For kids: Snap Circuits Jr., $20.55
Promising young electrical engineers can create a flying saucer, an alarm circuit, a doorbell, and much more with this award-winning kit from Elenco Electronics, a company that began in 1972 with two electronic engineers. Children can fit these circuits together on a base grid using snap wires that carry electricity. The kit includes a motor and a speaker that creates sound from electricity. The manual shows how to create all 101 projects, each with a specific learning objective. Kids can learn how a fan increases its speed with the flip of a switch or experience the science behind touch-lamps.
Completely new to electric circuits? Don’t worry—the manual also has clear instructions of “do’s and don’ts.”
Ages 8+
For adults: All About Science Geek Math Clock, $27.95
It might take a while to understand this clock, but for your STEM friend in college—the one who was always doing work in the lab—it takes no time at all.
It’s 1 o’clock? Well, 1 g/cm³ is the number of the maximum density of water, which occurs at 4 degrees Celsius. (Actually, it’s a tiny bit less than 1 – 999.9720, to be exact). Now it’s four? That happens to be the same number of base pairs that make up DNA! Time suddenly got a lot more fascinating to your science whiz of a friend.
