.amazon.com/EyeClops-Bionic-Eye-Multizoom-Green/dp/B000PGRBGA

My brother has one. Not as clear as a regular microscope, but it's suits the purpose and allows you to the show the image on a TV Screen. You can probably use it to look at a bunch of things in your curriculum. from onion cells to salt grains. Ultimately, even if you did the experiment as a class exercise, it would be pretty good experiance into what real science is like in college and the work place.
You can buy everything I listed here, plus the first round of reagents and consumables for some experiments for about three grand. Leaves you some money for hot/stir plates, beakers, and basics.

And I just realized my undergraduate bio lab at a 30k/yr college was funded on less then 5 grand...

i've always been a bit of an audiophile. I've been interested in electronics since I was 7 or 8. My dad found an old electronic project lab from Radio Shack similar to this one here from Amazon. I built everything in the project book ranging from a light-sensitive alarm clock to a complex circuit that could simulate random dice rolls. I even built a small AM transmitter that could broadcast my voice 3 feet.

So loving electronics and audio, I was determined to find out as much as I could about it. I even tried to build my own audio mixer, but the ol' project lab didn't have enough components to do much more than make a karaoke machine... :( But it had an audio output and the mic had an input level, so to me it was pretty cool at the time!

Then a friend of my parents gifted me his old encyclopedia of electronics and in it was a blurb about Pseudo-Stereophony or Pseudostereophonics, the study of which is apparently called Psychoacoustics. According to the encyclopedia, it was only a concept that would one day find a practical application, but at the time of the writing (1980's?), there wasn't much going on with it and it was only a concept. About two paragraphs, but I said it was possible to do with any audio source, on the fly.

Here's an article explaining a bit more for the technically oriented who care about it.

EDIT:

For what it's worth, in order to produce a sound as if it were coming from in front of the listener, one would require to produce a sound and then a fraction of a second later, an echo that is out of phase since the echoing sound would be out of phase of the original sound.

To produce a sound as if it were coming from the rear of the listener (make a raspberry noise!), one would require to produce a sound and two echos. The first sound would be quieter due to the shape of the ear, sound cannot easily enter the ear canal from the rear. Then the first echo, out of phase similar to a source in front of the listener, since that sound shit likes to bounce. Then depending on the environment, another much quieter echo would then be played (again out of phase...damn echos) to simulate the original sound bouncing off any objects in front of the listener. I would say that any earphones that support this technology would need two audio drivers in the earpiece. A high-quality one for the original sound source and another, fine-tuned driver that would produce sound on a spectrum consistent with the spectrum of audio commonly carried in by echoing sound waves.

God, I'm a nerd.

It looks like you're set up as far as it goes for electronics (projectors, a TV, and hopefully at least one computer) so I wouldn't waste any money there. Look for things that are reusable and don't have a high cost of upkeep.

Basics

First and foremost set aside some money for classroom basics that will be useful for any type of science lab.

• Safety goggles
  
• Good quality rulers
  
• Tape measures
  
• Stopwatches
  
• Duct tape
  
• Wire clips
  
• Cheap multimeters
  
• Battery chargers
  
  Life Sciences
  
  This is probably the cheapest subject to teach since a lot of the things you'll cover can be grown in coffee cans and mason jars. You'll need flower pots, some spades, watering cans, and some grow lights if you don't have good natural lighting. You can do simple and cheap projects like a tabletop biosphere with some mason jars. You should probably get one decent microscope with a camera you can hook up to a computer or directly to a projector. The students don't need to learn to use a microscope, they need to learn about whatever you're looking at with the microscope.
  
  Physical Sciences
  
  If you want to teach the kids electronics buy this whole series of books and several of these bad boys. The Electronic Playgrounds are fantastic for teaching basic electronics because they don't need any soldering, are very versatile, and best of all reusable. If you lose some of the wire they come with just clip your own. IIRC the instruction booklet gives all the gauges different wires.
  
  Earth/Space Sciences
  
  These sciences are larger in scale and scope than you might be able to demonstrate in the classroom. You might buy a cheap weather station and make a project out of keeping track of the readings. Over the years students will be able to compare their measurements to those of classes made years prior. This is also a place where decent software or just some good imagery will help teach the subject.
  
  Check out the following sites for some idea for experiments/demonstrations/activities and then work backwards from there. Figure out what you would need to perform experiments you think will fit your lesson plans and then build a shopping list. There's a multitude of science demonstration projects you can do very inexpensively. If you're smart with your money you can fund your science lab for the next few years even if you've got to spend all the money right now.
  
  Exploratorium Science Explorer
  PBS Kids Science Experiments
  Hands-on Activities for Teaching Biology to High School or Middle School Students
  National Geographic Lesson Plans
  Scientific American Bring Science Home
  
  
  Get a class subscription to Make magazine, National Geographic, Astronomy Magazine and whatever else seems appropriate. Build a small science library in the classroom. Get some good science oriented DVDs. As a practical matter you might also want to get a nice locking cabinet to store whatever nice new things you end up buying. It would be horrible to spend your grant money only to have all your new expensive equipment stolen by some asshole.

You are going to want to balance tools and parts.

TOOLS (must haves)

• Multimeters (At least two, I suggest starting with one cheapo ($5-$10) and one in the $30-$50 range)
  
• Variable regulated power supply with current limiting (Skip the cheap/dangerous chinese crap and get a used HP/Agilent/Keysight one off ebay like this or this.)
  
• Breadboards (several)
  
• Jumper wires
  
• Wire strippers and cutters
  
• Decent soldering Iron ($50-$100) (DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON THIS)
  
• Desoldering pump and/or wick (The ctrl-z of the soldering world)
  
• Heat shrink tubing for sealing connections (Especially if you are going to be doing outdoor stuff)
  
• Microcontrollers (I suggest starting with an Arudino Uno since it has the largest amount of online support material, you could get an Uno kit, any of them will be fine)
  .
  .
  TOOLS (eventually)
  
• Logic Analyzer (Let's you see the logic signals in your circuit which is super helpful for debugging, I have a bitscope micro which is decent, but the software kinda sucks and is more than just a logic analyzer)
  
• A function generator (variable voltage and frequency for sine, square and triangle waves) (Again I suggest used off ebay, something like this.)
  
• Oscilloscope (a really amazing tool for actally seeing what is going on in your circuit)
  .
  .
  PARTS (vaguely in order of usefullness)
  
• Elenco Resistor Kit
  
• Elenco Capacitor Kit
  
• Elenco Transistor Kit
  
• Elenco Diode Kit
  
• Elenco LED Kit
  (Of couse you don't have to get the Elenco kits, those are just the ones I use and really like)
  
• Voltage regulator ICs (Great for providing regulated power to things that need more than what your arduino can provide)
  
• Trimmer Potentiometer Kit (really useful to have around for many projects)
  
• Old electronic equipment to scavenge parts out of (Many of my parts have come from old equipment or broken ATX computer power supplies. Tearing stuff apart is both fun and yields great parts.)
  .
  .
  .
  I think that's all for now...

It did sound cool! It wasn't something that she had seen before, though, more like something she had read about and imagined. She has the Wizardology book and wanted to practice some potions. I did find this kit on amazon but honestly, it seems like it might be a little underwhelming.

I put together a few pieces to make her a potion set, but never really got around to finishing it. Using jars like this or this, you could fill them with different substances, give them mystical names, and then create a small book of potions and spells. Add in some science by utilizing real chemical reactions like baking soda and vingear, red cabbage mixed with an acid or base, invisible ink, making rubbery chicken bones. You can find a lot of fun ideas online.

Video microscope.

http://www.amazon.com/Eyeclops-61081-EyeClops-BioniCam/dp/B00153C5KY

http://www.amazon.com/EyeClops-Bionic-Eye-Multizoom-Green/dp/B000PGRBGA/ref=pd_sim_t_4

Magnifying classes

Prisms

Various rock samples, you can gather these for free

For electronics, you can build a simple bench-top power supply from PC power supplies. A cheapo pc power supply runs about $20, and will put out 3.3V, 5V and 12V. Also, they can provide a lot of power, and so 1 supply can power a lot of experiments.

Programming-wise...

Arduinos are fun, and with some servos and potentiometers, can be used to build robot arms. Potentiometers can be gotten at Radioshack. Servos can be had from places like Hobbypartz.com. Boarduinos, made for tacking onto breadboards, work great with the simple bench power supply built from a PC power supply.

To use a boarduino, you will need a breadboard

http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-9440-Breadboard-JW-350-Jumper/dp/B0002H4W0U/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1319603959&sr=8-12

Cheaper ones can be found. But these are great for electronics.

On the "Simpler is better" angle,

http://scratch.mit.edu/

The scratch programming language provides a simple visual interface to building programs.

These were my son's favs last year... they're good for a kid who likes taking stuff apart and putting it back together (I mean, who doesn't?), can follow directions and will spend time working through a bit of frustration. Or good for a kid practicing those things :)

• Snap Circuits
  
• Basic erector sets > legos
  
• Marble mazes, contraptions
  
• Squishy Human body is squishy AND sticky but pretty darn nifty
  
• Lab in a bag is worth the $12 or whatever but beware fake snow
  
• Rush Hour Jr. is a ridiculously fun single player game
  
• Hyper dash - awesome for getting out nasty weather, stuck indoors heeby-jeebies while... learning math?
  
  And I just found this 6-in-1 solar projects kit... must have it.
  
  Toys are awesome.

First of all props to you to introduce your son to electronics and ask to find a good method for him to learn it out of interest.

I remember having electronics kits which had a bunch of simple components connected by those metal spring terminals. They often came with booklets to go step by step through simple projects to gain some understanding.

Perhaps you could look at toy shops and see if they carry some educational electronics kits? I remember book shops also sold them though I'm not sure if they'd still.

I found this on Amazon, seems a bit different with magnets snapping together but looks like it goes step by step in explaining: https://www.amazon.com/Snap-Circuits-SC-300-Electronics-Discovery/dp/B0000683A4/. Looks a bit expensive but not sure if that's different in the US.

Oh boy I even found one of those kits with the spring terminals: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000IUD2

Best of luck!

For 300 can't really help you. That's unfortunately toy tier.

If you want to go the way of VSTs then save up and get yourself a VPC1. Best stand alone midi controller for pianist using computer loaded with VSTs. $1800.

For an all in one digital piano with realistic piano action, you will be looking at over $3500 (ca48+, CLP675+)

For under $1000 there's the ever reliable P-125, but if your hands and skill level are used to a grand piano. It's not going to feel good. BUT if your option is that or nothing well than something is better than nothing.

Latency issue can be fixed by getting an Audio Interface which is like an external soundcard. Your computer and midi controller would plug into that thing and you won't have to worry about your computer's onboard audio messing with you.

Alternate cheap option. The B. Meowsic. It does nothing you want, but everything you didn't know you wanted. You just never heard Chopin until you hear it in meows.

Particularly for people who struggle with anxiety issues, i have one of these and its a lifesaver when im in a waiting room or something like that. It seems like a child's toy but honestly it's amazing. Keeps your hands busy and somehow allows me to focus a bit more. I'm in the UK, and they sell these (and things like them) for £1, £1.50 in Hawkins Bazzar, not sure if that exists in the US, but worth metioning.

http://www.amazon.com/Toysmith-TSM6496-Wood-Fidget-Puzzle/dp/B00YRZ5QTE

Hi! I built a Beavis Board about six weeks ago. Not terribly difficult to make at all. I purchased these on amazon from Joe knows...

Resistors
Capacitors
Transistors

The problem I have is that some of transistors aren't right for the layouts, the capacitors aren't film, and I couldn't find an assorted IC box.

If I had to do it all over again I would catalog all the parts needed for every project on the projects guide or see of there was a list of items the Beavis Board came with and take that to Tayda or Mammoth. It's a lot of work but will be better in the long run.

I'm definitely interested if anyone else has purchased assorted boxes and how that worked out.

I got this one for my daughter for her birthday. It has some really cool projects. She LOVED it. It's not half bad for a Chemistry kit. It is beginner level, and obviously geared to children. Doesn't mean you won't have fun, though! And, bonus, you get to make your own magic wand!

https://www.amazon.com/Woofer-Guitar-Discovery-Creativity-Sing-Along/dp/B004Z0VVEK

My daughter has had this doggy guitar we got from target for like 16 bucks. Its more expensive on amazon.

She has had it since she was one and still adores it.

Edit: This brand of toys makes really good quality of toys too. I can appreciate sturdy and not easily broken.

Honestly these things are pretty good. Not for the hardware, but for the manual that comes with it.

Work through every single project, and for each one, once you've built it, change a detail. Predict what effect your change will make before making it, that's what'll really promotes learning and reasoning.

This thread a few days ago might be interesting too.

I am obsessed with the brand called B. Toys. They're really well made and made with interesting colors so it's gender neutral but not boring My son and his friends are obsessed with all of their toys. Here are some of my favorites:

Cars: http://www.amazon.com/B-68621AM-Wheeee-ls/dp/B002YITFWK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1394653162&sr=8-2&keywords=b.+toys


Guitar
http://www.amazon.com/Battat-68643AM-B-Woofer-Guitar/dp/B004Z0VVEK/ref=pd_sim_t_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0KRP6JRXKC9YQPYQWM3Q


Keys http://www.amazon.com/B-68625AMY-Fun-Keys-Papaya/dp/B0068GWX8M/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1394653266&sr=1-1&keywords=funkeys

Zany Zoo
http://www.amazon.com/B-68625AMY-Fun-Keys-Papaya/dp/B0068GWX8M/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1394653266&sr=1-1&keywords=funkeys

alphaberry http://www.amazon.com/B-68631AMN-Alphaberry-Navy-Blue/dp/B00471FMO2/ref=sr_1_14?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1394653350&sr=1-14

Fidgets! I have and will always have a fidget bucket in my room. It's got little things for students.I'm someone who either needs to sway or fiddle with something in my hands... so I totally get these students. If you just search "fidgets" on Amazon you can find a ton of different sensory toys. This is a favorite of mine and my students. HOWEVER! For drummers in particular, I keep straws and doubled up pipe cleaners. You can't hear it like their fingers, pencils, etc. but if you're going to introduce a fidget bucket, I highly recommend having a conversation. Fidgets are to help, not distract or disrupt.

We never did cry it out. My daughter slept in a crib in the same room for 10 months, then we moved the crib to her own room. She did not sleep through the night until 14 months. We always tend to her needs. If she gets upset, we go in and comfort her. If for some reason she can't be comforted, we bring her to our bed. This normally only happens if she's not feeling well or teething. We do have a few comfort items for her crib. We have a Cloud B sleep sheep white noise machine that's attached to her crib. We also have this seahorse http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Ocean-Wonders-Soothe-Seahorse/dp/B0083IXKYY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416706315&sr=8-1&keywords=seahorse. She flipping loves that thing and sometimes will wake up, fuss, find it, turn it on, and pass back out. She also still sleeps with a paci. We use a video monitor and it's very helpful as we don't have to actually go in her room at every little noise. We have a strict bedtime routine that helps. Milk in a straw cup at 7. Put away toys, dim lights, read books. At 8 we change into pjs and put on a fresh diaper then brush teeth. We then rock her until she's either asleep or at least sleepy and put her down and then monitor her. We repeat the soothing/rocking if necessary, but anymore she's good with one session.

I am 23 years old, and go to an engineering college. Every one of us own Legos. They are never outdated. You can get the kits, or really cool architecture ones to let the kids build the Eiffel tower or something.

Don't know if you have girls or not, but there is always GoldieBlox. The kids I nanny have the spinning machine. They also really love Snap Circuits. I also got them a stack of origami paper several months ago, and we learn different creatures together while talking about their habitat, what they eat, etc. We make whole webs with predators, prey, plants, everything. My boss also recommended me Dr Toy to look at when trying to find new projects for the kids.

I mean, define compatible. I'm confused about what you're looking for exactly. If it is rated for the power specifications you need and terminates in a way that you know how to work with there's not too much more you need to worry about. If you post your circuit we can maybe give you some better guidance, but I think as long as you get reasonably-rated through hole versions of your parts you are going to be fine.

Do you have a base stock of parts like caps and resistors? If not, this Electronic Suprise Box is a cheap shotgun method of getting a base stock going, plus you usually get a decent selection of LEDs, switches, or whatever else they sweep off the table in to your box. If you don't want to dedicate a ton of time to sorting them, you can order kits like this and this.

If you're wanting to better understand how this stuff all works, then check out Getting Started In Electronics by Forrest Mims. You won't regret it.

Most importantly--and I can't stress this enough--RadioShack should be your last resort. You'll pay 10x as much for terrible components. Things that cost pennies on Mouser or DigiKey will be dollars there.

LOL! Poor thing, time to break out the anatomy picture books, haha!!

I had a male and female version of these 3D models growing up. The female came with a baby/alternate squished organs to model both normal and pregnant bodies. I very much enjoyed being able to remove the organs and see the body in this way, in addition to secretly reading (looking at pictures) my mother's thick guide on women's health. I don't recall what it was called.

Hey thanks! The most random item would definitely be this. I don't even remember how I found it but I think its kinda cool :)

Amazon to the rescue.

We had pink ones that my daughter loved and definitely wanted one for this little guy; lucked out and found one at a consignment sale.

the keyboard cat is incredible. here it is: http://www.amazon.com/B-68612-Meowsic-Keyboard/dp/B002YIRKBS/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1314075063&sr=1-1
and yeah one of the "voices" (besides piano/organ/banjo) is a cat where all the keys produce different tonal meows. it's pretty incredible.

it also has a microphone and decent recording capability (for a toy). and yeah like dave said it has built in songs that are cat voiced or themed.

im thinking about starting a band with it.

Not VSTs but 8dio’s Misfit Toys, https://8dio.com/instrument-category/misfits/, are fun and people are doing interesting things with the Moewsic keyboard, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002YIRKBS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_1Yz6CbJM8XGNJ, both sampling and hardware upgrades such as https://www.instructables.com/id/Meow-Keyboard-Output-Jack/.

Cat Piano

Helps your little ones explore sounds and music. Bonus, will play all notes in a meow!

For same price you can get [2oz of Ferrofluid] (https://www.amazon.com/Ferrofluid-2oz-Bottle-Science-Projects/dp/B00126P1NW/ref=sr_1_6?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1483820626&sr=1-6&keywords=Ferrofluid) , the one you linked is like 1/40th of 2oz. The bottle is 2oz but the actual Ferrofluid is 1/40th that.

I'm sure you can find even better deals looking around.

Try a fidget toy. I have this string of cubes that's really cool. A couple friends of mine have ADHD and recommended some kind of toy to play with in my left hand while I work or read. I have no idea if I have it too and am not really interested in finding out, but regardless it helps me with focusing. I have friends with anxiety that use toys as well.

Your feelings of being stupid are common in people with add and other issues that keep them from achieving in school. I dealt with that a lot in college, and it affected my mental health and self worth. You should definitely talk to someone about how you're feeling. Having trouble academically is no reason to beat yourself up! Everyone's brain is different and we all have a process of figuring out what works for us.

If you love magnets so much you should buy yourself some ferrofluid! Here's a cool video showing how it reacts under magnetic fields. Or you can also make a science project out of it and make it yourself!

There are plenty of tutorials out there. Use CR2032 for longer run times. Honestly though these are aimed at young kids, all you can really do is make the LED turn on, it's not very exciting after the first few minutes.

Have a look at Velleman kits. The MK150 Shaking Dice or MK112 Brain Game MiniKit would give him something to do and you can both use them once finished.

If he's interested in learning basic electronics you could go for a kit like this or this They normally start out with a basic LED and battery and end up with tone generators and flashy lights. If you buy a extra breadboard you can both make projects at the same time.

You could also get an Arduino starter kit. They are really cool, the projects also start at flashing led but end up with much more interesting and complicated projects like ultrasonic distance measurement, moving parts and robots. Just be aware it's not as social and you'll lose him into the computer and programming for hours at a time.

Beauty

• Hair Chalk Kit
  
• Fashion Headbands Kit
  
• Sparkle Tattoo Set
  
• Ink-a-do Tattoo Pens
  
• Mani Pedi Party Set
  
• Nail Stickers
  
  
  Tech-y Toys
  
  
• Voice Changer
  
• Snap Circuits Jr.
  
• Coke Can RC Car
  
• RC Copter
  
• RC Quadcopter
  
• RC Mustang
  
• RC Tranatula
  
  Nerf
  
  
• Strongarm Blaster
  
• Zombie Hammershot
  
• Thunderblast Launcher
  
• Bow Blaster
  
• Zombie Strike Target Set
  
• Crossbolt Blaster
  
• Rebelle Crossbow Blaster
  
• Pink Crush Blaster
  
  Arts & Crafts
  
  
• Scratch Art Kit
  
• Travel Spirograph
  
• Needlepoint Butterfly
  
• Spirograph Tin
  
• Paper Airplanes Kit
  
• Rock Pets Garden Frog
  
• Perler Bead Kit
  
• My First Sewing Kit
  
• Butterfly Necklace Maker
  
• Paper Bead Making Kit
  
• Shrinky Dinks Jewelry
  
• Needlepoint Flower
  
• Clay Charm Craft Kit
  
• Mr. Sketch Scent Markers

Arduino and Rasberry Pi are two embedded system ecosystems that have big communities and support. You could get a newb kit and start from there.

Also, back in the day, it used to be all about analog electronics. I had the "Getting Started in Electronics" Radio Shack book by Forrest Mimms, and a 50-in-1 experiment board.. Super fun.

If I wanted to make something computer-y / motor-y, I would probably make a track-running inverted pendulum to freak out the squares...

I had a gyroscope when I was ten-ish... like this one... it was pretty cool (I still think they're cool).

Hopefully this will help you =]

Learning the fundamentals of electronics usually involves lab equipment like oscilloscopes, meters, signal generators, etc. For this I'd take an electronics lab course for some hands-on learning and experience with the various electronics test equipment.

Basic info about components is in places like the AskElectronics Wiki and the Big Clive videos.

An Electronic Project Lab kit is basically a lot of simple projects and a good learning tool to start out with.

My kids used to have one of these : eyeclops
It looks like it could be crappy, but was actually really cool and functional. It magnified up to 200X and displayed on the TV.
I need to find out where it is, ... for some sweet karma.

Elenco makes parts kits that you can buy on amazon. I'm aware of the diode, capacitor, and transistor kits.

https://www.amazon.com/Elenco-100-Capacitor-Component-Kit/dp/B004YHZDW0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465659726&sr=8-1&keywords=elenco+capacitor+kit

That said, you can always make your own and it will be a better value for money.

Get on Digikey and look for standard capacitor values in various orders of magnitude and buy 10-20 of them. To start out, get 100, 330, 470 pF as ceramic and 1, 10, 100, 330, 470 nF in film caps. They're cheap, even in low quantities.

For transistors, get 50 2n3904 transistors and 50 2n3906. Works out to about $8 each. 50 of each should be way more than enough for a long time. For diodes, you can get 50 1n4148s for less than $3. For rectifier diodes, 1N4007s are less than $5 for 50.

Especially for passives, when you buy in bulk, the price per unit falls sharply.

As other posters have said, it's not a fair comparison. Both the US and the Canadian products are sold by third party vendors.

• Amazon.com: Ships from and sold by STL PRO, Inc.
  
  
• Amazon.ca: Ships from and sold by Blue_Bay.
  
  So your complaint should be with STL Pro, Inc. and Blue_Bay, not with amazon.com or amazon.ca.
  
  And as someone who regularly purchases from amazon.com, I usually avoid third party vendors altogether. I'd rather have a product that "ships from and sold by Amazon.com" (or is "fulfilled by Amazon") in case anything goes wrong. It's a lot easier to have amazon deal with returns/refunds/issues than a random third party company.

I think this one is probably better. It's got all the standard symbols and F keys, but it's also pretty!

You won't really find any in kuwait from what I know of. However seeing as this is a child, I'd recommend buying a microscope kit that they normally sell at fantasy world and just having him look at stuff around the house ig

Some of them include insect samples that they can peer at 2.

If that's too specific there's this thing called an eyeclops that would plug into the TV and magnify whatever you had on it by like 500x

200x* https://www.amazon.com/EyeClops-Bionic-Eye-Multizoom-Green/dp/B000PGRBGA

but yea I remember putting it onto my carpet and seeing the fibers, it was crazy as a kid.

They probably have a better one now also at fantasy world.

Either way gl

edit: cheaper https://www.amazon.com/Eyeclops-09388-EYECLOPS-Video-Microscope/dp/B01CY8B4UU/ref=pd_sbs_21_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01CY8B4UU&pd_rd_r=Z07A3ZWRF59M63PBHFDX&pd_rd_w=1AuDd&pd_rd_wg=2m4oN&psc=1&refRID=Z07A3ZWRF59M63PBHFDX

Easy fix my friend.

Want to learn about circuits? Get a Snap Circuit board for $20. My 6 and 8 year old (and I) have learned a great deal about circuits and basic electronics and if the want to dive deeper with a bread board they would already be a step ahead on basic principles.

As for the educational/school angle - $20 gets you a kit that teaches multiple projects, doesn't require additional components and doesn't run out of ink. Just AA batteries..

http://www.amazon.com/Snap-Circuits-Jr-SC-100-Kit/dp/B00CIXVITO/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1413517936&sr=1-1&keywords=snap+circuits

http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-365-Piece-Resistor-Kit/dp/B0002HBQHW/ref=pd_sim_t_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=14BEKDGCZYR4BRZH99QE http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-100-Capacitor-Component-Kit/dp/B004YHZDW0/ref=pd_sim_t_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1ZY4TZ8KX03R67FCGF50 do these look like a good deal?

Bismuth is pretty cool.

http://www.amazon.com/Educational-Innovations-Bismuth-Crystal/dp/B008MB1MCE/ref=pd_sim_indust_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=13DYYME1DPBPMTE7TFWC

You could also get some ferrofluid, it's this awesome magnetic liquid.

http://www.amazon.com/Ferrofluid-bottle-GREAT-SCIENCE-PROJECTS/dp/B00126P1NW/ref=pd_sim_indust_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1DE658YEG7SG10M6TQ8R

My son recently had his birthday and I got him Snap Circuits Jr.. It's a really fun kit that he can do by himself or with me building a number of interesting electronic projects. It's very well conceived - like Legos but with electronic components.

https://www.amazon.com/Originial-TEDCO-Gyroscope-Twin-Pak/dp/B000FGKHZ2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1505692078&sr=8-2&keywords=gyroscope

Two for $10! These are cheap, but still fun.

We made some of it in the lab a long time ago. People really love playing with it. Though be careful, the stuff is usually very unsafe so keep it sealed. For anyone looking for some:

Link

I have been meaning to buy this for my personal use, I do not know if it is as good as others, but there is the link anyway.

Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!

Here are your smile-ified links:

these guys

---

^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly bot

Haha, sure https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008P2XJ30/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-Electronic-Playground-Learning-Center/dp/B0035XSZDI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412479994&sr=8-1&keywords=Electronic+kit

http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-Electronics-Snap-Circuits-Snaptricity/dp/B0013BL3LK/ref=sr_1_38?ie=UTF8&qid=1412480035&sr=8-38&keywords=Electronic+kit

http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-EP-50-Electronic-Playground-50-in-one/dp/B00000IUD2/ref=pd_sim_t_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=0KPKE2ZHBDF256TN2M8K

http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-EP-50-Electronic-Playground-50-in-one/dp/B00000IUD2/ref=pd_sim_t_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=0KPKE2ZHBDF256TN2M8K

I had the Electronic Playground thing back when I was a kid. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot from it.

This is awesome

I have one of these and it's awesome for keeping hands busy.

There’s this guitar that looks like a dog and is probably top 5 things I wanted to-smash-to-bits-because-it-was-making-me-crazy that my kids had when they were about 1. They are 6 now and the batteries have never been replaced, yet it still works. It lives at my parents house since they were the ones that “gifted” us the cacophony maker. They sell it at Target and amazon. https://www.amazon.com/B-Woofer-Hound-Dog-Guitar/dp/B004Z0VVEK

https://www.amazon.com/Originial-TEDCO-Gyroscope-Twin-Pak/dp/B000FGKHZ2 pretty good, and at a low price.

how would this pen work? https://www.amazon.com/Circuit-Scribe-Non-Toxic-Conductive-Silver/dp/B00OZATJ3A

I have soldering stuff before, Mostly gameboy advances and what not but this pen seems neat.

I have always loved using this one:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/B-68612-Meowsic-Music-Set/dp/B002YIRKBS/ref=sr_1_2/279-1783460-6947230?s=kids&ie=UTF8&qid=1426698836&sr=1-2

Make: Electronics is a very good book. You can buy a series of kits to complete the projects in the book. There is also a sequel (Make: More Electronics) and a series of encycliopedias from Make about electronic components.

I had one of those Elenco 300 in 1 project kits as a kid and they are a wonderful way to learn the basics

> https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008P2XJ30 ADULT ONLY

hahaha.

Not sure but it might be easier to just buy the pen

https://www.amazon.com/Circuit-Scribe-Non-Toxic-Conductive-Silver/dp/B00OZATJ3A

This thing has a song with the opening riff to stairway to heaven.

Here is one I found on Amazon, but I'm sure there are several different variants you can find

https://www.amazon.com/Circuit-Scribe-Non-Toxic-Conductive-Silver/dp/B00OZATJ3A

(Someone correct me if I'm wrong - I don't have a ton of experience with hinges.)

Usually, two boards hinged together will only be touching in the closed position, and one will swing away from the other when opened (pictures: closed - no gap, open - gap). You want the ends of your boards to be flush in the open position, and one end flush with one side in the closed position. This is a problem because the corners will prevent one board from rotating around the other. Normally it would be solved by chamfering the edges (for your case, swap "closed" and "open" and ignore the lid), but that would leave you with a long groove when your box is open flat. I think you would have this problem with any traditional hinge.

I can think of two other solutions, one fun and one practical:

1. Have you ever had one of these toys where the blocks are joined with an elastic band, so you can pull them apart, rotate one piece to a different side of another, and they snap back together? That could be cool!
   
   
2. Can you make the base (the middle piece and the pieces you want to hinge to it) from thicker plywood? Then you can use barrel hinges or invisible hinges to connect them. Check out this photo, except "closed" is your open, "partially open" is your closed, and ignore "fully open."
   
   (You may also want to use thicker plywood for the 900x136 ends if you plan to put latches or a handle on them.)

Take the motherboard out and look for blown capacitors or damaged board.

Some places can just replace the capacitors (Very small soldering iron tip and flux)

I had a similar problem not too long ago. Turns out the bottom of the board had a short. Looked like water damage had erroded the board away and broke part of the copper connection inside the board itself. That's harder to fix but you can use something like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Circuit-Scribe-Conductive-Ink-Pen/dp/B00OZATJ3A to repair the connection.

I advise against this but as a last ditch effort you could try.

Other than that it's a new mobo i'm afraid. Good news tho. Motherboards are fairly cheap (Depending on what type you want/need)

I know it's been a few days, but thought I'd still say something. I have a few of these guys and they've always worked well for me!

Sounds like she could use one of these.
Or, a little cheaper on Amazon, but not as professional.

To make your life easier, here is the kit.

My husband likes this

Yep. Now, be careful as you gently abrade away the coating, as the ink won't be that thick. I'd suggest using a voltmeter to tell when you are through.

You can use very fine sandpaper, pumice, or something similar (even a razor blade, but that is riskier) to get the coating off.

Read up on whatever conductive material you use. Conducto compound, which I have always used (but wouldn't recommend for you; I have a lifetime's supply of it, and it was CRAZY-expensive), needs to be cured at 100°C, or with UV light.

Here are some things to take a look at:
https://www.adafruit.com/categories/221

Also:
http://www.amazon.com/Circuit-Scribe-Conductive-Ink-Pen/dp/B00OZATJ3A

http://www.amazon.com/Tangle-Original-Sensory-Fidget-Toy/dp/B001RQEM28

Get one of these, they help :D

The only keyboard in that price range I can recommend is this one https://www.amazon.ca/Battat-B-BX1025Z-Meowsic-Keyboard/dp/B002YIRKBS/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549215955&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=meowsic+keyboard

Here's one off Amazon if anymore can't be bothered to build one [Gyroscope] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FGKHZ2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000FGKHZ2&linkCode=as2&tag=rafnieto10-20&linkId=844488613f55cab2eeb9a5dd5326e31a)

The trick is to remove the batteries and then claim it is broken.

Worked like a charm with this fucking thing.

The snap circuits version is 20$ right now on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CIXVITO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Yeah, I remember the kickstarter for this. You can buy one here, but they're $30 a pop. It's silver that makes that ink conduct.

This isn't a recipe (sorry), but I have found that if I have something to fidget with, I don't want to snack as much while watching my evening TV. For me, I guess, I snack just to have something to do with my hands. Now I play with this thing or a stress ball and I don't feel like snacking. That and sparkling water really reduces my munchies.

Messy, yes, but $20.99 isn't that expensive. And you can always try to make your own.

This?

https://www.amazon.com/Ferrofluid-2oz-Bottle-Science-Projects/dp/B00126P1NW

Why is this $8,300 again?

Wood fidget puzzle

Here is the desktop version of your link

Dope.
It's an ortholinear TKL with a nonstandard layout and custom keycaps. And it's only $25.

They still do similar toys, but without the multimeter, function gen etc. I had one when I was a lad:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Elenco-EP-50-Electronic-Playground/dp/B00000IUD2/ref=sr_1_1?s=kids&ie=UTF8&qid=1523449652&sr=1-1&keywords=learn+electronics

http://www.amazon.com/Originial-TEDCO-Gyroscope-Twin-Pak/dp/B000FGKHZ2

So far I've found this one! https://www.amazon.com/Toysmith-TSM6496-Wood-Fidget-Puzzle/dp/B00YRZ5QTE/ref=asc_df_B00YRZ5QTE/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312031085430&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2545190158923387587&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1014471&hvtargid=aud-800703102928:pla-493501871268&psc=1 it's a fidget puzzle

http://www.amazon.com/Ferrofluid-2oz-Bottle-Science-Projects/dp/B00126P1NW

should be as simple as pouring the fluid into the container.

Probably one of those silver conductive pens used for making/fixing circuit board. Or conductive copper tape.
https://www.amazon.com/Circuit-Scribe-Conductive-Ink-Pen/dp/B00OZATJ3A and https://www.amazon.com/Copper-Tape-Conductive-Adhesive-50ft/dp/B01KAJIBLA/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1497783953&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=cunductive+copper+tape

Childrens toy https://www.amazon.com/Circuit-Scribe-Non-Toxic-Conductive-Silver/dp/B00OZATJ3A

Found a very simillar one with all the F1-F12 keys here.

https://smile.amazon.com/Originial-TEDCO-Gyroscope-Twin-Pak/dp/B000FGKHZ2

bam

A 2 ounce bottle of ferrofluid goes for almost U$30 in Amazon.

Maybe the owner can sell the transmission fluid on ebay and use the money to buy a new trans?

https://www.amazon.com/Ferrotec-Magnetic-Ferrofluid-Science-Projects/dp/B00126P1NW

Eyeclops? https://www.amazon.com/EyeClops-Bionic-Eye-Multizoom-Green/dp/B000PGRBGA

Also, commercial for it https://youtu.be/RqT_nh9AzZg

cant find the exact version but heres one https://www.amazon.com/Originial-TEDCO-Gyroscope-Twin-Pak/dp/B000FGKHZ2

Haven't these existed for decades?

http://www.amazon.com/Circuit-Scribe-Conductive-Ink-Pen/dp/B00OZATJ3A

This? https://www.amazon.com/Toysmith-TSM6496-Wood-Fidget-Puzzle/dp/B00YRZ5QTE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1521101750&sr=8-2&keywords=wood+fidget+puzzle

or this? https://www.amazon.com/Dinosaur-Brain-Teaser-Puzzle-Neliblu/dp/B06XFZWQR9/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1521101787&sr=8-8&keywords=wood+fidget+puzzle

or perhaps this one?
https://www.amazon.com/BBLIKE-Teaser-Puzzle-Multi-colored-Special/dp/B073S5WSJR/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1521101787&sr=8-14&keywords=wood+fidget+puzzle

http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-100-Capacitor-Component-Kit/dp/B004YHZDW0/ref=pd_sim_60_4?ie=UTF8&dpID=51eBE5ZzncL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=0SVCS5J35KJBVF17S4DS

https://www.amazon.com/Applied-Magnets-Magnetic-Ferrofluid-Projects/dp/B00126P1NW/ref=sr_1_6?crid=13P1BNAWH6YVU&keywords=ferrofluid&qid=1575086391&sprefix=ferrofl%2Caps%2C136&sr=8-6

This is similar (although not as good)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Elenco-EP-50-Electronic-Playground/dp/B00000IUD2/ref=sr_1_10?keywords=electronics+kit&qid=1556184856&s=gateway&sr=8-10

Jordan could be on the cat keyboard http://www.amazon.com/B-68612-Meowsic-Keyboard/dp/B002YIRKBS

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008P2XJ30

Snap circuits!!

$8300 USD....lol. Considering Ferrofluid is only $20 for 2oz on Amazon I have no clue where they are getting their price from. Its definitely not eight grand to create nor that amazing of an idea that it cant easily be replicated at a much lower cost.

To be honest I think these guys really screwed themselves with this initial "Limited run of 24 clocks at $8300 each". Probably will be able to buy knockoffs of this on alibaba by summer.

This one looks more like the one my brother had. Sad face for the price :( I want it, but cant really justify the cash.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005K86O/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000IXPYSM&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=025Q89FM43XNZ6ZHZRPP

https://www.amazon.com/Ferrotec-Magnetic-Ferrofluid-Science-Projects/dp/B00126P1NW
Amazon seems to sell some, but be careful with it. It’s quite bad for your body, kinda like Quicksilver.

This kit has everything you need: https://www.amazon.com/Elenco-300-in-One-Electronic-Project-Lab/dp/B00005K86O/

This is how I got interested in electrical engineering.

The problem was I only realized years later that a lot of EE is programming and not actual circuits and circuit design. I love circuits and stuff but hate programming so take that for what it's worth.

Switched to chemical engineering sophomore year of college and never looked back.

Normally you wouldn't want ferrofluid around kids. It shouldn't be drank for obvious reasons, and it's extremely messy if it gets on clothes, furniture, etc.

You can buy fluid on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Ferrofluid-2oz-Bottle-Science-Projects/dp/B00126P1NW. Get an enclosed glass decanter to put it in and some neodymium magnets.

Buy some ferrofluids. Make patterns with magnets. Shit bricks.
http://www.amazon.com/Ferrofluid-bottle-GREAT-SCIENCE-PROJECTS/dp/B00126P1NW/ref=pd_sbs_indust_4

Things I've recently received for my toddler that make me want to scream:

• The V-tech Sit-to-stand smart cruiser - because everyone that works at V-tech is a sadistic fuck. The thing beeps continuously and the thing gets stuck in a permanently-beeping mode where it can't seem to figure out how to shut off. Really, anything made by V-tech is built to make parents want to die.
  
  
• Tonka police cars and fire trucks that make real-life volume siren noises
  
  
• The B Meowsic keyboard and B Woofer guitar - not only will they play irritating songs, but they will actually meow and woof the music too