toys thAT an 8 year old boy can enjoy alone

[bodsier]

anyone have any ideas on toys that a boy interested in making things can enjoy or/and with others. apart from lego i struggle to think of good alternatives. anyone have any suggestions?

[kristymac1]

Airfix models?

[Convex]

i keep seeing ads for coding toys - teaches kids coding. mine are too young but 8 would be ideal!

[bodsier]

Great ideas, thanks!

[edanna]

Hot Wires is brilliant but probably needs some parental help. There are a couple of brilliant Klutz Lego books - Lego Contraptions and Lego Chain Reactions but will also need some help. There are some nice puzzle books designed by Thomas Flintham which are doable alone.

[womanofdulwich]

train sets? farm sets? action mans/similar? let them loose with a video camera?

[bodsier]

I think he would love to create videos, I have no problem with helping, it's just that I can't be there all the time, so will look at that specific lego. Thank you

[edanna]

Talking of films, this looks brill though we don't have it yet: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Animation-Studio-Helen-Piercy/dp/1406350974 I imagine it will need parental input at first but maybe not once he has the hang of it. My son really likes playing Rush Hour and does this on his own - we have the adult version: http://thinkfun.com/products/rush-hour/

[alieh]

My 7 year old just got Hot Wires for his birthday and it is brilliant. He needed help from my Dad to get started, but I think an 8 year old would be able to follow the directions to build different models/experiments once they'd been show the basics.

[Sonners]

Magnatiles might be good if he likes building things. Pricey but good longevity - my 2 year old loves them and her 11 year old cousins always ask for them when they come over with assorted aged children in between also enjoying them. I love playing with them too!