Kits for Electricity Experiments?

[pampered_mom]

My son is obsessed with electricity lately and while he's young enough that we don't "school" at not quite 5 1/2 yrs old we do try to follow his interests as much as possible. We've read books on electricity over and over and over again. I've also thought about going to two somewhat local museums that have electricity exhibits.

Which brings me to the crux of the issue. Are there any kits out there that aren't super expensive that would let us work on some simple experiments? Do we even need a kit? Is there perhaps a book with decent pictures/instructions that we could follow with items we could purchase at the hardware store or other similar source? Is there a general book like this out there science related? He loves to figure out how things work and I'd really like to nurture his interests.

[Mearow]

Snap Circuits! I highly recommend any of the kits and the customer service is fabulous. They are a bit expensive but you can sometimes find them cheaper on eBay or craigslist. If there are any missing pieces, you can order them very cheaply from the manufacturer. If you buy a small set and find you should have gotten a larger set, you can buy fairly priced upgrade kits to the level you want.

[34me]

I love Radio Shack. Wires, switches, batteries and lightbilbs..........

[cbyrum]

Snap Circuits are great! Amazon frequently has them at decent prices. We bought my son the SC300 (can build 300 experiments) for about $35. He loves it - he was 5.5 when he got it and is almost 6 now.

[sapphire_chan]

When he's old enough to solder, check out www.sparkfun.com

[earthhugmama]

We have Snap Circuits and my kids (ages 5 and 7) all like using them.

[emilysmama]

How about Castle Electricity Kit? It is marketed for high school, but that's only because physics is not covered until high school in public school. The activities in the kit are accessible to an elementary school kid, with guidance by an adult.

[bugginsmom]

Another vote for Snap Circuits. My ds got them for Christmas just after his 5th birthday and he *loves* them!

[RiverSky]

We have found some fun electricity kits for $15-20 at large bookstores before, Klutz brand usually. I would also try local smaller toy stores, and definitely any teacher stores that are in your town.

My children LOVE their snap circuits set but at $100 (or whatever it was) for a larger kit, it's not exactly cheap. Totally worth every penny, but not cheap.

[sewchris2642]

this is what we used for science for all 3 girls. http://topscience.org/books/electricity32.html Angela gave her answers and conclusions orally after watching her sisters' experiments. if i remember correctly, all the supplies are readily available as common household items.

excuse the typing. I'm holding a teething toddler and typing with only the left hand. and I'm right handed.

[moominmamma]

Yet another vote for Snap Circuits.

miranda

[pampered_mom]

So many wonderful ideas!