Elenco Snap Circuits SC-300 - Best Circuits for Kids

Last week I gave my nephew the Elenco Snap Circuits SCE 300 as a birthday present. It turned out to be a really great choice of gift.

Best Electronics Kits for Kids

Jerry, that's his name, has loved taking things apart and tinkering since he was about 3 1/2 years old. He sure seems to me like he's a good candidate to become an engineer.

I wanted to find a toy that was going to be both entertaining as well as educational. I think when I found this one I hit a home run.

You should've seen his face light up after he unwrapped it. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. He was so excited!

After he got the box open and started looking at all the parts he asked me if I would be willing to give him a hand making his first project. I said, "You know what? I think it might actually be better if you tried your first project all by yourself." At first he wasn't very happy about this answer. I think he was just a little intimidated and lacking in self-confidence. So, off he went to see if he could figure out what you need to do to get started.

Jerry is nine years old and smart as a whip. His only problem is that he's just never been very self-confident. I saw this as a chance for him to prove to himself that he's smart enough to to accomplish anything that he sets his mind to.

Boy, was I right! About two hours later, he came looking for me. He had already managed to get through the first two projects without any help at all from me or his father. He was just beaming.

I never really thought much about educational toys in the past, but getting this for my nephew was one of the greatest experiences of both his life and mine. Now let me tell you a little bit about The Snap Circuits SCE-300.

Elenco Snap Circuits at Amazon

Snap Circuits SC-300

~~$48.99~~ $48.01

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Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100

~~$29.99~~ $28.79

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Snap Circuits PRO SC-500

Only $89.98

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Why Electronic Snap Circuits Are the Perfect Gift for your Kids This Christmas?

First of all, The Snap Circuits SCE – 300 is an exciting way to introduce your child to electronics. It's designed for children eight and older. There are 305 do-it-yourself projects to entertain and educate.
The purpose of educational toys, of which this is one type is to teach children skills and to teach them about the world around them. Electronics are a more important part of our world all the time, and the snap circuits toys are a wonderful way to teach children about electricity and how electronic circuits work.
The Snap Circuits SCE – 300 contains more than 60 color-coded actual working circuit components which children can put together to create devices and circuits which actually work.
This kit requires no soldering everything snaps together, thus the name. Even the wires snap on to the components connecting them. All the parts are color-coded and numbered for easy identification.
Some of the projects that your children will enjoy building are an AM radio, a simple electric switch to turn a light on and off, and even a lie detector. These are just three out of the 305 projects which can be created using the Snap Circuits SCE – 300.
Projects start out simple and as you move through the manual they become more and more complex. They won't outgrow this toy either, since there are upgrades available.

Snap Circuits 300 - What's in the box?

A plastic snap grid, which acts as a circuit board.
Electronic components
Two project manuals.
Connecting wires
The project manuals offer easy-to-follow directions in full-color. They not only show you how to build projects, but also teach the principles behind the project.
Electronic components are connected to a plastic “circuit board” by the same type of connector is found in clothing snaps.
The kit includes resistors, capacitors, photo sensors, speakers, motors and microphones.

Snap Circuits SC-300

~~$48.99~~ $48.01

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Elenco- A Lil History

How the company started?

The company originally manufactured convergence generators for TV repairman. From there, they branched out into educational toys and telecommunications. Elenco is now well-known for their snap circuits toys which have garnered them many awards. Among these are:

Here is some information about Elenco, the company behind Snap Circuits SCA – 300.The company was formed in 1972 by two electrical engineers. The name Elenco was derived from Electronic Engineering Corporation. It started out as two men working in the garage. If that sounds familiar to you, it's because it's the same story as Apple Computer. Two guys in a garage. From that modest start the company has grown into a warehouse and offices complex of 60,000 sq. ft. with 50 workers.