campmom Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 I'm wondeiring what the best set/deal is for this. I'm wanting to get it for a Christmas present but also to use for science so I wanted the set that includes the education book but I'm not sure which one it is. Can anyone help me with this. Also do I need to get an extra board or anything else for two kids to be able to use them at the same time or do I need to get two complete sets. Thanks so much for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshin Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 My advice is to get the biggest set you can afford. You can buy add-on sets later to build up to the largest set. I've found Amazon has the best deals on both the sets and the later upgrade sets. Elenco (the maker of snap circuits) also offers free replacement for any non-working parts, which is just plain awesome in my opinion! Some of the best customer service I have ever encountered. My two boys share our circuits, but you have a couple of options if you want them able to work independently. Buy a big set then order an extra battery pack and board from Elenco (they won't be able to do the exact same project at the same time, but they can build on their own), buy the largest set you can and a second 101 set, or buy two identical sets. I know they have educational sets but I'm not sure of cost or what they include. You can also just buy the student guide on its own from Amazon or Elenco. The teacher guide is just tests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 On the new light up set, Timberdoodle has a better price than Amazon, and you get doodle dollars :hurray: . The new light up set looks pretty cool. This is the set we started with. My son has had no problem playing with others with this set. We would love to get more, they are so much fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besroma Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 This set has the case and the student training book everyone mentions: http://www.amazon.com/Snap-Circuits-SC-750R-Student-Training/dp/B000IXMP6Q/ref=sr_1_2?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1353766738&sr=1-2&keywords=snap+circuits+extreme+sc-750 I much prefer the set with the case to the one in the box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Writerdaddy Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 I am getting this for christmas regardless, but was thinking of the student set for more educational value, but then also read the reviews which say it doesn't really have much in the way of helping to understand what is actually being done with the snap circuits. Do you have any thoughts on what, if anything, in the way of educational material is (such as scientific explanations for what the components actually do) included in the snap circuits, or is that something we would need to come up with ourselves separately? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshin Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 Another option for making the circuits educational is Quick Study Labs. There is a class that uses snap circuits to teach wiring and electronics: http://www.quickstudylabs.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 My advice is to get the biggest set you can afford. You can buy add-on sets later to build up to the largest set. I've found Amazon has the best deals on both the sets and the later upgrade sets. Elenco (the maker of snap circuits) also offers free replacement for any non-working parts, which is just plain awesome in my opinion! Some of the best customer service I have ever encountered. :iagree: As far as "educational", electronics, once you get past the electrons moving and the concept of friction and resistance, is a lot about logic and math. At 9, when we used this for something beyond fun, it was important that I understood it to explain. At least for my kiddo, it will have to be the next time around, 13 or so, that he'd learn from this independently. YMMV. I remembered most of it from college physics, second semester, and the work I'd done tinkering on cars when I was a teen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaffodilDreams Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 I placed an order for a set last night. I didn't purchase the largest set because this wasn't supposed to be the "big" gift this year, but I am glad to know that there are upgrade kits available and thought I'd share that info here in case it helps someone else decide what to purchase now. I expect to upgrade to the largest kit on her next birthday. You can find the upgrade kits on the snap circuits website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenC3 Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 I'm gettng a set for my dd9. She just made an electrical light circuit with her science program exploration educationa intermediate and she isloving it. What's great is the program will be explaining this project for the next few weeks and so she will understand how it all works very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 This set has the case and the student training book everyone mentions: http://www.amazon.co... extreme sc-750 I much prefer the set with the case to the one in the box. :iagree: If you can afford it, the case is terrific. I am getting this for christmas regardless, but was thinking of the student set for more educational value, but then also read the reviews which say it doesn't really have much in the way of helping to understand what is actually being done with the snap circuits. Do you have any thoughts on what, if anything, in the way of educational material is (such as scientific explanations for what the components actually do) included in the snap circuits, or is that something we would need to come up with ourselves separately? OP & Writerdaddy, I am not sure how old your children are or how much electronics you yourself know. There is an excellent teaching guide available from Snap Circuits, though it isn't easy to find via the normal search engine strategies -- it is the Student Guide for Electronic Snap Circuits: Hands-on Program for Basic Electricity and Electronics. You DO NOT want the Teacher Guide -- that's just a set of quizzes. The student guide is really outstanding: it covers a broad range of concepts, and it is entirely accurate and very clear, a rare combination in electronics teaching manuals. The topics begin with Basic Components (electricity, wires, batteries, switches, series & parallel circuits, &c), move through Motors, Resistance, Transistors, Oscillators and Electronic Sound, Integrated Circuits, EM & Radio, Meters, Transformers, and FM Radio, Diodes and Applications, Electronic Switches, Electromagnetism (revisited in-depth), Sun Power, More Circuits and New Ways to Look at Them. The manual is written for high school as an independent study, but could be taught to middle schoolers easily or to advanced elementary students with rather more work. Another excellent option -- perhaps a nice gift to accompany Snap Circuits -- is the TOPS electricity guide & kit (to see the materials list, and the option for purchasing most of them in a kit, click on the "Get Materials" tab). Johsin's link to the QSL program above reminded me that if you are using Snap Circuits to teach, you want to have a multimeter (an instrument that measures voltage & current). It will allow the child to measure drops in voltage & current, to check batteries, and do various measurements and checks to show what their circuits are doing to the flow of electricity. QSL sells an inexpensive one here. If this becomes a hobby that you want to (and can afford to) invest more heavily in, the Fluke multimeters are ones I myself love but they are pricey (I used them in my Former Life). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newmom Posted November 25, 2012 Share Posted November 25, 2012 snapcircuits is on sale on rainbow! Never seen them sell for so cheap before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbpaulie Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 In Sept we bought the SC750 w/ the manuals and case for $99 on eBay. I'm glad we purchased this particular set and love how easily it cleans up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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