Classic Toys For Christmas?

waterwheel asks: "Christmas is coming, and it's time to start planning our online shopping list for future Slashdot readers. This year I'm having a look at some of the more classic toys - and am finding that not only are some of the classic toys still around - but they are still educational and fun. Two good examples of this are the Rubik's Cube and the time honored gyroscope. The cube has been around for about 20 years, the gyroscope it seems for almost a 100. Both will be under the tree this year. Both of these toys are able to compete with video games - a true test of staying power. This begs the question - what other classic toys do you remember from your youth that are still fun enough that kids will play with them today?"

Comments

Legos

[genkael]

You have to love Legos. Not only are they fun, but they teach creativity, mechanical engineering, and design. If you are playing with someone else, they teach teamwork and sharing. Not to mention you can build some cool guns and spaceships.

On this topic, I'm not a big fan of the premade Lego sets for Star Wars or Harry Potter or whatever. Kids need the generic box of bricks and plates.

Re:Rubik's Cube

[stratjakt]

The facts are, DHS is made up of what once was INS and Customs.

It's in fact their job to prevent bootlegged products from hitting American markets, so quit trying to spin this story as some kind of ridiculous "war on terror gone crazy" horseshit.

Magnifying glass

[drdanny_orig]

It's a known fact: boys from 7 to 70 _love_ to play with a big magnifying glass, say 4" or larger diameter. Remember looking in the mirror with one huge eye? Discovering you can project images onto a wall? Or best of all, frying ants on the front sidewalk? It's all still fun!

200-in-1 Electronics Lab

[nautical9]

I toy I absolutely loved as a kid was the 200-in-1 Electronics Lab. It's basically just a bunch of raw electronics bits (diodes, transistors, resistors, a small numerical display, etc) all hookup up to little springs, a whole bunch of wires to connect pieces together, and a huge book with simple projects and diagrams on how to create little "apps".

Hours of fun playing around with basic-level electronics, and you get to learn some stuff too!

You used to see them all the time at Radio Shack and other stores, but I haven't seen one in person in over a decade. There are also different "sizes", but I can't recall what they are.

Re:Classic toy

[TheGavster]

There's no reason that you shouldn't teach your children about those things. If alcohol isn't a rebellious thing, but simply a beverage, then they are less likely to abuse it. Simply ignoring the existance of something dangerous will not protect your children from it; either you can educate them, or society can educate them, and society doesn't have a great track record in that respect.