Gifts to Delight Electricity Loving Kids

Mr. T loves electricity. And we’ve met many other children who share his passion for science and things that (might) buzz with energy. Since I had to do a lot of research to find a big selection of gift ideas for him for us and for family, I decided to compile it all right here for you in case you have a future Edison on your hands as well.

To give you an idea of how much Mr. T loves electricity, here’s a video of him practicing his science fair presentation.

 

We have Mr. T’s first homeschool science fair today. He is practicing his presentation. He’s all about electricity ?. Future Tesla or Faraday, perhaps? He’s had a ton of fun doing this and is already talking about next time! What’s happening in your #homeschool today? #iHSNet #stem #apraxia

A video posted by Lara M – Homeschool Cultivator (@larasplace) on May 26, 2016 at 6:13am PDT

 

Inspired Gifts for Electricity Explorers

Electricity is a fun, exciting, and history rich topic. There are so many great ways to learn about it, the discoverers and harnessers of it, and the inventors who use it to make our lives better that this post would be never ending if I tried to include them all. So I have chosen the ones we love best. Because Mr. T has been interested in electricity and circuitry for over a year now, we have a wonderful selection and a solid wish list for items we just haven’t gotten (or that need a bit more maturity before they become part of our homeschool).

These kits and games are the base of most of our studies. Many of these have age ranges well above Mr. T’s almost 7 years, however, he loves the subject and demonstrates a great understanding and working with the wires and tiny pieces has been awesome for his motor skill development. You are the best judge of whether a project or kit is suitable for your learner, or your learner plus a little help from you.

Snap Circuits are how we began studying circuitry and electricity and how it works. Then we learned about Ben Franklin and narrated his biography with his action figure, we watched Beyond the Mask (only slightly related to electricity by way of Ben Franklin and Leyden jars in a very charming movie set during the Revolutionary War), and we have learned and experimented with so many kits and wonderful books. Our favorites are listed here.

 littleBits Rule Your Room Kit Snap Circuits SC-300 Electronics Discovery Kit The Magic School Bus – Jumping Into Electricity Potato Clock Green Science Project Experiment Electricity and Magnetism 4M Static Science Kit Electric Dragster

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 Circuit Maze Board Game Start-Up Circuits Smart Circuits Games & Gadgets Electronics Lab Snap Circuits R/C Snap Rover Electronics Discovery Kit

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Subscription Boxes for Electricity Lovers

Subscription boxes are quite literally the gift that keeps on giving. Our top picks are full of learning fun!

EEME

Mr. T love getting our his breadboard and putting together, taking apart, reworking, adding to, and experimenting with all the connections. You can see our full review of EEME here.

Tinker Crate from Kiwi Crate

We love Kiwi, Doodle, and Tinker Crates! They provide hours of learning fun and have saved us from the “boredom” monster on many rainy and cold days! Tinker Crate is not always about electricity, but if you have a STEM loving kid, Tinker Crate will be well loved.

Groovy Lab in a Box

This is a Christmas gift (Shhhhhhh!) for Mr. T, so we haven’t used it yet but it comes so highly recommended from several of our friends who are science loving families that I know it will be a hit! Anything connected with Popular Mechanics is going to be well received in our home, by the boys and the husband. About Groovy Lab in a Box: Because children are natural engineers, Groovy Lab in a Box blends Scientific Inquiry and the Engineering Design Process, which allows children to create ingenious inventions, enhance critical problem solving skills and have FUN!

 

Books on Electricity for Kids

Because Mr. T is such a big fan, we have tons of books that are about electricity, inventors, inventions, etc. I narrowed down the choices to the ones that are, in our opinion, the very best of the best! Below, Mr. T is creating circuits after reading from our Electricity and Magnetism book.

 

 Thomas Edison for Kids: His Life and Ideas, 21 Activities Electricity and Magnetism Electrical Wizard: How Nikola Tesla Lit Up the World The Magic School Bus And The Electric Field Trip DK Eyewitness Books: Electricity Electronics for Kids: Play with Simple Circuits and Experiment with Electricity! The Story of Inventions

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