Mindware Q-BA-MAZE 2.0. 5 and up. In the marble run genre, the Q-Ba-Maze offers elaborate, varied, colorful construction possibilities. Utilizing primarily cubes and a sprinkling of stilts, tubes and other plastic shapes, kids can build mazes of all shapes and sizes for transporting marbles from one end to the other. Exercises in motion, force and construction, the Q-Ba-Maze presents opportunities to explore the design process, via testing, tweaking and tinkering. The website offers extensive, supplementary plans for building runs in different ways.
Snap Circuits. 5 and up. Electronic circuit-building made elementary, Snap Circuits allow for easy connections and scores of different projects. The circuits are said to be durable and reliable, offering a tangible sense of how electronics work. Projects include an AM radio, doorbells, a burglar alarm, even electronic games. Snap Circuits seem to appeal to both boys and girls, and more-advanced kits include an iPod-driven light show and alternative energy projects. Extensive educational supplements are available, as kids get older, including a 138-page Student Guide.