Solder. Build. Discover. Together.
Build a bug. Learn to solder. Discover how real circuits work — together.
Hands-on kits for children to solder and build with a parent. A shared first step into electronics, even if you’re both new to it.
Explore the electronics kitsReal components · Tools separate · Build with a grown-up.
FOUR BUG-SHAPED ELECTRONICS KITS
Four little bugs. Four ways to discover electronics. Choose a kit, solder the real components together, and see what happens when you add light, warmth or a little curiosity.
Your finished buildLight & shadow · 1 creature
A little creature. A little shadow. Four little lights.
Solder a light-sensing Ladybird circuit with your child, then explore which shadows make her four LEDs glow.
Start here for your first build together.
Leave your email and we’ll let you know when Ladybird is back in stock.
Your finished buildSound & warmth · 1 creature
Warm hands. A different rhythm.
Build a chirping Cricket, then discover how the rhythm changes with the warmth of your hands.
A hands-on way to explore sound and warmth.
Leave your email and we’ll let you know when Cricket is back in stock.
Your finished buildFields & sound · 1 creature
There’s a hidden world to listen to.
Build a magnetic-field listening circuit together, soldering components onto a bug-shaped board with an etched pickup and a little speaker.
A more involved build for curious little listeners.
Leave your email and we’ll let you know when Earwig is back in stock.
Your finished buildLight & timing · 2 creatures
Two little lights. One bright idea.
Build a pair of flashing Fireflies. Experiment with light, timing and the way one circuit can influence another.
Two creatures to build and experiment with together.
Leave your email and we’ll let you know when Firefly is back in stock.
Tools not included. Every kit is a shared build with a grown-up, with real components and plenty to explore.
MINIBEAST No. 01
Ladybird senses the light around her. Cover her sensor and four little lights glow. Lift your hand and they fade away. Then comes the best question: “What else can we try?”
Will tissue paper make a shadow? What about your favourite leaf? Decide what you think will happen.
Practise soldering, then add real electronic components to your bug-shaped circuit board in small steps. The grown-up guides. The child gets to say, “I did that.”
Try your idea. Change something. Try again. A working creature is the beginning of the experiment.
FOR THE GROWN-UP BESIDE THEM
New to electronics? Start with Ladybird. Practise a few solder joints, add the components step by step, then make her lights glow with a shadow.
Make it a shared project: the grown-up guides the tools, and the child can sort parts, ask questions and discover what makes the circuit work. Take it one small step at a time.
Soldering needs a hot iron, eye protection, fume extraction and an adult’s full attention. You’ll need your own tools. Keep hot tools and loose components away from younger siblings.
WHY SOLDERLINGS EXISTS
I work in AI. At home, I build things with my children.
I want them to know that the things around them can be opened, understood and fixed. That an idea can become something they can hold. And that when it doesn’t work the first time, they can find out why.
That’s where Solderlings starts: a parent, a child, and a small thing they made together.
Dominik Founder & dad · Guildford, Surrey
BEFORE THE FIRST JOINT
Especially if this is new to both of you.
Choose Ladybird for a first build together. Her light sensor and four LEDs make the connection between what you do and what the circuit does easy to see. Cricket explores sound and warmth, Earwig listens to magnetic fields, and the Firefly pair explores light and timing.
Curious children and the grown-up beside them. These are shared projects: an adult guides the build, manages the hot tools and checks the circuit before adding power. Keep loose components and hot tools away from younger siblings.
Ladybird starts with six practice joints before you build the circuit. Work through the components in small steps, check each stage together, and leave yourself room to learn. You can always stop and come back.
Yes: a suitable temperature-controlled soldering iron and stand, lead-free solder, cutters, a heat-resistant work area, eye protection and fume extraction. Tools are separate from the kit. The adult guides and supervises the whole build.
Ladybird is £19, Cricket £24 and Earwig £29. The Firefly pair is £34 for two creatures. Tools are separate.
Ladybird senses light and responds with LEDs. She doesn’t move or use AI. She introduces a useful foundation for robotics: a sensor takes something from the real world and a circuit makes something happen.
YOUR NEXT LITTLE DISCOVERY
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