Snap CircuitsJr. SC-100 Electronics Exploration Kit, Over 100 Projects, Full Color Project Manual, 28 Parts, STEM Educational Toy for Kids 8 +

Why did you pick this product vs others?:A good companion to 'Snap 2 It' the game, which I actually bought first. Like that, this is a fun, hands on and easy way for a child to learn about mechanical engineering. A good stepping stone to learning more STEM stuff. My daughter is 7, and if I do with her, she can figure it out. If your child is 8 or higher, should be easy to pick up on. However, you'll probably have to help explaining some terminology in the book. It's very technical, so you may have to give a simpler explanation at times, esp for beginners.

This is an amazing product. Super fun. The parts have lasted. They work well. The kids love it. Very educational. Keeps the kids engaged and learning. They enjoy learning with this product. There are several options for things that can be built and experiments that can be done. I recommend this for any tech loving kid or even teen. Engineering. Electronics. They'll love this!

My 9-year old son and 7-year old daughter love this thing, heck, I love this thing!The after-school care that my kids go to has the less expensive model (the SC-300) and the kids were always playing with this, so when Christmas 2014 rolled around, I knew exactly what to get my kids. They’ve had 7 months to play and build and imaginate (yup, that’s a new word) with this kit and they’ve absolutely loved it. I remember as a kid having a similar electronics kit that I spent much of my youth playing with, and I think I was just as excited to get this as my kids were. It’s a little pricey, but after seeing how much all the kids at after-school care played with it—and being able to view it in person—I knew that it was worth it.The kit is very well laid out and there are plastic blow-molded trays that hold all the pieces together. This makes it very easy to tell if you’re missing any pieces. There a 5 books of designs chock full of things for the kids to build and the instructions are very easy to understand and all the electronic components are clearly marked.One of the coolest things about this kit is it comes with hardware (a cable) that connects to your PC or laptop via the microphone port that turns your computer into an oscilloscope! It’s basic stuff, but it works very well I and really takes this kit to a whole new level. It’s really educational being able to show the kids voltages and currents and waveforms on the computer screen. It pulls together nicely the ability for the kids to physically see what’s happening (motors turning, LEDs flashing), and see why it’s happening (voltages/waveforms) on the oscilloscope.Now, you know you’ve got something good when the kids start taking apart old toys (anything with a motor in it) and start adding on to this kit with pieces of wire (from the same cannibalized toy). Real MacGyver stuff going on here! The kids have even joined forces and connected their kit with friend’s kits—just make sure you have all your parts before the kids leave!I’ve read some other reviews that are little hard on this kit and that it doesn’t really teach kids about electronics—that this kit it to “cartoony” and more of a puzzle than anything. Is this kit fun? You betcha. Is there learning and teaching happening? Absolutely. Are my kids going to learn about Maxwell’s equation, Lorentz’s law, Gauss’ law? Probably not. I’m an electrical engineer and I can see the fun and educational aspects that this kit provides. If your kids outgrow this and want something more advanced, than by all means get one of the more technical kits that are available. When you were teaching your kids to read, you didn’t start with Tolstoy, did you?This is a fantabulous kit for kids and I’m very happy I purchased it. It’s well built, well thought out, and is definitely one of those toys that your children one day will blow the dust off the box and tell their children, “Look at this toy I had when I was your age!”

We recently purchased this for our 7-year-old daughter, and it's been absolutely worth it! The materials are child-friendly, engaging, and age-appropriate. It's not just another toy – it’s a smart investment in her development. We’ve seen a noticeable improvement in her.

I'm a 48 year old engineer - learned a lot about electronics in college - and I bought this "toy" for myself. Why? Because it looks so cool! And putting things together like this and seeing how they work...it's intriguing. And satisfying. So first off, The packaging and componentry is great. Everything has a recessed component in the plastic trays. The components themselves are sturdy. These components are going to stand up to being dropped. But don't throw them all into a bag to save space. Keep the trays, and put things back after each build.The builds are clearly specified and following the instructions has (so far) been pretty simple. You really build circuits that look a lot like the circuits from my textbooks. Everything is straight lines and the snap-together nature of it all leaves it quite clear how electricity is flowing.If I have any complaint at all about this set, it is the non-linear nature of the projects. Yes, they start simple, but project #3 already includes the music Integrated Circuit that uses 4 of its 5 connections, and I just don't see how it can be clear to a young mind how electricity is flowing in and out of that black box. I don't quite understand it myself.So - as a teaching aide, with adult supervision and supplemental instruction on the concepts - this is a 5-star educational tool. As a "toy" that is going to teach your kid everything about electronics? It WILL teach him things, but I'm unconvinced that the order of the projects is really well suited towards gradually introducing circuit concepts.On the other hand, the project "payoff" is rewarding, and communicates plenty of important concepts quite well - especially about the individual components. A child already leaning in this direction is going to love this kit.This is high quality, durable, educational and satisfying stuff. You won't be disappointed with quality of any of these sets, I suspect. And I'm bad with batteries, so I got the power supply gadget too. I'll write that review too, but if you are averse to batteries like me, its a good purchase too.If you're reading my review, you're already considering this purchase. You have a lot of options about which level of kit to buy. But you're already leaning this way - go ahead and buy one of them. You can always buy more of it if you don't buy the big kit right off. Very clever of them to offer all of this with that kind of upgrade strategy. The 100-level kit is going to keep a kid busy for weeks. On the other hand, the big kit is pretty affordable. And some of those advanced projects look REALLY intriguing. I just can't review them because I'm not there yet. But I will be, eventually - its a very serious, engaging tour of circuitry science. Even if your kid loses interest, maybe you will want to play with it. (I don't even have kids, but I work a project or two after work just to ... decompress, ya know?)

This was a gift for a child. My kids have used these products in the past, and they are unbelievably fun! They are well-made and worth every penny. They are a great way for kids to learn STEM! The colors are bright, and the product is durable. I would buy again.