Make Holiday Gift Guide

This is my favorite project board right now. It’s small, dirt cheap, the I/O pads work with alligator clips, it has a built-in battery connector, and an on/off switch. Best of all, you can plug it into any computer and the code file pops up like a USB drive, which you can edit directly without any extra software. It’s great for hacking toys, putting animated LEDs in things, and perfect for wearable projects.

Captain Credible, aka Daniel Eugene Lacey-McDermott, is an electronic musician living in Norway and creating “somewhere in the land of IDM, breakcore, and chiptune.” He’s also a hands-on maker of cool instruments and kits, including USB MIDI controllers, noise synths, voice pitch shifters, and the Tardweeny, a USB ATtiny25 board that’s great for pranks or inventing your own weird instruments. His latest release, Fantasy Mansion, is both a music EP (on Spotify, iTunes, Bandcamp, etc.) and a new circuit board: a tiny 32-step sequencer with three-part 8-bit sounds (think chiptunes) and fantastic preprogrammed beats. Solder the kit or buy it assembled, and then play it using two buttons (add or subtract beats, basslines, and melodies) and a photoresistor (select new beats, notes, and glitch noises). Crazy infectious on its own (my kids wouldn’t give it back), it can also sync to external sequencers and drum machines. What a great simple soldering project — just 8 components, then plug in the chip — with a huge payoff!

This ingenious method of learning electronics encourages play and exploration. The circuitry is designed in a way to interface with stickers and paper, allowing for an entirely new method of circuit construction. The kit comes with all the hardware and the Love To Code book, packed with adorable illustrations and lessons.

Learn how basic circuits work by building them yourself. Custom PCBs with the lesson etched right into the surface make this simple — and they look great too.

"I really think this is the easiest introduction to electronics that has ever been written," says author Charles Platt. He should know. His Make: Electronics is our best-selling book ever, one regularly taught in high schools and colleges. "Easy" is Charles' effort at making electronics dead-simple for everyone, even providing all of the materials needed to immediately succeed. Pre-order yours now; it will definitely sell out this holiday season.

A full-color hand-drawn graphic how-to, this delightful book is a dead-simple way to learn two skills at once. This is a great holiday starter gift for the curious kids in your life.

Designed by the BBC to introduce computer literacy to teenagers across the U.K.. the micro:bit has made its way to the U.S. A great way to learn about sensors, Bluetooth communications, and embedded operating systems, the micro:bit is inexpensive and small and lavishly supported across the web. This is a rare chance to impress the kids. Take it!