Erector sets

I think I built towers with the girders, and something that used the wheels. Just learning to use a screwdriver correctly was a benefit. I was told to always point the screwdriver away from my face when working with it.

But its not for you boombaby. (or is it?)

The real benefit of a toy such as this is it encorages a kid to use his Imagination.

Build a crane if there are pully wheels. Thread string over the pully wheel fashion a hook for one end from wire and a handle for the other end to wind up the string.
No pulley wheels? what you gonna do? Can you imagine how to make a pulley wheel from something in the shed? Go look see whats there. imagine how it should look and work and Make it so Mr Spock!

Now you have a crane you can lift heavy objects. How heavy? what might happens if the object is too heavy? Thats right workplace accident! So how can we stop the crane from tipping?



spare parts
http://www.erectorsets.com/erectorparts.htm

Wow! That crane is a beaut!

No, it isn't for me but I'm sure I will be involved.

As I've looked at the sets I've thought that the benefit is probably in learning how things work instead of making whatever model.

We've bought those Lego model sets but the fun wears off pretty quick if you leave it put together. It becomes just another toy, a toy that falls apart pretty easily, no less. I wish you could just buy the cool Legos without having to buy it in a kit (I think you can at the Lego store but that's another story).

Every stinking building toy is a "kit" these days. It drives me crazy.

This erector set comes with directions to make three different models - a heliocopter, a car, and a spider type thing -- plus a motor that makes them all run.

I'll bet Mo would love your shed, dadpad!

Mo's pretty handy with tools, Foofie, so I think he'll be fine with that part. But it sounds like you just built stuff and that's what I think would be cool with this kind of stuff -- not building set models.

by the way when the set is used up and kinda... broken and not used any more make sure you keep all the nuts and screws they will be handy for the rest of his life.