Model Solar House That Works!

The other week my 6 and 10 year old opened up their Solar Powered Eco House.  With some help from me putting together the trickier parts, they built the house relatively quickly.  The cool thing about the house is that it shows both how a solar cell can power different components, but also the circuitry.

In the image above you can see a red and black wire sticking out on the right side of the image.  This is the wiring to the on/off switch.  Underneath is the circuitry for the solar powered fan, LED light, and horn.  It's a small solar cell on the roof, so it can only power one device at a time.  As a result, you have to disconnect and connect the different wires underneath.  It's a great way to show the basics of circuitry to kids.

Also, inside is a battery powered pack, but we didn't put the batteries in.  Who needs batteries when you have solar power?  :-)