Hi folks,
As much as I loath the winters in New England here is where I'll be. Outdoor activities, while doable, can only be for short periods of time. Therefore I'm looking for projects that can be completed indoors that are interesting and take 6 months to complete. :) (Long winters up here...)
My son has shown an interest in both electronic and mechanical type projects. He'd like a hammer for his birthday so he can break rocks. Cool, geologist. Can't find rocks too well under the snow and ice, sand and salt, in the wintertime.
He'd also like an electronics kit but I'm not sure what to to get him that will last a long while. I think at this point he's more interested in building something, electronic or not, rather than learning theory. He often mentions robots but to get something that would last for months would cost me more than the budget allows.
I'd certainly appreciate suggestions and I'm sure there are other parents who might benefit from your experiences!
(Score: 3, Interesting) by GlennC on Thursday October 13 2016, @06:02PM
I'd go a little more old-school and get an erector set. Not only can you both build things (including robots), newer kits have programmable controllers.
Example http://www.erector.us/ [erector.us]
Include some LEGO blocks, or even Tinkertoys so he can build some smaller more temporary things. Eight year old boys don't typically have a long attention span.
As was mentioned earlier, a rock tumbler is good for a budding geologist.
Finally, there's nothing wrong with letting him and his friends play outside. They'll probably surprise you with how elaborate a snow fort they'll build. Go out and build with him, and you'll build lifelong memories as well.
Sorry folks...the world is bigger and more varied than you want it to be. Deal with it.