[Magdalen] Toys for the young engineer

[Susan Hagen]

I spent Sunday with my friend Shelia and her grandchildren.  Dylan has
just turned 6.  Recent evaluations have shown him with some behavior
issues but with visual/spatial/analytical skills far beyond his years.
He is passionate about airplanes and helicopters, showed my an
extensive portfolio of photos, art projects, diagrams of such that he
explained very clearly.  He has progressed from Duplos to Legos and
spent the afternoon assembling quite complex flying machines with tiny
little components.  I asked how he knew how to do them and he whipped
out the story-board type instructions and explained that you do the
number 1 picture, then the number 2 step and so on.  I was
flabbergasted since most adults I know can't or won't read and follow
instructions.  I tell you that the next time I have to set up
electronic equipment from the wretched pictorial instructions I'm
going to get him to do it.

I'm looking for toys that would appeal to this budding geek for
Christmas.  Would you who are or who have raised this kind of kid make
some suggestions?  I did find this promising site:

https://www.fatbraintoys.com/toys/toy_categories/kites_planes_rockets/index.cfm

Thanks,
Susan

-- 
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