The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

Our summer days are filled with activities. If it’s not raining, my boys want to be swimming, whether it’s at the pool or the beach.

But on those rainy days or the days when it’s so hot out that even the pool doesn’t feel refreshing, it can be a little harder for them to entertain themselves. We’re not a house that shies away from electronics or video games, but it’s nice if what they’re doing can be educational as well.

Best Buy carries products from basic learning games to advanced toys designed to stimulate a child’s mind in the STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) areas, helping to develop logic and problem solving skills. While that makes us feel good as parents, the kids just see it as fun.

We were sent a Circuit Scribe – Basic Draw Circuits Learning System to try out. With this kit, your child can plan their electrical circuit on paper and then build it with the included components. There is an educational booklet included that walks kids through how circuits work and teach them about voltage, electrical conductivity, and more.

The recommended age for Circuit Scribe is 8+. My 9 year old is the one who worked through the booklet first. I did stay nearby and help, but once he got the hang of it after the first page or two, he didn’t need any assistance. He told me that the push-button switch (or momentary switch) is the same thing he did in his makerspace art class, to make a part of his project light up when a button was pushed so he made a real world connection but now actually understands why it worked the way it did.

My 11 and 12 year olds both want their turns at designing their own electrical circuits, too. It really helps the understanding of these concepts when you get to see them come to life in a fun way. And then they get to apply them to their own projects.

You can find the Circuit Scribe at Best Buy for around $49.99 (currently on sale as of 6/16/17 for $34.99). And be sure to check out their other STEM games- my boys have already made their wish lists for what they want to work on next!