Matt - if you are just beginning this just might be a good place to begin. I can't tell where in the world you live but if in US and you can get to Radio Shack I'd recommend their "Getting Started in Electronics" book. It won't have all that you need for this but it will come close. What it does have is some great hands-on stuff and non-technical explanations.
I found the 555 circuit, exactly what was in my RS book, on the internet and I'll see if I can find that (at home) and send it your way. It contains very few parts and it may be possible to reduce the frequency in order to limit the number of dividers that you'll need. Note that the whole point of the divider(s) is to slow things down so you can see what is going on.
Don't overlook kits as a solution. Vellman, among others, makes some nice kits. They do cost money but you are spared the struggle of obtaining parts, etc.