Readers to the rescue: Toys that teach

Electronic Products readers helped rekindle my flagging hope in the state of toys designed to instill scientific interest and engineering discipline in our next generation of inventors, designers, and technology leaders. Last year I wrote a column bemoaning the lack of toys designed to stimulate a nascent engineering bent in our sons and daughters (see Electronic Products , July 2001, p. 7 ). Quite a few readers responded with memories of their own or suggestions of where to look for such toys. Many so-called educational toys these days stress “toy” to the detriment of “educational.” However, listed below are some Web sites that readers identified as offering meatier subject matter. First though, I have to mention the radio enthusiasts, who tend to include their children in their hobby. I learned of several ham radio chapters with divisions for youth participation that included education in radio etiquette, engineering principles, and kit building. One of the most organized of the radio-based Web sites is Ten-Tec (http://www.tentec.com), which sells a variety of amateur radio kit projects. Another such site is Hamtronics (http://www.hamtronics.com). In other arenas, electronics distributor MCM Electronics (http://www.mcmelectronics.com) offers kits in such subjects as power supplies, fiber optics, solar energy, and analog/digital. They also sell a $9 “soldering project kit” to teach the fundamentals of pc-board soldering. (There was an undercurrent in many of the letters I received lamenting the lack of practical skills in today's engineering courses.) For robotics, see the Solarbotics Web site (http://www.solarbotics.com). And a variety of disciplines are featured as “science projects” on the Tri-Ess Sciences (http://www. tri-esssciences.com) The German company Kosmos (http:// www.kosmos.de/index.htm) has a wide range of science kits geared for various age groups–which is good news if you know or want to learn German. One of their kits (offered in English at http://www.thamesandkosmos.com) is the fuel-cell car and experiment kit. I saw this kit at a trade show and was quite impressed with its documentation and orientation toward teaching. Over the next few years, the company is planning to offer more of their products to English-language markets, beginning with kits featuring alternative energy and optics subject matter. What I'll be waiting for is their electronics series–or maybe, in my impatience, I'll learn German. I am gratified to have found so many resources, and I thank the readers who responded to my column. Finally, for a fascinating read, check out the Web site for Nuts & Volts magazine (http://nutsvolts.com). “It's a good resource guide and suitable for readers of all ages who are curious about technology. Gary Evan Jensen, Associate Editor