ProudGrandma Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 I have a 12 year old son who is very interested in building things...soldering kits, robotics etc. But his parents (us) are too poor to buy the cool kits that are a $100+ for each kit, and we live in a small town, in a rural area where there are not opportunities for him to join clubs or organizations that would further his interests. I am currently trying to get our local library to do something in this area...but it's an expensive deal...so I guess we will see what happens there. What other options do I have for him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 Obviously, the ideal would be to get him into a good makerspace or on a good robotics team. But... barring that, what about 4H? Some 4H clubs do great stuff for robotics and so forth. Or, what about starting a Destination Imagination team for him? They could do the technical challenge. They are supposed to have a budget, but then you're splitting it and it's about creativity, not kits. I think I'd focus on junk art and projects. There are some cool things out there on DIY and Instructables and so forth - things you can make for very little. Yeah, there's learning benefits to having nice Arduino kits and so forth too, but it's not the only way to be a tinkerer and maker. I would get him a Raspberry Pi to play with if you can. But not in a kit. Just get one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted October 11, 2016 Author Share Posted October 11, 2016 what is Raspberry Pi? If it's computers...that isn't his interest as much as building robots. I will check into 4H and Destination Imagination..guess I know nothing about that either (not 4H, but Destination Imagination). Never thought to check on DIY and Instructables either...so that is great. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama2 Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 This will be long-winded and convoluted. I apologize in advance, but I am so brain-tired tonight. I'll try to make some sense. Anyway... I started off this year wanting something to help me understand what it would be like to set up a home chemistry lab -- where would you start? what would you need to collect and/or purchase? I found this book -- Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments: All Lab, No Lecture (Robert Bruce Thompson). I quickly realized that this book would be good for a high school level student, but we are in middle school here. But the book was worth keeping, and I do peruse through it from time to time. The author has two other volumes -- Home Biology Experiments and Home Forensic Science Experiments. I plan to get the other two volumes eventually, and start acquiring more of the real tools of science at home. I am interested for myself, also, and not only for my students. As another resource for assembling a home science lab, I've thought about The Annotated Build-It-Yourself Science Laboratory (Windell Oskay, published by Make). It gets mixed reviews, since it was published in the 1960s. Some of what you could get then is impossible (or illegal) to get now. So I'm starting with that one. BUT... since that book was put out by Make, this leads us Make and Maker Shed and other avenues like these. Your son is not the first boy who likes to solder and tinker! :) There are others out there like him, all over the world. http://makezine.com/tag/kids-family/ http://makezine.com/2015/05/08/rise-kids-maker-movement/ Your son could (possibly) research topics of interest to him and find out how to DIY build his own kits, for much less (and perhaps better quality) than the purchased kits. That is to say, in the same way that the Thompson books (above) guide a person in building a home chemistry (or biology or forensics) lab, I think there have to be resources out there to guide a person in building a home "maker's lab." Maybe start with Make? http://www.makershed.com/pages/search-results?q=solder&page_num=2 Let's say he does the research, makes up a reasonable shopping list, you make a trip to Home Depot or Lowe's. Over time, he might have a better lab and a longer-lasting interest in this, because he's working it out for himself (with help). I think it's possible that NOT being handed a pre-fab kit ends up being a good thing. HTH. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted October 11, 2016 Author Share Posted October 11, 2016 LOVE LOVE LOVE this site...never heard of it before, but it certainly looks like this is a great place to start. have you subscribed to the magazine? worth it? thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daijobu Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 My signature has a link to a bunch of electronics resources. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 what is Raspberry Pi? If it's computers...that isn't his interest as much as building robots. I will check into 4H and Destination Imagination..guess I know nothing about that either (not 4H, but Destination Imagination). Never thought to check on DIY and Instructables either...so that is great. thanks. Raspberry Pi is a computer... but you can use it as the brain of a robot and it's one of the cheapest ways to get started. Really, these interests are deeply connected and he probably needs to get to where he can see that computers, electronics, programming, and robotics are all really connected together. Otherwise, he'll be stuck at the brushbot level of robotics for awhile since he doesn't have access to things like Lego Mindstorms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 LOVE LOVE LOVE this site...never heard of it before, but it certainly looks like this is a great place to start. have you subscribed to the magazine? worth it? thanks. Yes, Make Magazine is totally worth it... but for a kid starting out, the books are probably better for a year or so. https://www.amazon.com/Making-Simple-Robots-Exploring-Cutting-Edge/dp/1457183633/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476285402&sr=8-1&keywords=make+robotics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted October 12, 2016 Author Share Posted October 12, 2016 thanks. I will look more into the books then. Which ones would you recommend first? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted October 12, 2016 Share Posted October 12, 2016 thanks. I will look more into the books then. Which ones would you recommend first? She linked to a good one in the post right above yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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