Elenco Snap Circuits Pro 500-in-1 Electronics Exploration Kit (EE-SC500)

Bought these as a birthday gift for our niece, who absolutely loved them. I always wanted to get these for some kid, and fortunately, the niece aged right into the perfect demographic for me to do so. Just having turned 6, I was afraid it would maybe be a bit over her head. I was wrong. Over the course of 40 minutes, we started knocking out one after another of the HUNDREDS of included projects. The booklet/instructions are well-written, easy to understand, and explains the how's what's why's and how's of circuitry. I enjoyed playing with it myself, and I'm in my forties. If you're not buying kids Legos, pay the premium, and grab a set of these.

My grandson was thrilled with this toy. He said they had one at school. Kept him busy for hours.

This kit is amazing! The kit is technically for ages 8 - 108 (yes 108 per the box!!), but my 4-year-old thoroughly enjoyed supervised lessons. He did not want the lessons to end. Our first session lasted over 2 hours. We look forward to incorporating this into dedicated weekly lessons at home. Definitely purchase this one if you're thinking about buying it! You won't regret it!!

A lot of different circuits possible, and they have many examples for projects.The connections are strong and durableOnly problem is they switched the photoresistor has been changed to phototransistor, and it's directional but the booklet doesn't show it. It makes it harder for the kid to build properly by himself, but I assume the learning curve would be short.

Bought this (very far in advance) for my daughter for Christmas, as I was looking for something similar to the Radio Shack 200:1 type kits I had as a child. Unfortunately, those don't exist anymore - but this is pretty close. The instructions could use some work, as they do not really describe what the components are doing and it feels more like teaching them to build Legos rather than read or understand electronic components and circuit diagrams, but I can understand how it might be the best option given the limitations of pieces being used. The old Radio Shack units had springs and everything was wired together with (sometimes hundreds!) of little jumper wires. Granted, I suppose not much is really wired that way anymore, and perhaps this more "circuit board style" is more appropriate for today's kids (and adults!). Either way, she has really enjoyed playing with it and learning about dc current flow, how reversing polarity on the motor causes it to spin in different directions, and troubleshooting her circuit lead to an understanding of how diodes are only one way. It's achieving it's goal, and for that, it's great.What's not so great, however, is the packaging. It's two cardboard and plastic molded trays, and just a slip cover. It's very difficult to store, since anything other than sitting flat on a shelf will cause the slip cover to come off, the trays to fall, and pieces to go everywhere! It really needs a traditional, closing box. Will have to try to find something that is more appropriate to hold the pieces, which is unfortunate.

VERY entertaining/rewarding for my 9yo and his dad, who is an electrician, to do together! Highly recommend the 300 set.

Loads of fun and learning..

Bought this for my 8 year old grandson. He absolutely loves it. He played with it building different types of circuits for several days in a row. It's very well made and easy to use.