Snap Circuits Lights Electronics Discovery Kit (Elenco) 323

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The F.A.Q. for Snap Circuits Lights Electronics Discovery Kit (Elenco)

I purchased this set for my 7 year old grandson and he loves it. The project instructions are very clear and promote reading and following directions. Teaches how electricity makes things work. I also purchased the battery eliminator which saves money on batteries.

A number of questions have been asked here.

Q&A

(0) Question: For a first time snap circuit purchase for an 8 year old would you experienced snap circuit folks reccomend this or the 300 physics kit?

(1) Question: What percentage of the projects actually light up something?

(2) Question: Is this good for an 11-year old boy? our son still loves legos and he loves to take things apart to see how they work. we want it to be a challenge.

(3) Question: Can you combine two circuit kits together?

(4) Question: Can you use an ipad

(5) Question: Is this compatible with the other snap circuit sets?

(6) Question: Is this kit something you can add onto another snap circuit kit, or does it have to be used alone?

(7) Question: Is there any resource to teach children about electrical circuits using this set? i want this to be an educational toy but don't live w/my nephew.

(8) Question: Don't have and ipod or an mp3 player can you still have music?

(note) Question: where/how to get Elenco (manufacturer's brand) accessories & similiar Elenco's products

Electronics 1103708252, Learning & Education 110962661, Science 110492661, Toys & Games 110397561Top Snap Circuits Lights Electronics Discovery Kit (Elenco) FAQ Content

Best snap circuits lights electronics discovery kit (elenco) in review

A gift for 10+ kids, but many age groups might enjoy this. If for a kid, you'll most likely need an adult to help, and some projects require adult supervision. Basic function is that the circuits snap into each other using a plastic grid. Instructions include placement and the order in which the circuits should be added. This version centers on leds and music, and has different types of switches to activate the leds. . To me, the key feature is a piece called the "color organ, " which allows for hookup to a music-playing device (aux cable is included). Some experiments set up the leds to "follow" the music. The color organ has an in and out jack. If you use only the in jack with your music device then you'll need to connect the included speaker within the circuitry (instructions will guide you). The out jack can be used to hook the circuit up to a stereo system. If you want to play your music device through the in and also output to a stereo, you'll need your own additional aux cable. . The instruction manual is very detailed and is mostly written in layman's terms. It gives overviews of electricity, circuitry, and light. Some projects are based off preceding projects and only involve swapping out a few pieces, but still this counts toward the total 182 experiments. For those interested in the specs, check out the company website for manuals and parts lists. . Pros. -well-organized packaging. -instructions explain the logic behind each experiment. -parts seem durable. -upgrade kits and spare parts available on elenco website for fair prices. . Cons. -project instructions are single pictures of overhead views. Some could be more kid-friendly and broken up into step-by-step pics. -the plastic light tower does not stay in place very well. -the speaker is low output and may sound grainy when hooked up to a music device.

A. Barbara, City of Kingston upon Hull

U. Parker, Auvergne says

This is my 10 year old daughter's 2nd snap circuits set. I am pleasantly surprised by how much she loves this "educational" toy. The only thing i don't like is the price. I really can't justify buying these at the full $80 price. But fortunately for my wallet and dd, i happened to be on one day when it was a "lightning deal" at $40. For our budget, $40 still seems expensive, but justifiable in this case. For others without such tight budgets, it may be worth the higher price. Everything is well-made, and seems sturdy for the most part, and the box has a good instruction book included. I've been to a magnet school presentation where some kids were shown playing / learning with the snap circuits. I think if these toys can hold up to classroom use, they should hold up for most kid home use. I heard that they were brought into dd's own classroom once and were rather popular there, too. So apparently my dd isn't the only one to enjoy these. Of course at school when it is snap circuits vs. Regular coursework, it makes sense that the circuits would be preferred, lol. But dd does pull hers out and play with them every few weeks at home, even with the alternatives of 3ds and phone games and other toys.

W. Broyles, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Gift for my 7 yo, he loves it! my husband helped him set up the first circuit and then he was off! he was completing other circuits in the guide all by himself and then he began experimenting and building his own! this was an amazing find!

G. Betty, Bracknell Forest says

Got this for my 10 year old daughter. Wasn't here favorite gift but we've gotten a few uses out of it. It didn't hold my 5 year old's attention past the first two projects. And my 10 year old wasn't initially thrilled until we got past the basics. Part of this may have been my initial insistence on briefly reviewing the instructions, and attempting to instill some modicum of education into the experience. They didn't care much for the explanation of what the components actually did but enjoyed snapping them into place and flipping the switch to activate the projects. . The 10 year old even took a video of the lights and sound project and posted it to her instagram. This alleviated my worries that she was just humoring me. :) both kids enjoyed the fiber optic lights and the egg light and were impressed they were able to plug their phones and tablets into what they built. Therein lies the removal of one star. The performance of the speaker on the kit is abysmal. I didn't expect wilson audio sound, but there speaker was pretty anti-climactic when the heavily distorted and low volume sound came out.

I. Hadley, Surrey

I bought this for my 11 year old nephew for christmas because he likes science and experiments and things like that. It was such a big hit! the directions are easy to follow and there are so many different experiments possible that i think it will take him a while to get bored of it. I've only seen a couple of the experiments so far, but they looked really neat.

E. Anonymous, Oxfordshire says

I bought this for my son who is just getting ready to turn 6. He has shown a great interest in wanting to take things apart and learn how they worked from an early age. He's able to the circuits with a bit of guidance from me. Since he also loves music and lights this was the perfect starter set. . Our neighbor's son who is 9 has been able to put together circuits with just a small correction here or there, and i think that is a great age range where most kids will find the right level of challenge for this discovery kit. . The other nice thing is the customer service from elenco. It turned out that one important piece from this kit was damaged and wouldn't work. It was a simple process to order the replacement part free which i found encouraging. This company will do what is right if any pieces are missing or damaged. . Overall this is a great learning set and in my opinion suitable for children under 8 if they are inquisitive and like putting things together.

O. Laura, British Columbia

This is a great set and my "little engineer" loved it. My son is 8 years old and loves to play with it on a tray in his bed before he goes to sleep. I would definitely purchase this again. We already had another snap circuits set that my son really liked so i figured he would love the version with lights and he did! he actually takes pieces from both sets and makes all sorts of things. It's lots of fun for him and i like that he is learning at the same time.

Q. Connie, Pennsylvania says

One phenomenal kit, i teaching my daughter electronics and there is nothing more exciting then visual or audible results. The glow in the dark spinner, which she loved from the junior kit is a great add on, as well as all the fibers with colors that make your kid, and room shine! . She (and me! ) are so excited about it, that we use her projects we build together as night light in her room. . I would recommend some usb chargable batteries for it though, because for the purpose we use it; making a night light project, will run your batteries quick :). . Love this product! . . Wanted to mention this product is said to be for 8-xxx, my daughter is 5, she may need help with the more complex projects in the very awesome guide, but is definitely a good gift for the younger too!

C. Paula, Dudley

Got this for my 10 year old daughter. Wasn't here favorite gift but we've gotten a few uses out of it. It didn't hold my 5 year old's attention past the first two projects. And my 10 year old wasn't initially thrilled until we got past the basics. Part of this may have been my initial insistence on briefly reviewing the instructions, and attempting to instill some modicum of education into the experience. They didn't care much for the explanation of what the components actually did but enjoyed snapping them into place and flipping the switch to activate the projects. . The 10 year old even took a video of the lights and sound project and posted it to her instagram. This alleviated my worries that she was just humoring me. :) both kids enjoyed the fiber optic lights and the egg light and were impressed they were able to plug their phones and tablets into what they built. Therein lies the removal of one star. The performance of the speaker on the kit is abysmal. I didn't expect wilson audio sound, but there speaker was pretty anti-climactic when the heavily distorted and low volume sound came out.

U. Suzanne, Nevada says

Our most prized possession. My 5y/o love building it. He couldnt wait to show off to his friends. They loved it too. Would definetly reccomend to teachers in elementary for science projects

D. Brendon, Massachusetts

This is an amazing kit! i got this for my 10 year old for his birthday and he absolutely loves it! it is an incredible set to encourage experimenting and trying to figure out how to get things to work. The set is very sturdy and well built with easy to follow instructions. It has been very fun to watch him try new experiments and see his face light up when it works! it has been over a month and he is still trying to create new connections and rebuild his favorite ones. Fantastic product, we will definitely be looking at more snap circuits sets in the future!

R. Pearce, Berlin says

I give it 5 stars with a heads-up on how to use it, realizing it's not perfect. So maybe 4 and a half. . This is a wonderful product. I first tried a couple of experiments with my 6 year old son - making the flying saucer fly, and the lights change with your voice. He was fascinated and wowed and loved it and wanted to play with it over his tablet and video games, which is really saying something! . . I next used it with an 8 year old who i am tutoring in general science. He also loved it instantly and wanted to play with it non-stop! and i want to play with it too! it is a great idea, and fun to build experiments and play with. . It is a really great interactive, fun, educational and learning device masquerading as a fun toy. What's better than that? . . My cautions- while the 8 year old did build circuits on his own, i returned the following week to find batteries reversed and circuits not working. I could not leave my 6 year old son alone with it, for fear he would damage the components. . So there is a minimum age child for whom should not play with it alone. And some experiments don't work or don't work well. I tried the dripping faucet strobe and that didn't work, same with a few others. But even then, it went towards being educational as i spun it as that is what happens with science and scientists- experiments don't always work, things don't always go as planned, go on to the next experiment as a true scientist. And that seemed to inspire the 8 year old and appealed to him. . As for those who say it doesn't really teach electricity or electronics, that is largely up to the parent or adult who is working with the child. I explained about current flow and electrons needing a closed circuit vs open circuit (and later about different types of energy like electrical and light energy and how they can be interconverted, as in the experiments using leds and phototransistors. ). . The 8 year old asked after a week playing with it why there were different numbers for different resistors, which proved a perfect springboard to explain current and resistance using an led and the different resistors affecting the brightness of the led - which i'm sure is an experiment (or a few. ). . Yes, many experiments are a variation on a theme. So don't expect 175 unique experiments (or whatever they advertise) but there are enough experiments to go through. Best results will be if you take a few minutes to try experiments out before you do them with your child so as to weed out the weaker ones from the gee-whiz wow ones. . Soo- if you have a curious kid and if you are prepared to do a little explaining and not just hand it over to your child and walk away, this is an amazing kit that i wish i had as a kid!

V. Imelda, Missouri

We gave these to 2 of our grandsons, ages 13 and 15, as christmas gifts. They both spent hours working on them together. They were just what i was looking for-something fun and educational. And they are good quality.

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