
As spring hits its stride, we can all look forward to shedding our coats to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. And what better way to take advantage of the great outdoors than with an afternoon of DIY tinkering? These 10 projects are simple enough for kids to help out with, or even try on their own. (We also threw in a bonus eleventh idea that's a little more complex.) Science geeks can even use some of these projects as jumping-off points to discuss concepts like solar energy and microbes.
A hat that flips the world upside down

Portable garden

Rainy-day sidewalk art

Solar oven
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Bacterial zoo in a bottle

Wiffle ball cannon

Homemade bug traps

Swimming-pool vortex

A sextant made from junk
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Floating fire balloon

Bonus 11th project: Wind-powered record player
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