Happy Hopping Solar Powered Frog

Build a hopping solar powered frog. He’s adorable for one thing. Why else? The best part… this easy-to-use science kit teaches adults and kids all about solar power in a fun science experiment kit designed right. Demonstrate that with solar panels for energy, no batteries are required - truly! This funny little amphibian draws applause. Amphibian lovers everywhere can’t stop watching the little guy hop. No matter how old you are, hopping feet and googly eyes are hard to resist. Mini solar powered robot kit is fun to build and entertaining to play with A build-it-yourself educational solar hobby kit Hind legs and rubber feet hippity-hop in the sun or very close to a non-florescent light bulb Includes 20+ pieces and picture instructions for easy assembly An alternative energy science kit, perfect for the first time experimenter with little or no experience Ages 10+

Customer Review: fun jumper

The frog has some assembly when it arrives, but it is very cute and jumps. It seems sturdy enough to last a while. It turns when it jumps and looses the light so it stops quickly to need adjusting to the sunlight. Both the 4 and 7 year old boys enjoy playing with it.

Customer Review: Frog won’t hop

I recently purchased this kit. The instructions were clear enough and assembly wasn’t overly difficult, but I found that after it was assembled it wouldn’t work. The frog is supposed to work by having the solar-powered motor wind up (and release) its spring-driven rear legs. The motor works OK, as do the gears that go between the motor and the cam that winds up the legs. Unfortunately, however, the gears are connected to the cam by a smooth round rod, and the friction between that rod and the cam isn’t enough to move the legs - the rod rotates, but the cam doesn’t move. I tried to fix this by putting a drop of superglue in the cam and then reattaching it to the rod, but must have used a little too much, gluing the cam to the body. The rear legs rotate on a hexagonal rod that prevents the sort of slippage I described - it’s too bad they didn’t do something similar for connecting the gears to the cam.

Anyway, I wouldn’t recommend this kit to anyone. I did get a small solar cell and pager motor out of it that should be usable for some other project, but still resent that I was suckered into paying for a piece of junk like this kit. I’m honestly curious whether anyone has ever gotten it to work.

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