Lazy summer days are the perfect time to team up with the children in your life on an entertaining project. Of course, the project will also have some educational value and there is no better way for young minds to learn than by playing with devices and finding out how they work in practical demonstrations.

Our favourite projects are DIY kits that let kids exercise creativity and burgeoning engineer skills to build really cool toys that utilize alternate energy sources. You’ll find several of these on in this section of our store.

What’s so great about these kits? When a child puts together a toy, he or she has more of a sense of ownership over it than would be the case if the toy was bought pre-assembled off the toy store shelf – and those positive associations will extend to the alternative energy source that powers the toy as well.

Alternative energy sources can be used to power things other than cars.  There are kits manufactured by educational toy companies like Science Time that are powered by solar energy rather than batteries or electricity. Other kits in the series include a solar powered helicopter, roller-coaster, boat and car.

Check out more toys that will spark your child's imagination here.