Engineering Kindergartener

Since infancy it has been hard to overlook my son's similarity to my own father. For starters even as a newborn preemie he had the very distinct look of my dad (yes, he looked like a baby knowledgeable beyond his years). He was never the sort of infant whom I would believe really enjoyed being one, but rather he seemed to be waiting at each phase of development to be able to do more - to grow up and figure this world out. Over the years the similarities have abounded, not the least of which is his interest in the way things work (as a child I remember noting one of my Dad's favorite items of house decor, a prominently placed coffee table book by the same title) - AKA: engineering of any sort.
While Jimmy's interest in the interior-most workings of electronic items will likely serve him extremely well as an adult, for now it's driving me mad. I can't seem to apply any measure of reason, force or threat to convince him to quit taking apart nearly every electronic item he can get his hands on when I happen to have my back turned for more than five consecutive minutes. It has happened on more than one occasion that his newest and most favorite toy has been de-gutted; I usually find the remains of electrical wires, screws and little electrical boards (I don't even know what they're called) tucked away under his bed (where I might also find the wrappers of some candy items he was not supposed to have) several days after the destruction has taken place.
For his first day of kindergarten, the students were each instructed to bring in three items which were very important to them. One of Jimmy's three items was an electrical board with some little wires etc. hanging out - I don't even know what this piece belongs to, but I suspect I'll find out sooner or later. So until Jimmy reaches an age whereby he can really use a soldering iron and accurately place wires and liquid metal to create something functional, I plan to try and just pull together some of these items for him to *play* with.