Elenco Snap Circuits Green - Alternative Energy Kit

My son (6) is a very inquisitive type and has always been into legos, and picks up books as soon as there is any "down time" (even if it's just a 5 minute trip to the store). So, on a whim I thought, what is the next step beyond legos? That is when I stumbled upon the snap circuits product. I'm now set for A WHILE in terms of what to get my son for gifts. We got this for Christmas for him and due to travel etc we didn't get to open it until this weekend. All I can say is "Wow." The circuits are very fun to create even though I am a novice myself. He automatically went to the far back of the book to do some of the more challenging ones by himself after we had done a few together.His pride in his ability to do it alone as well as sheer joy from seeing how things "worked" was fun to see. He told me that he had a dream about Snap Circuits the night after we opened it and that in his dream he made the biggest snap circuit ever. Now that's a good toy! My soon to be 4 year old also was very interested in helping big brother. My 6 year old let the 4 year old turn the hand crank as well as blow on the fan (smart kid making his little brother do the "hard work"). I love particular set because it really does teach kids that energy has to come from somewhere. The explanations in the book such as "open" and "closed" circuits are also very intuitive and explained the concepts better than any teacher or book I'd ever seen. This product is NOT for everyone. I know that many kids would say "yeah just give me my video game." However, if your kid is the inquisitive type, likes legos/building and just wants to find out how things work, this is the best gift I can possibly think of. Thanks to all of the other reviewers for their reviews as that swayed me to buying this product and I am overwhelmingly pleased that I did.

Let me start with prehistory. We gave our kid for 3rd Birthday Electronic Snap Circuit. He never really likes lego or puzzles, so we were searching his interests to find any type of building toys. He really likes it! He could play hours with it. However, after couple months we were stuck to explain and get his interest toward new harder projects. It was hard for him to understand and build up by himself projects beyond diodes, motors, lamps, and different switches. Ideas of capacitors and transistors were too complicated for him and he could not build it by himself. So when he played and build circuits by himself he ignored half of the box.Then I saw this Alternative Energy Kit and bought it for Christmas. I was excited myself because I am a physicist and finally I find an easy good way to explain to my kid what is mommy's research. It was best present ever for whole family!!! My kid is 3.5 years old and he almost sleep with this toy for last two weeks! Circuits are simple and easy to build up by 3.5 years old kid. And this toy is so visual to explain alternative energy!! It is hard to explain for a kid why we care about transistors, but it is much easier to explain how solar energy creates voltage, which rotates fan. I love it! On my opinion, circuit diagrams in this kit are easier to build and comprehend than in Electronic Snap Circuit. Of course, I still need to stay around to explain how to read right positions on diagram and reproduced it on the board! But my 3.5 years old boy understands it and now starts to make many comments about alternative energies!!! It is amazing toy! Some students in university have problems to read circuit diagrams, they just needed to have this toy at childhood. ;)Down side of this kit: If you don't have other Snap Circuits kit, you may need to buy regular battery or battery eliminator. It takes some time to charge included battery. Also, having couple more wires may help to build more complicated systems with different energy sources together.

Our son likes to know how everything works and often requests to watch "Modern Marvels." We bought Snap Circuits Jr for his 5th birthday and it was a huge hit with everyone there (kids and adults).This Green Energy kit was the next set we purchased. We have owned it for about 8 months now and this has been one of the most played with things in our house. Our son regularly combines the two sets to build his own circuits. He has more fun with this than with lego bricks and k'nex. He likes to hook up the meter and see how he is creating energy by blowing on the fan, turning the crank, or putting the solar panel in the sun. This set is an awesome add-on to the original kits. You can use it by itself as well, but DS loves the flying disc, the sensors, and the battery pack in the Jr set.The quality seems high. We tried an elecricity kit in the past and it was not user friendly at all, even for adults. With Snap Circuits, everything works like it should, despite being handled regularly by a 5 yr old. This one doesn't fall apart with the slightest touch, like some other brand kits.I must applaud the company for making something so kid friendly. There are so many times where my son has an interest in things, but they are not appropriate for him yet. These kits allow him to safely explore his interests and I am truely grateful for that. I also like that it appeals to adults more than some other kid toys. He and I can both have fun while spending time together. It sure beats playing Candyland. LOLOverall, I would HIGHLY recommend this set. It is reasonably priced and of great quality. I would not hesitate to buy this again.

The parts are durable, very sturdy. Some other reviewers have compared them to Legos in quality, and I agree that they're on the same level. They snap together easily. All of the parts worked the way they were supposed to.The booklet has clear instructions for the projects and lots of pictures. The projects are quick to put together and take apart. The included storage tray is a durable, permanent part of the set and makes it easy to find parts. Also makes it easy to see if you forgot to put a part away.The only recommendation I have for improvement is that they give more detailed descriptions of what a short circuit is and how to avoid it. This part was confusing for me at first because I had ZERO experience with this sort of thing.I bought this for my 12-year-old son to use in his homeschool science class. He loves it. An added bonus is that I am learning WITH HIM while he does the projects.As for the "green"part: this set includes parts for showing how wind, water, solar, and manual (hand crank) energy can be used to power LED lights, a horn, a radio, and so on. This is an excellent introduction to alternative energy. In addition, the kit includes a booklet that explains alternative energy in simple terms.I hold a master's degree in education. Although this set is fun, it's also educational and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it for use in any regular classroom from about 4th grade up. Kids 8 to 12 might need a little adult guidance with the projects. My 12-year-old can do them without my help, but I like to participate just for the fun of it.

Last year for Christmas, we bought the  Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100  set for our then six-year-old son. The worked through the first half of the experiments on Christmas day! Obviously I didn't have time to explain to him how they all worked, but the point is the instructions are easy to follow and produce entertaining results.This year, we knew another snap circuits set would be similarly well received. This Green - Alternative Energy Kit looked like a great option that didn't repeat too much of what he already had. He loved it again and is eagerly looking forward to designing his own circuits that can combine parts from both sets.The product is very well packaged--the box it comes in organizes all parts neatly and securely without too much wasted space. The parts are all clearly labeled and easy to snap into place. It includes an FM radio, voltmeter, and a fan/windmill, which are all favorites. The biggest complaint I have is that the hand crank requires enough force to turn it quickly that it is easy to pop that part off of the circuit board. Keeping one hand firmly over the part while using the other hand to do the cranking usually keeps everything secure. Also, the photovoltaic cell doesn't generate enough current except during a very sunny day (which is typical for a cell this size). That said, I would say this set is even more enjoyable than the first set and I would certainly buy it again.When I asked my son just now what he thought of the set and whether he'd recommend it to others, he said: "It is awesome!" Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100