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posted by cmn32480 on Thursday October 13 2016, @04:57PM   Printer-friendly
from the keeping-off-video-games dept.

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!


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  • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday October 13 2016, @09:04PM

    by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Thursday October 13 2016, @09:04PM (#414079)

    Wow, all these stories about playing outside in Arctic conditions makes me glad to live where I do.
    Wikipedia says its a Sub Tropical climate, with a record low of -3.9C, 25F. There was snow a few years ago, it drifted down for about 5 minutes one freezing cold day (by our standards obviously) but never even made it to the ground before melting.

    Spring has sprung
    The grass has riz
    I wonder where the birdies is
    The little bird is on the wing,
    No, no that's absurd,
    The little wing is on the bird.

    Greetings from the Southern Hemisphere.

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 2) by dyingtolive on Friday October 14 2016, @03:09AM

    by dyingtolive (952) on Friday October 14 2016, @03:09AM (#414150)

    Actually, I meant to say Fahrenheit (cause I'm a dumb American) thus it was actually a bit colder than I claimed. It was okay back then though. Children are natural heat machines.

    Honestly I prefer the cold. 70 F down to about 40 F is pretty much my optimal temperature, even now.

    Out of curiosity, how hot does it get there?

    --
    Don't blame me, I voted for moose wang!
    • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Sunday October 16 2016, @09:41PM

      by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Sunday October 16 2016, @09:41PM (#414966)

      A cold winter's day would be about 12C (53F).
      In the summer 26C would be pretty warm (79F), because of the high humidity.
      There is usually a week or so of 30C (86F) which is unpleasantly hot. My Australian colleagues laugh at that high, it gets well over 40C (104F) over there.
      It is a really mild, benign climate. I can grow vegetables in my garden for 10 months of the year.

  • (Score: 2) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Friday October 14 2016, @04:33AM

    by Scruffy Beard 2 (6030) on Friday October 14 2016, @04:33AM (#414164)

    Umm.. What Arctic conditions?

    Arctic conditions is what the GP was concerned about.

    Since I now live in the subarctic, -20C is more routine than -30C

    I don't really consider the weather cold until it gets below 10-20F

    • (Score: 2) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Saturday October 15 2016, @05:42AM

      by Scruffy Beard 2 (6030) on Saturday October 15 2016, @05:42AM (#414538)

      Correction: GP was talking about subarctic conditions. In the Arctic, the sun doesn't bother showing around Christmas.

      I live 55 degrees North, and the ground thaws in the summer.

    • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Sunday October 16 2016, @09:36PM

      by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Sunday October 16 2016, @09:36PM (#414960)

      I don't seem to be able to use the "Pendant" modifier on this comment.

      • (Score: 1) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Monday October 17 2016, @12:58AM

        by Scruffy Beard 2 (6030) on Monday October 17 2016, @12:58AM (#415033)

        pedant, apparently.