Aesthetically I am not a fan of plastics. As materials go, I feel plastic turns to waste quickly and is typically not made to last. I have made a few exceptions over the years as I could not imagine a future where my son didn’t have Legos to modify design and Magnatiles to house his imagination. Batteries have also been on the list of toys that entertain vs. toys that educate. It follows that plastic toys with batteries are most likely to end up on the do not buy list. I’ve made an allowance: Electronic Snap Circuits.
Initially when I bought these circuits my son was four. He was fascinated by the different experiments listed in the booklet (lie detecter and am radio to name a few) but could not do the experiments on his own. Now a year later the circuits have generated new interest and not only is he working out how to do the circuitry experiments on his own, he is also creating his own circuits (photo).