Top 10 advent calendars for engineers

But we’re not talking about your typical chocolate-filled calendars – as lovely as they are! We’re talking about the truly creative boxes of wonders that are designed to spark curiosity and provide a daily dose of innovation and creativity.

Each day leading up to the 25th of December, engineers can uncover a new component, challenge, or concept that adds an element of festive cheer that aligns with their own interests.

These advent calendars are perfect for those who relish hands-on activities, enjoy the consistently evolving world of engineering, and perhaps want to learn a little across the vast and various disciplines of science and engineering.

Whether you are a seasoned professional, a student of the discipline, or just curious about STEM and how things work, these calendars are designed to stimulate the mind and provide a joyful journey through the final days of the year.

So please join Electronic Specifier as we look at 10 advent calendars designed especially with engineering in mind.

Inventr.io - Adventure Kit: 30 days lost in space

Imagine: you’re stuck underwater on an alien planet, and you have 30 days to complete 30 missions and get to safety.

Combining advanced coding and circuit skills with a thrilling storyline, the kit provides step-by-step guidance through various repair missions ranging from basic tasks to more complex repairs with the final challenge of building a working launch panel with an OLED display and designing a mini-game for defence against invaders.

This adventure kit promises to challenge, quiz, and reward – and it’s all led by a retired NASA researcher/college professor, Dr Greg Lyzenga.

The PiHut – The 12 projects of Codemas

This calendar offers a 12-day journey of discovery, with each day unveiling a new project to learn and program using a Raspberry Pi Pico H and various components.

Each box contains a new project featuring components for different tasks, including sensors and LEDs which are supported by daily online guides.

Ideal for a broad range of enthusiasts – beginners will find it an excellent introduction to programming and electronics whilst experienced makers will enjoy a daily festive activity or an opportunity to experiment with MicroPython.

Revell – Engineers hydraulic excavator

This 1:24 scale model kit provides a detailed and interactive building experience.

The realistic design and detailed parts bring every aspect of the excavator to life, and its innovative hydraulics system demonstrates the power of fluids in creating mechanical motion, and the mechanical chain drive adds an extra layer of realism, allowing the model to move.

Mittel - Hydraulic Excavator

It seems that hydraulic excavators are a popular advent calendar - so we've given the choice of two!

Let young engineers build a 1:24 scale hydraulic excavator, where they get to combine detailed design with an interactive experience. Featuring a hydraulic mechanism powered by hoses and oil, it demonstrates the basics of mechanics and technology while enhancing fine motor skills, concentration, and spatial thinking. The kit includes all necessary tools, components, and step-by-step instructions for hours of educational building fun.

Roboter Adventskalender – ohne Löten

This advent calendar offers an exciting opportunity to build your own robot. Before assembly begins, the kit educates on how these components function together in the robot, covering basic electronic circuit and robot control principles.

This DIY robot promises a range of functionalities, including movement patterns like driving in circles, torch control, or following a line, making it a great project for both young and adult enthusiasts.

Franzis - EIGHT Advent Calendar Kit - Build Your Own Robot

Begin your robotics journey with a 24-day line-following robot build! Construct the circuit step by step before assembling the mechanical components. The kit includes an easy-to-follow, full-colour instruction booklet detailing the components, circuit, and functionality at each stage.

Haynes – Electronic games

This calendar offers an engaging twist to traditional advent calendars with each new window revealing an electronic component until you have everything you need to build 24 different electronic games on the countdown to Christmas.

These games include options like Code Breaker, Memory, Wire Maze, and Whack a Mole.

Eight – Innovation retro radio

Offering an interactive and educational experience, each day leading up to Christmas unveils an electronic component – culminating in the assembly of a fully functional FM retro radio.

Whether you're an aspiring engineer or just curious about how electronic devices work, this advent calendar includes all the necessary parts to ensure an easy assembly process. It is ideal for anyone interested in radio technology and the hands-on experience of building electronic devices.

Eight – Electronic sounds

This calendar provides components each day to build a retro synthesiser.

It is aimed at those who have a keen interest in synthesisers and their underlying electronics. Once assembled, it allows users to delve into the world of retro electronic sounds, making it a perfect for any synth enthusiast.

PC The Purple Cow – The crazy Scientist

An educational way to countdown to Christmas, featuring 24 scientific experiments covering a broad range of scientific fields, including chemistry, biology, mechanics, optics, and magnetics – providing a diverse and enriching experience.

With no prior scientific knowledge required, it’s a great educational tool for children, offering a fun and interactive way to explore various scientific principles during the festive season.