‘Green’ Fun for Kids This Summer
A solar powered blow light / image source: Select Solar
Last week I got a rib cracked while I was playing with my nephews in their (too) long summer holidays. So, I decided to entertain them next week more educationally with some green/eco-friendly projects. We love the wind-powered LED Blow Light we got last Easter but I thought that since the sun is starting to peek out of the clouds again this week we’d do some ‘homework’ on solar power.
Here’s a list of the gadgets and gifts on my solar-powered project shortlist:
A 6-in-1-solar-robot-kit / image source: I Want One of Those
6 in 1 Solar Robot Kit
You can build the kit 6 different ways which means once you’ve finished making one robot, you can take it apart and turn it into a solar powered boat, windmill, or car.
It is rather cutesy, perhaps the rather more robust T3 Solar Robot is a more my scene.
A t3-solar-robot-kit / image source: I Want One of Those
T3 Solar Robot
Once you’ve built the T3, you can turn it into a tank, a scorpion or a standard robot. This 70-piece kit requires a screwdriver for assembly.
Crazy Cricket solar powered model / image source: Select Solar
Crazy Cricket solar powered model
If we quickly lose the will to ‘make things’ then this Crazy Cricket solar powered model looks suitably silly. Crazy Cricket vibrates madly in sunlight making a realistic chirruping sound and waggling his feelers in a hilariously wild dance.
The rather ambitious solar powered helicopter and windmill should get us hot and bothered so the crazy Cool Cap with a solar powered fan might just save the day.
A solar powered helicopter / image source: Biome Lifestyle
Solar powered helicopter
Made from laser cut plywood for easy, no glue, assembly, this wooden helicopter kit has a working rota powered by its own integrated solar panel.
A solar powered windmill kit / image source: Biome Lifestyle
Solar Powered Windmill Kit
The solar powered windmill kit is a demonstration of how efficiently modern solar cells work, even when the only available light is from a desk light.
A cool cap with solar powered fan / image courtesy: Select Solar
The more the sun shines, the faster the fan turns, thanks to the solar panel on the top. This crazy solar powered cap is great for demonstrating solar power in action. The rotors stop turning when you put your hand over the panel.
Solar powered sea gull
I also spotted a solar powered sea gull but it doesn’t appear, thankfully, to be available from a UK retailer, yet!
See Also:
- Solar Powered Smartphone for ‘Green’ Users
- 10 ‘Green’ Gadgets for Everyday Usage
- 5 Green Office Gadgets
- Solar Refrigerator to Store Vaccines Could Save Millions of Lives
Tags: Environment, Green Product, green technology, Solar Powered
