In this hands-on beginner class, you'll learn fun ways to harness solar energy in your own backyard, then level up to soldering solar powered electronics projects. Each lesson builds in complexity, stocking your personal library of maker skills with a few more techniques you may not previously have discovered.

You'll start simple with a trash bag solar balloon, demonstrating thermal energy collection resulting in buoyancy as the black balloon floats on its own. Then you'll learn how to engrave organic materials using custom stencils and a magnifying glass to concentrate the sun's light. The last few lessons focus on solar panels and solar power, where you will build a solar USB backup battery, and then a soil moisture tracker. By the end, you will gain takeaways for applying solar power to your own electronics projects, too.

Whether you're a novice or have some experience with the topics at hand, I hope this class offers a fun and easy way to start using solar energy in your everyday life.