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Product Details

• Binding: Toy
• EAN: 0756619002415
• Feature: Awards: The National Parenting Center-Seal of Approval, Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products, Dr Toy Best Educational Products Contains more than 30 Snap-Together parts Build more than 100 exciting projects Clear and concise illustrated manual included and available online Exciting projects include burglar alarm, doorbell and more
• Label: Elenco Electronics Inc
• Publisher: Elenco Electronics Inc
• Studio: Elenco Electronics Inc

Curious young minds can learn the basics of electronics as they build more than 100 exciting projects with this kit. Work on projects that make sound effects, engineer different types of alarms, build touch circuits and play games. Contains over 30 parts in all. No soldering is required -- pieces snap together. Requires 2 "AA" batteries, not included. Box measures 10" x 15" x 2".

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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

An excellent introduction to Electronics. by Rohit Priyadarshi

The best point in favour of this product is that it is lego style toy that does not intimidate a child with intricate electronic components. My 6-1/2 year old daughter started playing with it and was very excited to have completed her first project to light a bulb with a switch. Theories of electricity followed naturally when initially the bulb did not lightup. I showed her the shiny metal strip beneath the connectors and explained conductivity a little.

Another major advantage is that there are mostly no wires, and the components are hidden from view, giving it a very un-complicated look that a child can easily comprehend. This difference makes possible for my daughter to actually play with it.

The only problem seems to be the quality of plastic used. It looks as if it might break if a component was bent while snapping in. Still, I highly recommend this product.

ADHD son loves this by Tickleberries

My son has a thousand motors working without this kit, I rarely can slow him down. I bought this and he loves it! He will sit and play with it. This kit stimulates his brain enough that he doesn't have to run around, tearing down the house, chipping the walls, screaching, teasing and peeling paint. Anyone with ADHD kids out there know what I mean? Gotta have something like this, for kids like these!!!

It doesn't contain a huge amount of pieces like a box of blocks and after a few tries with adult help, I would say an eight year old can do this alone. It isn't dangerous. There are a couple of parts that can be torn easily by rough kids but a lot of stuff can still be made any way.

Make lazer sounds, sirens, make songs come out, or fans, a ufo spin off toy (launches in the air),several types of games to play, a doorbell, a couple of computer part thingies, other light blinkie things, even stuff your kid can only dream up. Has lots of noisy sounds that will drive you nuts so send the kid somewhere else. LOL.

Why didn't someone do this earlier! by Andrew D.

Think of this as the Legos approach to wiring. We've bought two for two boys here (I'm trying to draw out the girl...) and are considering a trade-up for the boy who methodically did ALL of the experiments. I grew up with the little jumper wire and spring terminal kits which do not provide anywhere near as appealing and understandable a layout and were much harder to work with and troubleshoot. Contrariwise, is hard to improvise with the fixed shape of the components and connectors, but that's not really important for this age group. Pieces do of course get lost, but how much can you ask of the little darlings (don't flush them!!!).

One quibble, more a problem with the next larger kit: I think they cheat claiming the kit supports XXX [30-750] different projects. Many projects are subtle enough variations on what came before that they don't count for much.

I'm really very pleased with these kits -- high praise from toy-jaded me -- they are a genuine improvement in learning and, more importantly, *playing* with electronics.

What a great, educational science find! by Heidi the Homeschool

This is a wonderful "toy"! My 10 year-old loves it! Without going through all of the experiments, he has already started altering the projects for different results. There are explanations with almost all of the projects explaining WHY it works the way it does. I doubt my son is reading all of them--but he is obviously reading some of the explanations because he is explaining to me what is happening!

Basically, there are all these "circuits" and they snap together easily, and remove as easily. The snap is great in that they stay together quite well so that people using it won't get frustrated if it were to fall apart. The person using the item almost doesn't need to read, because if they just follow the picture, they can "do" it.

The box says for ages 8-108--and I have to admit that although I have no real interest in electronics, I have enjoyed some of the projects my son has made. One WARNING: the speaker is quite loud--exactly what the littlest kids in our house love!

As to durability, sometimes the speaker doesn't work very well, or maybe it is one of the circuits. But it an otherwise wonderful product--and I will need to eventually purchase the Regular version Snap Circuits (as opposed to Snap Circuits Jr. and Snap Circuits Pro), since the regular version is listed as for ages 10 and up, so I am hoping that it is a bit more challenging.

Finally, a homeschool science my children can't put down!

Wonderful Toy for Young Builders by Heather B "Mom of Fo

We received this item as a gift for my oldest son, age 6 at the time. He and my two other sons, 5 & 3 sit playing with this for hours on end. All of my oldest son's friends love to play with it and they all try to build the coolest sirens and such they can find in the instruction book. It's a little tough on my 3 year old, he needs lots of help to follow the diagrams but he's happy enough to snap the last piece and flip the switch (or whatever, to turn it on). I would have liked to see a sturdier box for the set but other than that, I think this is a wonderful toy and well worth the price.

Great Toy! by Nana "Roll Tide"

I bought this for my 9-year old grandson's birthday. He loved it and in fact, did not play with his Game Cube or computer for days on end because he wanted to play with this. I highly recommend!

Fantastic value by N. Doherty

I remember when I was a kid, building radio kits and playing with electronic gadgets of all kinds. I definitely learned a lot and had lots of fun (I ended up studying electronic engineering in university). However, while fun, I had lots of frustrating experiences with those kits. Fiddly wires, annoying connections that were hard to make, etc.

I saw this product on Amazon here, read some reviews and decided to try it out. I was a little wary since I recently got some other science toys for my 7.5 yr old son and he wasn't particularly enamored with them. Not that they were bad; just that they were hard to appreciate for him. Directions were hard to follow for his age, etc.

This snap circuits kit is quite the opposite. Simply amazing. I introduced it as "lego electronics". And it really is. It's really simple to build all the circuits. After a few false starts, my son was building the circuits almost completely by himself. The pieces are simple to snap together. So easy compared to what I remembered.

What impressed me the most is the manual. Few toys devote so much effort to the manual. Full color, easy to understand diagrams, and straightforward text.

The only thing they could do more of is explain the electricity principles a bit more. However, for mid-twenty-dollars, I can't really complain. And I believe they do have a teachers-companion guide or something like that which presumably has the extra educational material in it.

I thought some of the experiments could be grouped differently to make a more logical flow. However, I think they put some thought into interleaving the "boring-but-important" projects with more fun noise-making-and-light-flashing ones to keep the kids interested.

Overall, an amazing job. I can't imagine how anyone could better this. Fantastic stuff. The guys who came up with this deserve a medal.

My 7 year old son loves this! by mom2boys "mom2boys"

I was looking for something new for my son to build with, as he is an avid Lego fan and loves to design and build things. When I saw this, it looked perfect for his birthday, and it was! He loves it! It's brand new, so he's only tried a couple of the "experiments" (the whirring fan and the musical song, which, appropiately enough, played "Happy Birthday"!) but it has been very fun and a learning experience for him

A lot of fun and very interesting. My 10 year old ate it up... by Thomas K. Noonan "To

My son took to this product like a duck to water. He caught on to the variou s circuits and did the first 20 or so circuits in about an hour. He really liked it and found it interesting.

The ONLY concern I'm not sure about is whether he understands what is going on. The product provides some description as to what is going on but my son doesn't stop to read it. I wonder if somehow, this product could be made into some sort of game form to reinforce the lessons.

However, my son really likes the product. It is easy for him to use and make work (despite my initial bumbling!). I'm very happy with this purchase.

Responsive Manufacturer by K. Long "Armchair Ph

First of all, great product. Bought this for my 7 year old son. He immediately began investigating and building the various projects. Product is solidly constructed without being too difficult for little ones to assemble. Instruction book is clear and easy to follow. Projects are active and fun. Can't wait to upgrade to the UC-30.

Writing to commend responsiveness of this company. There is a snap in light bulb that blew the 2nd time we connected to a circuit (it happens). Called company and left voicemail not expecting to hear back for a while. Received replacement light bulb within days. Was easy to follow replacement instruction over phone. Highly recommend these products and this company.

GREAT Toy! by Cindy

This was given to my son for his 5th birthday. He has played with this almost non-stop since opening it. With only a couple minutes of explaination he was off and running on his own. I can't recommend this toy enough for young kids who have any interest in building and/or science. He is so excited about being able to build working designs all on his own!

Snap-Circuits, A Winner! by Karl Martin "teacher

I am a teacher who needs self-directed hands-on experiences for my science/technology students at the middle/high school level. Beginners with no previous contact with basic electricity and/or electrons are fascinated with these kits. The parts are well built and durable. The kit is easy to organize and store. The plastic storage tray makes it easy to account for all parts. The kit uses rigid circuit components, making circuits easy to understand... as opposed to using flexible wires. Wires would tend to end up being an uncomprehendable pile of spaghetti. Included are many plans for pre-designed projects, yet the kit is safe and flexible enough to allow a student to experiment to his/her heart's content.

Grandson loves it! by Mary M. Ortwine "Mar

I did have to order this from someone else at the last moment as it was cancelled three weeks after they had my order. However, I did get it from another website--my grandson (eight) really loves it and has made several different things with it. Like most kids, he is easily bored and this is a great way to keep him occupied.

Your detail-oriented child will love it! by Heidi Kroll

We gave this to our nearly eight year old son for St. Nicholas Day. He spent the rest of the day completing the first 30 or so experiments. He has worked on it a little each day or two since, completing 50+ projects in two weeks. He loves the way he can choose a plan and do it by himself. He shows us each of his successes and finds ways to change things slightly. I know that will continue as he studies the circuits. This is a great introduction to electricity, which is very safe and designed for the child's independent success.

awesome learning fun by Regina C. White "hap

There is nothing better than a toy that teaches while providing hours of enjoyment and activity. My 6 year old son received this toy for his birthday. He constantly creates new combinations of eletrical projects and he is buisy for hours. The parts are easy to connect and very well distinguishable. We love this toy!

Excellent!!! Perfect fit in my home. by Katherine Pearce "Si

I bought this as a Christmas present for my 5 year old daughter. I am still in school for Engineering Science with an electrical and computer focus. Often I will involve my daughter in my homework, even if it is only reading my textbooks as bedtime stories. She doesn't care what I'm reading, it's the sound of my voice and the fact that I'm reading TO HER that she loves. Lately she has been understanding some of the concepts and asking questions, but I might just be a bragging mother with a biased view. I haven't been able to involve her in my circuit design projects, due to the small components, due dates and such. I usually waited until after she went to bed to work on my projects, leading to long nights and lots of coffee ;) With this product I can help her answer her own questions with hands on experience, and mommy makes grown up circuits while she can make her very own, just like mommy! It lessens her curiosity about what I'm doing when I work on circuits during the day, most notably the natural desire of "Can I see [with my hands?]" This in turn makes for a well rested, thus very satisfied, customer.

It was one of the first toys she played with on Christmas day. She got the hang of it quickly and after guiding her through the first couple projects she was using it independently. After a while she would come up with an idea of what she would want to do, (i.e. make music constantly and make the light come on only when she pressed the button,) only needing a little troubleshooting guidance before she was off and running again.

This is a unique toy in that it assists children in building series and parallel circuits, and other introductory concepts, some which we directly related to college level textbooks!

Even for adults, this product could be useful as a more durable at-home-lab study tool for early electronics technicians.

This was an excellent purchase. In my situation, it was well worth the price. For a young child it needs some initial adult guidance to make it interesting, so plan to spend some "bonding" time when introducing it. In my opinion this is a constructive staple to foster growth in any child mechanically and scientifically inclined, or just forever curious on why electronics do what they do.

An inviting an encouraging tool for young and old minds by Sienna

Excellent hands on learning tool for young and old minds to explore and understand the basic workings of electricity from a safe interactive point. Children get a good understanding of how circuits are built, how they work, how they can be used and manipulated. While the concept of using snaps is a great way to ensure the durablitly of the kit, children who tend to be too rough with their toys will need to learn to use this kit with care or else certain parts could easily break. I agree with one of the other reiveiwers who said that an LED on all the parts would be helpful in showing the direction of the flow of electricity once the circuits are completed and switched on. My son is 4 and has been mesmerized with this kit for a month now. A great introduction into the world of electricity for the thoughtful child.

Should be more educational by m

I wanted to love this. I don't. While the toy comes with a book of instructions for how to create very specific tricks, what it lacks is the "why"...why does it light up when you connect those wires? Why doesn't the sound play if you use a different piece? This toy would be greatly improved if the co. provided a small book on how electronics work in general. I wanted my daughter to learn a bit about electricity and conduction and she's really only following very specific instructions and we have no clue for why different arrangements don't work. Eh. Could be better but more educational than Candyland.

Never knew this could be so much fun! by K. Wheeler "Kitschwh

My son played with this at a children's learning museum once and has wanted one ever since. I was skeptical, but suggested it to his aunt for a birthday present. I am impressed at the huge variety of projects kids can do. He just opened it yesterday and he and his best friend have been playing with it for HOURS. Totally cool, very educational, encourages imagination and is just plain fun!!

Fun for 6 yr old by TexyInAustin "texyin

I bought this for my son for Christmas. We have done all of the examples in the book and created more through trial and error. It is a fun experimental gaget to make noises, sounds, lights, etc. He enjoyed it more than I thought he would and plays with it about once a week. We keep everything attached to the mapping board to avoid losing pieces and so far we haven't lost any.

Clever and very well made by Susan Godel

My daughters, 8 and 9 love building these curcuits. They weren't paying a lot of attention to the electricity concepts until one of the circuits they built didn't light up and they wondered why. When they read the directions for it more carefully they realized that it was not intended to light up, to prove that current flows one way only. Chalk one up for the educational toy!

I'm most impressed with the quality of the materials: with the exception of one chintzy switch the components are very well made--very refreshing in today's market. This product is well worth the money.

Great Deal by Michelle Mathiot "Li

This is an exceptional quality toy. It really is educational too. Many toys claim they teach children things, but this one really does. My son started figuring out his own "inventions" after following the directions a few times. I have to say, even I understand electricity a little better now!

Even fun for adults by J. Collura

My six year old son loves this and has been able to build most of the projects on his own. Typically he is inattentive but the projects in this kit completely engage him. He's always been technically inclined but he's even started inventing some of his own projects with this kit. Looks like I'll be upgrading to the more advanced set soon!

Great way to teach kids without them knowing it! by DMS2BE

I was very impressed with this kit. The projects are REALLY easy to put together (no soldering; just snap pieces in place) and the manual explains what you are building and how it works. I bought this for my 10 year old son, but my 7 year old is the one that loves to use it. I let him build the projects himself, but I don't let him connect the battery until I check over the circuit just in case he created a short. The kit allows for creative thinking as well. For example, in one project, the audio was too loud. I suggested to my kid that he put a resistor (provided with kit) in-line with the speaker. He was thrilled when it worked. This is a wonderful way to teach kids about electronics. It's very reasonably priced as well (compared to Radio Shack kits).

Fun and Educational by Maura M. Burgess

I purchased this toy for my 6 1/2 year old. Although he needs assistance, the directions are straightforward and the "projects" are really fun. With each project he does he becomes more interested in electricity and how things work. The compoments of the kit are fairly durable, so I don't expect any problems with breakage.

Fun but not very educational by Sasha Alyson "sashaa

This is definitely fun for young learners. It's easy to snap the pieces together. I work with young adults in Laos, who had no experience with anything remotely similar, and it kept them engaged.

But for the package to say that it teaches "all about electronics" is a big stretch. The kit contains only one single resistor, no capacitors, and no transistors. (Those items presumably exist inside the three plastic boxes, which you connect to make fun things happen, but the user can't see inside the boxes. They're mystery boxes. Nor does the booklet attempt to tell much.) It doesn't teach about electronics, any more than plugging in a television set teaches about electronics.

It is fun, and it's easy to put the pieces together. It could spark some curiosity. It demonstrates some basic ideas about circuitry. But it provides little opportunity to really learn about how electronic components work. Claiming "100 Projects" is also a stretch; many of the projects are very similar to one another.

I'd suggest this for younger children, age 8 to 10; or for older ones if you're looking for a gift that's fun. If you want something educational, I suggest starting with the full-size Snap Circuits. It's a good concept, they just over-promised with the "Junior" version.

Big Birthday Success by GranMama Dearie

We sent this item as a birthday gift to our 9 year old grandson. While we have not actually seen the snap circuits and how it works, all reports from his mother are that this is a GREAT gift. They have worked 9 of the projects and Nicholas can't wait for us to come so that he can show us what he can do. We will be making this trip shortly and look forward to spending time with Nicholas and seeing first hand his latest project wiht the Snap Circuit Jr. From a distance, we highly recommend it as an educational and fun gift.

This is an AWESOME toy by By A Customer

My 7 year old just LOVES this kit. It is so easy to use and so much fun. I would recommend this for any scientist in your house!

Great gift for kids that like building and figuring out how things work by Mom in CT

My 6 year old son really has enjoyed this gift. We've had it for 8 months now and he still picks it up and tries out a new combination of connections. When we first got it he was so excited that he tried to work his way through the guidebook. The guide booklet describes w/ words and pictures what to do with the pieces (order to put them on etc...). It has well over 80 combinations to make a siren, flying disc etc... not to mention being creative with the pieces. The box is sturdy and the pieces all fit securely into it - I image you could even bring it in the car. It's has long been one of our favorites.

Snap Ckt Jr review - SJ by S. Jain

Very appropriate for curious kids who like to make things and experiment with all sorts of possibilities. Being an engineer I was a little concerned about the fate of the components when my son started designing 'alternatives' other than the circuits shown in the booklet, but the set held up fine. I consider this a must have for 8-10 year olds.

Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 by Kristen B. Maure "ha

Great product, my son loves it (7 years old). You can make all kinds of neat things, electricity, make things move, it's just good fun and hours of entertainment!

Great toy! by Game Fanatic "game f

This is the type of toy that every parent loves! It is fun AND educational. My 6 year old son, loved it because it has real world projects (a light switch, a flying saucer toy, a doorbell, etc.) which he "built" himself. Each project takes about 5-10 minutes to put together and the instruction manual is VERY clear and easy to understand. It even expains the logic behind the projects (which he will probably understand a bit better when he is a bit older). I helped him with the first project and explained how to read the diagram in the manual. He took it from there and was building projects on his own. This toy is worth every penny! We have this 100 project, so I'd imagine that the 300 and 500 projects set would be even more fun.

Awesome product by Downtown Julie Brown

I bought this for my 10 year-old son who loves science. He is enthralled with this product. He cannot wait to come home from school and work on a new project. I will be purchasing the SC-300 set next! Excellent purchase.

My kid's favorite gift! by acc

This is my kid's favorite Christmas gift! It's challenging, yet not too complicated.If you have or know a really interesting kid who asks "why" and "how" about everything, this is the perfect toy!

totally safe and totally fun learning toy by An Amazon customer

My 6 year old son LOVES this kit! He showed everyone in the family how to do the experiments soon after getting it for Christmas. The manual that accompanies the kit is very thorough: it explains the function of each piece and contains very good instructions for over 50 experiments.

The pieces actually have snaps on them (like clothing snaps) and each piece can fit to another to make part of a circuit. The battery case requires 2 AA batteries (not included), so very little current is generated, and the batteries never heat up (unlike other electronics kits we've tried).

Another good quality of this kit is that kids can add to it by getting Elenco's Snap Circuits 300 and 500 piece kits after they master this kit.

If your child is at all interested in electronics, get this kit for him/her!

Great Product for young kids by J. Cox "jc"

Exceeded our expectations- My son loves the product, and is excited to show his buddies what he can do with it, and then they are interested in using it with him. He is 7- and the only problem we have is that his two year old brother wants to use it as well (I wouldn't recommend this for anyone younger than 5 years old).

Fabulous activity for young scientific minds by Janet Wilson

I have a set of precocious 5 & 7 year olds (boy and girl) who fight over using the set because both enjoy it very much. It teaches so many things about electricity and circuit boards to the kids while it is fun for them, too. It gives them a chance to really make a light go on and off with a switch and to make noise, etc. by the use of durable & colorful piece and easy to follow steps. If you use it for kids younger than 8, they must be able to read (my 7 year old is very precocious in this area) or you will have to work the set with them (which is fine, too because it makes for a good activity for parent/child play). Highly recommend it!

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