3D Magic

In the last year, Niall has really gotten into 3D printed objects, often spending his ($7/month, $1 per month per year of life) allowance on little doo-dads from markets and the Co-Op (the biggest purchase to date was a ~$30 pink iridescent dragon from an Asian festival in Eureka). 

He has been asking for a 3D printer for a long time (probably since before Chris last year). While we want to encourage their own money management of things that are meaningful for them (and try not to micromanage/weigh in too much so they learn about things including regret/overspending!), we have agreed to ensure parental oversight for large/costly purchases.  Kelvin and I are both pretty thrifty and really tried to talk him out of it (and while Iver is a super hoarder of his allowance, Niall is an eager spender). 

However, N's interest has definitely been persistent (insistent!) over time and we ultimately relented because he felt it would bring him so much joy!  Kelvin did some research and Niall spent almost $300 from his money balance on this new 3D printer (including various ink shades in filament "spools") called the X-Maker Joy. Kelvin helped him set it up.

You can program the machine via an iPhone app and, after several hours, a formed object comes out.  His first creation was a (Minecraft) lantern.

He's already wanting to make something new almost daily, but we've encouraged him to limit use to weekly, so as to not wear out the brand-new machine! He's already scheming about making and "selling" items on demand to his friends (!), but we've encouraged him to only use this gadget as a fun way to create art/gifts for people and for his own enjoyment.  It definitely has been "worth it" for him (no buyers' remorse yet!), and we understand that, while we wouldn't choose to spend our money on the same, some "toys" are absolutely worth the joy!