Snap Circuits SC-300
by Elenco Electronics Inc
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List Price: Our Price: $35.00 You Save: $29.99 (46%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $22.99 (click here) Category: Toy See more product details |
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Toys and Games Reviews of Snap Circuits SC-300
Customer Review: Great kit for a knowledgable parent
Summary: 5 Stars
My 6 yo son just can't get enough of this kit. We did most of the experiments in the first book (projects 1-101) and now
are on to projects 102-350.
We have been playing with it since xmas (5 days ago) and he was able to give a basic explanation of how resistance, PNP versus NPN transistors
current and voltage in just 5 days!
The problem I have is that the explanation of "why" things work is a bit thin for most of the book.
I have to disclose that I have a Ph.D. in electrical engineering which means that I probably know too much. So, this is just
my bias.
For a 6 yo, you really have to do most 75% of each project yourself. He does not read well enough to follow the instructions
and cannot seem to be able to match the nice illustrations to what needs to be done. Probably by 10 years of age, I would think
a kid should be able to do the project by themselves.
Also, I want to say, I love how easy it is to make new circuits. Electronic projects are usually pretty tedious, but this snap together concept is
fantastic and makes building circuits fun (and, as an electrical engineer, I am pretty burned out on building my own circuits... so this kit
put the fun back into electronics for me.)
In summary: My son is having a blast. I am having a good time. But there should really be a companion book for people who want to dig
a little deeper into the "why."
Customer Review: Just one more experiment, Mom-PLEASE!
Summary: 5 Stars
I originally bought this 'toy' for my 8-yr old daughter for Christmas. But it was the ONLY thing that both she and her 16 yr old brother ended up playing with that day. These are fun! With a step-by-step color manual, the experiments build one on top of the other. It is easy to follow, and easy to learn. I ended up buying the upgrades for my son, and he used the more advanced parts for his IB Physics class. I will probably have to buy him his own set for college!
My daughter is now studying electricity in her 4th grade class. Her teacher had an old fashioned kit that had never been used and was probably from the 1950's that she was trying to figure out. Instead, I brought in our Snap Circuits. One of the kids was happy to announce he also had them and "they are addictive!" (They are! Even for moms!) The two of them ended up conducting the lesson based on what they'd learned playing, referencing the manual with what you should and shouldn't do. The teacher was thrilled with the set - declaring, "I want some of these." So she is getting a set for her end of the year gift <G>. And we couldn't get the kids to stop! Hence the title of my review-it was the last sentence of a very well received lesson.
And when it is time to clean up? Every piece goes back in it's place with a diagram of where every piece goes-no more junk boxes. AND if you loose a piece or one breaks-Elenco sells spares.
10 stars if I could!
Customer Review: Electric Lego
Summary: 3 Stars
We received this set as a gift for our son. Although it seems to be well built I haven't found anything that teaches the child what it is they are working with. There are numerous components that you assemble on a plastic peg board according to a picture diagram. There is a brief explanation of what you are making but nothing describes how the components are interacting in the circuit. It's kind of like Legos where you look at the picture and your collection of components to mimic what it is you're supposed to be building. If all the componets are working (we had one that wasn't) and you assembled it correctly... what? You haven't really learned anything except how to follow a picture diagram.
We have issues with the peg board and snap components. As you assemble, the tension can be enough to cause some of the snap-on components to pop off. Every so often you have to stop and check all of the connections, snapping them back to the board or each other.
The set is beautiful and well ordered but my son lost interest very quickly. I worked with it for a while and found it had a bad capacitor component, although it looks perfectly OK. When used in any of the circuits it causes odd results, which was frustrating for my son. The slide resistor works but is not smooth, also affecting experiments.
I think any child over 12 will be bored with this model SC-300.
Customer Review: MY 6 YEAR OLD LOVES THIS TOY!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this on a whim at Christmas, thanks to the positive reviews on Amazon. I wasn't disappointed! My son has played with this almost every day since. It is a bit daunting at first glance. However, the instruction book provides diagrams and pictures that are easy enough for a young child to follow. It would be ideal to sit down with your child and explain how circuits work while building a project together. But its nice to know that he or she can build one with minimal assistance, too. My son was sooo excited when he built the light bulb circuit and saw it light up for the first time! The circuits are fairly sturdy and easy to snap in. Adult assist necessary for supervision but so worth the investment. Best toy ever! Only wish replacements for each circuit were included. There's still plenty to do with lots of other circuits, fan, light, batteries, siren(nice and quiet), etc. My son has learned so much already and thinks he is simply having fun playing! One side note..my nephew apparently has this toy and was not intrigued: he is eight. I am fairly certain that if he were to sit down with parents and start building, forgetting the direction book for a second, he would see the light(literally) and really get into the fun. I'm going to work on it. This is one toy you don't want to miss out on. Don't be intimidated. Look at the pictures and ENJOY!Customer Review: Shows how valuable Amazon reviews are
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this for my 10 y.o. son who has shown little interest in science and who, I felt, was falling behind in his 4th grade science subject. His class had done experiements with circuits and he didn't seem very interested.
I wasn't sure if he'd like this or not, but thought I'd give it to him for his birthday. I was prompted by the great reviews. I was half expecting him to turn up his nose when he receive it, but he didn't. It sat on the floor for a few days unopened but then one day he picked it up showing interest in it. I opened it and he began creating the projects that come in the book. He really loved it and so did his 6 y.o. sister. They sit and put the projects together.
My only criticism would be to echo one of the other reviewers that it would be good if the booklet describes a little more what's going on electrically. There are some very complex circuits that you get to build and, for the life of me, I can't figure out how they work. From that point of view, it's not as educational as I'd like. But everything else about the toy is just great.
I have found that every highly-rated toy I've bought at Amazon (and I buy mostly everything on Amazon) has been great. Now when I need to buy a gift, I just go to toys and filter for age and four star or higher reviews. I'm never disappointed.