A good basic kit with everything you need to build a very simple crystal radio. This is not hi-tech hi-fi. Geared for ages eight and up, it is a complete kit with wonderfully straight forward instructions which walk the experimenter through hooking up tuning needle, crystal diode, and earphone, and experimenting to find useful antennas. Excellent education, recreation and discovery device all at the same time. A simple kit with hours of fun in it.

with our best selling electronics kit. Build 100 or more electronic projects from a Reflection Detector to a Simple Salt Water Alarm with Snap Circuits Jr. The Elenco kit, a Dr. Toy Winner, has a grid base and a selection of conductors, resistors, switches, integrated circuits and more, for a total of (30) color-coded snap-in parts. For ages 8 to 108, the easy-to-use components and well-designed instruction manual make this a perfect way to spend some quality time with a bright young child! AWARDS: The National Parenting Center-Seal of Approval, Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products, Dr Toy Best Educational Products. Ages 8+.

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Nice little 8-LED running light kit from Velleman® has program and speed controls. You control which lights go on and off, and how fast they "run" in sequence. It's the basic concept used in those vintage blinking signs that entice you into car dealerships, amusement parks and cocktail lounges. You get the PC board and all the parts except the 9V battery you need to let the little lights shine. Ages 10+, as some soldering is required.

The vegetable- or fruit-powered clock never gets old. You get (2) copper and (2) zinc electrodes, 4" x 1/8", a couple of pieces of wire and a little 1-1/8" dia LCD clock. You don't add any batteries, just bring a lemon, lime, grapefruit, potato, kiwi, strawberries (or some cola if you're not a healthy eater) and time is on your side. Ages 5+.

Electronics fans, musicians and budding Sci-Fi sound engineers will love this little starter electronics kit for making a mini version of a theremin, the venerable capacitance-based instrument that’s synonymous with eerie sounds. This one skips the volume antenna, but has a quantization mode as well as a continuous swoop via the pitch antenna. You add a 9V battery and some minimal soldering skills. Includes all parts, including IC sockets. Measures 2” square, and includes excellent instructions. You might want to get a little project box for it. Made in the USA for Madlab/Velleman.Ages 10+.

An advanced kit compared to the others, a little more deluxe and a little more complicated. It is an AM/FM radio kit from Elenco with over 80 pieces divided into lesson groups. PC board shows component placement to help learning and to minimize errors. It has (14) transistors and (4) diodes and the case measures 11"x 5"x2-1/4". Ages 12+, as considerable soldering is required.

Cool kit to introduce the beginner (age 10+) to the fabulous world of electronics. You will learn the basics of putting together circuits through over 50 projects building actual devices like an alarm, a radio, a metal detector and much more. The simple but complete instructions explain voltage, current resistance etc. This kit from Elenco is a giant "breadboard" with wires that can be connected to form the circuits as explained in the instructions…and all without soldering! A fabulous educational item at a fabulous surplus price!! For ages 10+.

For tyro electronics wizards: build your own dual white-LED strobe light. You'll need a 9V battery, solder and a soldering iron. Features a speed switch and rate control knob, and will oscillate between once and a seizure-inducing 60X per second. Draws 40mA. Ages 10+, as some soldering is required.

Bells, whistles, sirens, rain and metal detectors, amps, timers! Instructions on how to build the circuits for a burglar alarm, light dimmer, tone-mixing amplifier, logic tester and a whole bunch more. The Elenco® Electronic Playground 130 & Learning Center" by Elenco® has 130 projects using a control center with a built-in breadboard with contact springs. The perfect intro to electronics for ages 12 and way up, it includes a 164-page instruction book and all the parts you need except (6) "AA" batteries. No experience necessary. Build these exciting kits also! Electronic siren, LED strobe light, light dimmer, sound amp, winking LEDs, sound machine, pencil lead organ, tone mixing amp, burglar alarm, first-aid siren, voice-activated LED, logic tester, sound alarm circuit, voice level meter, delayed timer, AM Radio station, crystal radio, metal detector, water level alarm and many more! 

Our electronic MadLab bagpipe kit will slip into your shirt pocket or sporran. No plaid lower garments required, and, as usual, undergarments are up to you. This nice starter electronics kit has a transistor-based oscillator and 8-position stylus-activated “keyboard.” Output is via a piezo disc. Minimal soldering skills needed, and assembly should take under an hour. Add a 9V battery for power and you’ll be thrown out of class, or recruited into battle, within the first six notes. Ages 10+.

Just what can solar power…power? Find out with RobotiKits 6 In 1 Educational Solar Kit that comes with one solar module and one gear box, and 21 snap-together plastic parts. No tools required. Build 6 different solar-powered models (windmill, revolving plane, airboat, plane, car, solar puppy) or one of your own. Assembled units are roughly 4" across, in varying heights. For age 10 and up.

Electronic fun with just a hint of soldering from Madlab. You pick: the lie detector kit, with a PC board and components, or the LED logic game with diodes and transistors that pit your skill against moving a peg along (36) pads. You should be able to assemble either kit in under an hour with a little light soldering. You add a 9V battery to both. For ages 10 and up. Soldering iron not included. But we have one, and it’s item #88242 for $6.95.

For pre-soldering-age kids with electronic interests (and maybe an artistic bent), this swell kit has hunks of conductive clay in orange, black, green and blue plus some ordinary white clay for insulation. Includes (20) assorted blue, yellow, green and white LEDs, a battery holder and a 52-page book for making (15) projects, although they’ll just be a start. You add a quartet of “AA” batteries and an inventive kid at age 8 up.

Yet another great Snap Circuits® kit, this one based on lighting and optics, with a bonus 3-dimensional circuit board. Includes (50) parts and over (150) projects. Special components include an infinity mirror; red, green, blue and white LEDs; 6-way gel wheel; photoresistor; and a diffusion lens. Parts compatible with all other Snap Circuits® kits, too.

Electronic fun is easy with this Arcade kit from the award-winning Snap Circuits® line. Makes (203) sound-, light- and motion-related projects, and includes, along with a lot of other sub-circuits, a programmable fan, alarm, 2-digit numerical display, disco motor and micro-controller that can be programmed for (21) games. You add (3) "AA" batteries and a player 8 or older.

When is a toy not a toy? When you can have fun with a kid, and build a digital voice recorder at the same time. If the young Tom Edison had had one of these kits, your grandparents' lives would have been a lot easier. Elenco's Pro Model SC-750 is a Dr. Toy winner, from their Snap-Circuits" series. Has over (80) parts to snap (no soldering) into a grid and learn electronics while building an AM or FM radio, digital voice recorder, burglar alarm, doorbell, and electronic games, among over 750 experiments, including solar, electromagnetism, and computer-interfaced applications. For ages 8 up to adult, it includes a well-written, graphically illustrated instruction manual. AWARDS: The National Parenting Center-Seal of Approval, Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products, Dr Toy Best Educational Products.

See what you're saying? This basic sound-to-light kit from Velleman® has (4) red, high-intensity LEDs that react simultaneously to every sound in a square rather than the traditional bar graph. Use it for plain old fun--like "watching music"--or something more practical, like aiding the hearing impaired by making the lights indicate when the telephone or doorbell is ringing. Adjustable sensitivity for sound versus light, and comes with a built-in microphone. You add a 9V battery and a case if you want one. For ages 10 and up, it requires minimal soldering skills.

if you want to sound like a steam engine, and who among us doesn't? This Velleman® steam-engine sound generator kit comes with circuit board, components, battery connectors, speaker and instruction sheet. You add solder, a soldering iron and a 9V battery. Volume and (implied) speed are adjustable and there's a horn button, so it'll go both choo-choo and whoo-whoo. Great for train hobbyists or people bored with their doorbell. Ages 10+.