If you’ve been wanting to dive into basic electronics but haven’t figured out where to begin or are too intimidated by circuit schematics and Printed Circuit Boards, and want to start with something simple, then this is the project for you! The Solar USB Charger, our latest addition to Weekend Projects, combines the very familiar technologies of a solar cell and a USB cable to convert the sun into USB power.
When I told my 8-year-old daughter I had a kit to clone fluorescent jellyfish DNA, she was excited to try it. But this is a high-school level project. The reagents are sent in a styrofoam box with dry ice, and the projects require a polymerase chain reaction thermal cycler (which Genotyp will loan out to classrooms that […]
Aimed at kids 8 and up, this kit has real heart. Its 48-page workbook and components (solar cell, buzzer, two motors, LED, capacitor, copper rivets, pinwheel, etc.) take you through lessons and fun experiments that teach the basics: What is energy, as distinct from force? What forms does it take? How can it be converted […]
Learn about the sense of smell with eight perfume oils and a variety of jars, mixers, and pipettes. Experiments range from fragrance extraction to composing your own perfume scents. My friend and I enjoyed one experiment where we prepared test strips of all the fragrances and then guessed which we were sniffing. I got two […]
The most wonderful thing about Schuyler St. Leger is that while he knows more about technology and electronics than most, he juxtaposes that knowledge with earnest curiosity. As much as Schuyler has to share, he also wants to learn. I’ll never forget the first time I met Schuyler. He walked right up to me in […]
TubeSat makes space your personal laboratory. You build a satellite the size of a large soup can, get it launched into a 310km Earth orbit moving 17,000 miles an hour, and talk to it via ham radio a few times a day for 1–3 months. Smile as you reflect on your new skills in surface-mount […]
This is a solder-together kit for studying the electrical impulses of cockroach neurons. The online instructions are excellent, with videos and plenty of clear photos of the assembly process. My 8-year-old daughter identified and inserted all the electrical components into the clearly marked printed circuit board through-holes, and I did the soldering. She asked me […]
