While it seems that some of you had creative, artistic youthful experiences, mine were significantly different. It was based much more on the skills necessary to become a self-sufficient person. That doesn't mean not being creative or artistic but the difference between visualizing something and the ability to create that something. Some of the first experiences where with the Tinker toys and erector sets. I remember building a simple robot to collect my Valentines cards in grade school. Simply several boxes fastened together along with legs and covered in decorative paper. It had several Christmas light bulbs powered by a battery but didn't do anything else. Today there are very few everyday projects that I don't know how to do. I think my step-son got his first real set of tools around 10 or 12. While he isn't a mechanic, he still has his set of tools and uses them regularly. We can never have too many skills and we never know when the situation will require us to make use of those skills. Continue to learn for your entire life for it is impossible to know everything. A desire to learn is the greatest gift you can pass on to your children!!

Thanks a lot, OldKid,

Just occurred, the coincidence between your avatar name and this thread on reminisces of kid times,



Seems like each box with legs lined up with light bulbs wired to 'a battery' in series, the result would result in a simple 'robotic train'.
Magnificent, at age 10 or so.

If there are any parents reading, then



Reminds me of an article by a chemist (long ago) where he mentioned how he played with MECANO's chemistry set. Hats off to MECANO if they had come up with a safe chemistry set. I cannot imagine a 10 year old - taking a test tube of some mild acid and squeezing some drops of alkali and viewing the titration. Maybe citric acid and Dad's whisky?

Today MECANO has a kit for Robots - 4 feet tall;


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jacYNATmhY8

Mimics movemennts!!!

Needs a suit though.