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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: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 14 2016, @01:47PM
I guess I must be a pussy then.
Your words not mine, but they ring true. I lived in Fairbanks Alaska for a number of years. I would see the weather dip down to -30f (-34c) for a few weeks and then rise back up to 0f (-17c),
We would be outside in flip flops and shorts. It was like a heat wave. The cold temperatures are NOT A PROBLEM if people would acclimatize themselves a bit better. Meaning when it starts getting chilly you continue wearing your summer clothes and slow your transition into winter clothes until it is actually cold out. Too this day I do that and being that I live in Colorado now, I have no issues needing coats for most of the winter. I am perfectly comfortable outside. You can do this in reverse as well, wearing your winter clothing further into the spring then you normally would.
Now doing actual hard work outside like shoveling snow it sounds like you are screwing yourself over by wearing heavy enough clothing that you start to sweat after 5 minutes. Man up, leave the heavy winter coat inside and after 5 minutes of shoveling snow you will be perfectly comfortable. You should also be dressing in layers (NO PUFFY HUGE COATS, you cant take it off if you get hot cause you'll be freezing then, and you cant wear multiple layers under it. DONT DO IT TO YOURSELF OR YOUR KIDS) and using a wick away undergarment. I also recommend wool outer coats, wool is one of the few materials that maintains insulating abilities when wet. Cotton kills. When you start to get hot you remove a layer. If you sweat outside in winter you are doing nothing but putting yourself at risk for hypothermia. Its better to be a bit chilly then to be over heated and sweating in cold weather.
But yes, as it is right now your a wimp when it comes to cold weather from what it sounds like.