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Junior Eco Inventor

A kit that gives children the opportunity to experiment with renewable energy
  (+12, -1)(+12, -1)
(+12, -1)
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It's nearly Christmas so it seems a good time to think about toys. This is an idea for a kit that contains everything a child needs to muck about with generating electricity from renewable resources.

The kit would have three primary components - a fan producing a consistent 15mph wind, a model river flowing at 3mph and a wave tray simulating near shore waves. The rest of the kit would be a mix of cogs, wheels, paddles, blades, propellors, meccano style building materials, etc and a generator with a digital electricy production readout.

Kids can then build whatever they like with the obective of producing as much electricty as possible from any or all of the fixed resources. The idea being that they can experiment within a controlled environment constantly trying to better their own results.

There are kits on the market that allow you to build your own wind turbine, etc however these do not allow for any experimentation and there is no environmental control or reliable measurement of results.

The_Saint, Nov 30 2009

green energy kit http://www.amazon.c...Green/dp/B00CIXVGVY
Amazon.com has a lot of things like this what makes yours so different? [travbm, Oct 29 2015]

[link]






       Surely for control purposes you should include a couple of sub-critical masses of plutonium and some boron moderators?
Let them come to their own conclusions.
gnomethang, Nov 30 2009
  

       Perhaps that could be a different kit for older kids -   

       Teen Nuclear Physicist - Save the world or destroy the world: You have the power.
The_Saint, Nov 30 2009
  

       I would buy this. I just wonder how the "model river" would work.
DrWorm, Nov 30 2009
  

       Children chmildren, I want one.   

       Have you seen "Planet Mechanics"?   

       The problem with this is scaling parts to size would be an issue. A three foot water drop has energy, but not much. The turbine would be tiny.   

       This is interesting. The extended kit could add a sun lamp, solar cells, mirrors, Fresnel lenses and a Sterling engine. Not sure how to do Geothermal.   

       I think I'll build one of these for my daughter. (+)
MisterQED, Dec 01 2009
  

       //Not sure how to do Geothermal.//
something that sits on top of the stove and eventually blows up because you forgot about it ?
  

       ... wondering why you're focusing on producing electricity though: geothermal and solar can heat buildings; wind and water can be directly harnessed for work; steam's a blast...   

       [+] (and now I feel the need to go out and buy a little wind turbine or something)
FlyingToaster, Dec 01 2009
  

       nice idea +
xandram, Dec 01 2009
  

       Standing ovation from me. First ever I think. Yay!!!
blissmiss, Dec 01 2009
  

       Hey then they can take it out in the field and end up throwing tantrums when it doesn't work as advertised on the box.
Cuit_au_Four, Dec 04 2009
  
      
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