Smartivity Mechanical Hand

My son and I put this together over a rainy afternoon, and watching his face light up when the fingers actually closed was worth every piece. The mechanical movement is simple enough for an 8-year-old to grasp but still feels like real engineering.

My 9-year-old put this together in about an hour with almost no help from me, and now he won't stop showing everyone how the fingers curl when he pulls the string. It's rare to find a building kit that actually does something once it's finished.

Bought this for my 9-year-old and she spent a solid two hours assembling it without asking for help once. The fingers actually curl when you pull the tabs, which surprised me more than it should have. Now it sits on her desk and she uses it to grab pencils.