It's not science to put something in a different case. It's not even engineering. A million PC modders have done that. I'd encourage the kid to continue being creative and learn more, but a scientist he ain't.
Got to start somewhere though. It's sad that society and even people of authority are basically telling him to stop. When I was a kid I made all sorts of stuff such as a wind powered crane and winch, but it was not really any different than what this kid did, I just took existing parts such as k'nex and cardboard from the recycling box, and skate laces and put them together. But at the time it was still a cool achievement for me.