Yesterday was the first day of school for Jubilee, Hezekiah and Tucker. I drove them so I could walk them in and meet their teachers. Tucker was so excited about starting school again, but was having trouble with his anxiety when the big moment came. I left him in his class looking worried and upset. In the afternoon he bounded off the bus with a huge grin. He had a great day and said he was fine as soon as I left. Huge victory there. I was worried about how that was going to go.
Despite no longer homeschooling this crew, I am still determined to have our house filled with amazing learning tools which is why I recently purchased these two circuit sets for my children.
The first one is the Circuit Scribe. I first heard of this when friend shared their Kickstarter campaign on Facebook. I watched the video and thought it seemed amazing. I was so happy to see they received their funding and the pen was now available for purchase.
The Circuit Scribe is essentially a pen with conductive material for ink. All a person needs to do is draw with it to create a real, working circuit. Imagine being able to draw a circuit, then test it out to see if you’ve completed it, rather than drawing it in pencil and comparing it to a picture in a book.
These photos show Hezekiah using the Circuit Scribe to draw a simple, working circuit.
This is so much cooler than a science book about circuits! This kit comes with just a pen and batteries, no instructions or ideas. If your child is brand new to circuits you may want to start with the Chibitronics (pictured below) or buy both at the same time, like I did.
The second circuit set I purchased was Chibitronics Circuit Sticker Book (only $25 from Timberdoodle). Instead of using a conductive pen, the Chibitronics set uses conductive stickers. I’ve found it interesting that my girls seem more attracted to this set than the Circuit Scribe. The Universal Appeal of Stickers, I guess.
The Chibitronics books is filled with appealing drawings that make it easy to understand the basics of circuits. Chibitronics comes with: conductive stickers, metal clips, LED lights and batteries. In my opinion this kit is great for ages 8 to adult.
I think what is so brilliant about these products is it feeds my children’s natural curiosity. They are learning without textbooks or teachers. I don’t need to tell my kids to do these activities, they are drawn to them. It feeds their natural creativity. They are able to experiment and push the limits all while getting immediate feedback about whether or not the circuit works.
———–
These circuit sets were purchased by me, but this honest review of a Timberdoodle product earned me Doodle Dollars…so I can buy more cool stuff.
I’ve never seen these. Neat!
Your boys will love them, I promise!
Do you have suggested ages or preparatory activities and experiences you suggest?
I would say 8 and up…younger if you are going to supervise them. Thanks for the question, I just added age suggestions to the post.
I just showed my 10 year old son this and he is completely intrigued. He loves circuits. He even watched the video on how they make the ink. The main clip he watched about half a dozen times. I think I know what to get him for his birthday – thank you!
Yay for a successful first day! And, congrats to Tucker for having a great day.
That pen is so cool. I’ll have to keep these on my list of gift ideas for my boys.
Have you used the chibitronic stickers with the circuit pen? I’ve made circuits using soldered SMDs but found the copper tape to be a poor conductor if you aren’t completely perfect with it (and that’s for adults…) I’m hoping that the conductive ink might be better? Thanks!