If my cat's constant presence on the windowsill of the picture window in our family room is any indication, then the sun's seasonal warmth is to be enjoyed. While we still have record-breaking temperatures hanging around, there's no doubt that there's a fall chill in the evening, and autumn will swiftly take its place when it's time.

In celebration of our sunny state, here's a quick roundup of some of our favorite "Fun in the Sun" toys available here at Beyond the Blackboard!

 Solar Print Kit

Give your kids fun in the sun and educational opportunities at the same time with our Toysmith Solar Print Kit!

 Sun Seeker Solar Rowboat Kit

Learn about green energy with the PlaySTEAM SunSeeker Solar Powered Rowboat kit. Construct your own boat and learn about how solar panels convert sunlight into energy. The PlaySTEAM Solar Powered Rowboat Kit is the perfect activity for children learning about green energy. Build your own rowboat for use in lakes, pools, and bathtubs! Learn how solar energy works to power your boat! Watch how quickly the boat moves in sunlight!

 Rivet Rex

Every hour more solar energy reaches the Earth than humans use in an entire year. Solar panels, or photovoltaic panels, convert the sun's energy into usable electricity. Solar power is one of the alternative energies used most widely across the globe. Start your engineer on their road to discovery with Rivet Rex 12! Introduce them to challenging build plans, troubleshooting, problem solving and solar power. Build and rebuild over and over again to create 12 amazing robots!

 Teach Tech Tusk

Tusk is ideal for a do-it-yourself science fair, after-school, or a workshop project with the bonus gift of learning mechanical transmission and electrical motor theory. With only 47 assembly parts, it's a wonderful instrument for the beginner enthusiast and a gateway to ignite opportunities in fun learning. Plus, it's solar powered. No batteries needed!

 SolarBots: 8-in-1

Build unique robots that are powered by the sun — batteries not required! Using a compact solar panel, these cool little bots harness energy from the sun to power an electric motor to get moving. Build a drummer robot that marches along, beating a drum; an armadillo robot that does somersaults; a solar bug that crawls on six legs, and more! The 48-page, full-color manual guides solar power pioneers through model assembly and offers fun scientific facts about the real-life applications of solar technology. What solar-powered inventions will you dream up? Thames and Kosmos makes great kits and the manuals are so full of great science information. They are truly a step above other science kits!

 Solar Powered Rover Kit

Want to build fun solar-powered vehicles and devices that move using electricity generated directly from sunlight? With this kit, you can construct five motorized models. Build three types of solar cars, a solar fan, and a solar robot model. Conduct science experiments with each model to learn about gear ratios, solar cells, and more. The ultralight materials, including strong bamboo rods, make your models speedy and durable. A modular gearing system lets you test out three different gear ratios!

For something we see almost every day, it can be easy to forget how important the sun is to all life on Earth! With these toys and activities, our hope is that your families will learn more about the sun and all the energy it provides. And what better time to remember this?

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