I have a few old dips, like 555 timers, a 595 shift register, and an optocoupler, and now on the market for some "typical" logic gates. Eventually I'll find a good "grab bag" of different logic chips, like the 7400N (which has 4 AND gates). The addition of a microcontroller like the Pico allows you to do a lot more interesting things than simple LED flip-flopping to see results, and it has a screen for more intelligent and functional visuals.
I find it really interesting to "talk" to the chips through the Pico, which I think is a pretty ideal way to cement the functionality quite clearly in mind. I might make a few mini projects and post them online this summer.