The art of using wood, metal and paper to craft a model airplane that may or may not fly is usually called aircraft modeling. This hobby or passion is shared by millions across the globe with the United States accounting for nearly 2 million aficionados. While the industry is booming, kids today are getting diverted away from aircraft models primarily because of electronic gadgets.

Compared to many other hobbies, this particular passion does teach children numerous things. For starters, the hours spent building a scale model and then seeing it fly or crash gives children a satisfaction of a job well done. In fact, a crash on the first test flight of a model aircraft teaches children the importance of never giving up. Resilience and persistence are two characters that children shall readily imbibe if they continue building aircraft models from scratch.

Some obvious advantages of aircraft models is that children learn physics rather quickly because they become practically aware of terms such as drag, lift, aerodynamics and kinematics. Terms such as acceleration, speed, wind shear and banking become simple to understand. What would take children years to perfect and practically decipher now becomes a matter of one successful flight or crash. Aircraft model making is a tough hobby that only the most adamant of kids can pursue. Maybe this is the reason why so many kids today prefer hobbies such as reading and Facebook rather than building models of cars, planes or boats.

The actual educational value of aircraft models is rather informal and accumulative with time. Much of what children learn is based on painful experiences such as stalls and spiral dives which decimate the model to bits. However, any persistent model maker will promptly reveal that he learnt more from crashes than successful completion of models. Children who attempt to build a model for the very first time will definitely feel let down after their initial crash but the moment their model does fly will give them immense satisfaction and fuel their imagination even further. The reason why this hobby or passion instills hard hitting virtues is because it is painstaking and rather difficult to practice.

Some side benefits that children shall develop out of aircraft models is the ability to hold a steady hand, have patience and practice resourcefulness. A successful model will allow them to use mathematics and physics to decipher reasons for crashes, understand complex concepts of stress and aerodynamic forces while learning practical activities such as repairing, soldering, mechanics of internal combustion engines and electrical circuits.

3D Puzzles

Puzzles that push the mind in the third dimension compelling players to imagine moves not just in a plane but in space are usually termed as 3D puzzles. Those who have never played any 3 dimensional puzzle games would not immediately realize how these puzzles are different from a jigsaw puzzle. Quite simply put, a zigsaw puzzle operates in two dimensions of length and breadth while 3d jigsaws are more for puzzle aficionados as they can inculcate the use of wood, plastics, fabrics and metal all at the same time.

One of the best examples of 3D puzzles is the Rubik’s Cube. Invented way back in 1974 by a Hungarian mathematician and architect, the magical cube became the only grape vine at work and a challenge for college graduates. This was the most popular toy of the time and not because it was fun. Rather, anyone who tried to solve this mathematical 3d quiz would soon realize that it calls for sequential understanding, algorithm formation and a good memory. For kids, the Rubic’s cube is a good test of their rudimentary problem solving skills. Moreover, those kids who remain adamant about solving it will develop traits of persistence and resilience.

Predating the Rubik’s cube is another 3D puzzles phenomenon that grasped the imagination of the world back in the 19th and 18th century. The puzzle box may be indigenous to many countries such as Morocco, Czechoslovakia and Puerto Rico but they are best known because of the Japanese. Their boxes can take as many as 125 sequential moves to unlock. These boxes are a good start up 3d game for kids who develop a keen interest in jigsaws and puzzles. Moreover, kids would want to find out what is inside the box compelling them to dig deeper for the answer to the puzzle.

The Japanese were not just adept at making puzzle boxes but many other 3D puzzles. For example, Tangram and Kumiki puzzles were already wide spread throughout China and Japan before migrating to the west in the 1800s. These are pattern and shape based puzzles that use interlocking animals and objects to create peculiar patterns. Both are made from wood and are quite different from the conventional jigsaw puzzle. Children in particular shall appreciate the use of animals and daily use objects learning each as they play through the puzzle.

What the world today understands as 3D puzzles was first invented in 1989 by an inventor by the name of Paul Gallant using polyethylene foam paper. They were real life models of medieval castles and villages that required not just sequential powers but also deduction powers. Imagining each piece as part of a full model castle is not just difficult but also tiring. Kids will love the challenge and appreciate the completed model afterwards.

RC CARS! SO FUN.

Did you know that Nitro Rc Cars can notch up speeds of up to 60 mph? Imagine what this could do even in the hands of a pretentious kid. Safety and kids usually do not go together. No matter how much parents stress about the necessity of sticking to rules, kids always find a way to circumvent them. This is where Nitro cars can become a danger. So, if Nitro RCs are what catches the fancy of a child then here are three precautions that all parents should take.

Location is probably the most used word in real estate but the correlation with Rc cars makes it all that more vital. Where one drives their Nitro RCs, matters a lot. A park may seem as an obvious choice but consider the dangers associated with such a packed place. An unaware parent or child walks on the car while it is being driven and breaks his hand or leg. The car bangs onto a skateboard and throws the rider off. Someone simply drops a ball on the car and breaks it into pieces. There are plenty of dangers present in a populated area. The best place therefore to drive such RC cars is in an empty parking area, or the backyard, provided it is large enough.

Speed is something that comes inherent with Rc cars. Because these tiny electronic and motorized items are so speedy, the chances of accidents are all quite real. Just as a real car is a danger in the hands of a pumped up teenager, so is a rc vehicle in the hands of a toddler. Never let kids handle cars that are rated above their age. Parents believe that a child who can ride a dirt bike can just as easily control a RC but the dangers of the Nitro fuel are something that they seldom know about.

If speed thrills so does Nitro. Nitro-methane is a special fuel used in many Rc cars today. These power the tiny motors to blistering speeds and in turn make them quite dangerous. The dangers of such a fuel include sudden explosions, spontaneous ignition and leakage. The problem with Nitro is that it is highly inflammable and therefore any remnants left on the vehicle surface can suddenly catch fire upon contact with direct sunlight. Never allow kids to handle the fuel. Parents should manually change the fuel and mop up any area that may have been contaminated by Nitro.

Being safe is always better with Rc cars. They might be small but they are just as dangerous as a bullet.

Trying to create a list of the best learning toys will take up a lot of space and so a better approach would be to group together the best toys for 2012 to educate parents about the latest toys and games available in the market. This selection of four top toys is not just simple and affordable but also hi tech and classic at the same time. They are toys that kids shall adore and parents shall heartily approve. The data have been collected based on popularity and consumer reports.

Butterfly Garden, Insect Lore – Rated appropriate for age group of 4 to 14 years, this educational toy actually catches the fancy of grown up secondary school students while being fun to play with for four year olds. The Insect Lore and other similar best learning toys allow kids to grow their own butterflies from the larva stage and watch as it goes through each stage of its life. With food and other requirements already packaged with the butterfly garden, parents need not search around for butterfly food.

Snap Circuits – The entire lineup of Snap circuits is aimed at children of 8 to 12 years of age. The Snap Circuit is one among the best learning toys that teach electronic circuitry and basic electricity concepts. It allows kids to develop their own home made alarm bells, door bells and other items. With over 100 projects, kids will love to work on the projects in their free time and astound at completed gadgets once they work.

The LeapPad LeapFron Explorer – Call it a child PDA or a pocket encyclopedia, this technological marvel gives young kids of 4 to 9 years the chance to explore basic concepts and ideas related to anything and everything. Designed around the iPad, kids will love the fact that they too have a tablet device to work on. Kids will be able to read, watch and learn from the pad by installing applications and programs from online websites and portals. The reason this gadget features in the list of best learning toys is that it is truly educational by nature. Kids cannot watch cartoons or download anything online without parental guidance hence protecting them from the perils of the Internet.

Shape Sorting Clock – From the stable of Melissa and Doug comes the best learning toys for 3 to 5 year olds called the sorting shape clock. Not only does this toy teach time reading to younglings but also allows them to practice their shape sorting abilities. They will have to match blocks to corresponding shapes and move the hour or minute hands to get to their goal. The toy is built to last in the hands of three year olds.

Toy manufacturers strive to perfect the balance between fun and education with their products but often tend to get the mixture wrong. It is not their fault because trying to achieve a higher educational return inevitably detracts away from the fun factor. Children have a short attention span and trying to emphasize on educational value of a toy will definitely eat through their patience to sit through an activity that lacks any fun quotient. The best educational toys are those that can keep the attention of kids and entertain them while discreetly educating them.

As many toys have proven in the past, it is not exactly rocket science trying to fit together education and fun in one toy. The trick is to show fascinating aspects of a particular subject through toys that bring the wow factor into play. This allows kids to enjoy the experience and end up with an amazing practical idea of the subject matter. Accordingly, here are the best educational toys in the fields of Chemistry, Physics, Astronomy, Electronics and Life sciences.

In the department of Chemistry, the best educational toys are those that can teach with a bit of mixing and matching, lunacy and focus. The Galt Horrible Science Chemical Chaos is one such toy that can be used to educate kids about chemical reactions. With 10 projects, kids shall find the game engrossing and challenging at the same time. The Polydron Bridges of the World is an excellent selection out of the best education toys in Physics, which is a collection of construction kits. It allows kids to build real life replica of bridges across the world and test them out with physical concepts.

For astronomy, the best educational toys are marked by brilliance and simplicity. For example, the Orion StarBlaster Telescope is just 25 inches tall and easy enough to be used by young kids while being endowed by excellent optics and looks. Not only will kids browse through constellations and planets up in the sky but boast about it to their friends too. The Elenco Snap Circuits Green is an excellent Electronics game that imbibes info about electrical circuits and electricity with over 100 projects documenting the effects of electricity and renewable energy sources.

Finally, the Hexbug Crab comes on top of the best educational toys in Biology. This toy hides away in darkness and flees from sight when alerted by sound or bright light - a great little demonstration of reflex actions to kids and an introduction to instinctive abilities of crabs to avoid predators.

Amazing artwork!