I never had fun with chemestry sets (they were always lame) but had a couple various electrical-mechanical construction sets that were entertaining for, well, years.
The two off the top of my head were "Robotix" and "Capsela". I think the former went belly up but the latter still exist. Basically either of them were a collection of (SIMPLE) lego-type construction blocks with motors and switches. The capsela ones were especially interseting in that they were all see-through, so for instance you could see how a reduction gear, worm gear, etc, worked and you would use the blocks to make interesting things. (cars, boats, pumps, fans, etc)
Anyway, just a thought, they were good nerd toys.
Pontifex, I had the same things - the ones I remember used springs as the terminals for any of a few dozen electronic components, (leds, switches, diodes, resistors) you'd hook jumper wires between them according to a recipe in the book and create various electronic projects. Mine believe it or not came from Radio Shack but I can't imagine they still make them. (and I'm thinking that is more of the 8-10 age range even for an overachiever?)
Capsela toys - I suspect I had the "max out" set but obviously you can start with a small set/kit for one specific thing and keep adding to it. I really had a blast with these things when I was a kid, and I still remember some of the gear configurations etc that were in there so obviously it imparted some knowledge as well. (plus you got to play with batteries and wires)
The two off the top of my head were "Robotix" and "Capsela". I think the former went belly up but the latter still exist. Basically either of them were a collection of (SIMPLE) lego-type construction blocks with motors and switches. The capsela ones were especially interseting in that they were all see-through, so for instance you could see how a reduction gear, worm gear, etc, worked and you would use the blocks to make interesting things. (cars, boats, pumps, fans, etc)
Anyway, just a thought, they were good nerd toys.
Pontifex, I had the same things - the ones I remember used springs as the terminals for any of a few dozen electronic components, (leds, switches, diodes, resistors) you'd hook jumper wires between them according to a recipe in the book and create various electronic projects. Mine believe it or not came from Radio Shack but I can't imagine they still make them. (and I'm thinking that is more of the 8-10 age range even for an overachiever?)
Capsela toys - I suspect I had the "max out" set but obviously you can start with a small set/kit for one specific thing and keep adding to it. I really had a blast with these things when I was a kid, and I still remember some of the gear configurations etc that were in there so obviously it imparted some knowledge as well. (plus you got to play with batteries and wires)
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