A solar powered toy is a small model, a bug, a car, a rover, a house with a windmill, a satellite, a robot dog, driven by a photovoltaic panel and a tiny motor. Put it in sunlight or under a bright lamp and it moves; take the light away and it stops. No batteries, ever. Most come as kits to assemble, so the child connects the panel to the motor and sees where the energy comes from.
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From 6 upwards. A solar grasshopper or a solar car turns the abstract idea of renewable energy into a toy that only works in the sun.
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Parents and grandparents tired of packs of AA batteries. Every kit here runs on light alone, indoors under a lamp or outdoors in the garden.
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A wind turbine model or a solar robot is a five minute demonstration of energy conversion, and a talking point about how the grid is changing.
Ready-made for an instant result, DIY for the build. Age 6 for the bug and the carousel, 8 for the car, rover and satellite kits, any age for the wind turbine model on a desk.
| Type | Best for | Age | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ready-made solar toys | Grasshopper, carousel, robot dog: instant result | 6+ | £12 to £28 |
| Solar vehicle kits | Car, moon rover, helicopter: build then drive | 8+ | £18 to £22 |
| Solar model kits | Satellite, house with windmill, 3-in-1 dinosaur | 8+ | £18 to £22 |
| Solar wind turbine model | Desks, classrooms, renewable energy topic | Any | £33 |
Direct sunlight gives the best result; a bright desk lamp held close works indoors for most models. Expect the toy to slow or stop under a cloud, which is itself the lesson.
A solar cell is a sandwich of two types of silicon; light knocks electrons loose on one side and they can only get back by flowing round the circuit, through the motor. More light, more electrons, faster motor. A cloud cuts the light and the current with it, instantly.
Free UK delivery over £45 and 30 days to return it. For the other side of the story, electricity generated by hand or stored in a battery, the electricity kits.
