When I was growing up model airplane kits offered printed balsa sheets that needed cutting out, attaching balsa strip ribs, papering the skin, and handpainting the project. Now builders get a complete fuselage, formed wings and tail that attach by rubber bands, and the plane is flying in minutes.

This same "fast food" phenomenon permeates all the educational products. Electronic circuit kits have blocks that snap together held by magnets. Robots pop out of the box and run with the push of a few remote buttons. The makers may even try to prevent users from "hacking" their systems with custom intellectual property.

Kits like VEX and FischerTechnik that require construction and design are sold to a small core of enthusiasts while Robosapiens that teach little are marketed to millions.

I feel sorry for this instant gratification trend. I learned a lot about design and engineering from building bulkhead and stringer model airplanes starting in the second grade. What is the average "buy it finished" child learning from their purchases?