Made from traditional mason jars, Sun and Moon Jars use a highly efficient solar cell to charge rechargeable batteries that power three LEDs.  Leave the jar in direct sunlight for a few hours a day, and voila, you have an eco-friendly night light. The frosted glass gives off a soft light kids love.

Our Sun and Moon Jars happened to arrive on the day of my daughter’s first sleep over.  These jars were a big hit with the girls, and I have to admit, I was fascinated by them too.  As kids will do, they began to experiment with the jars by taking them into closets, the playhouse, etc. to see if they could trigger the lights.  Further experiments discovered that direct sunlight outside works better at charging the Sun and Moon Jars than light through a window. The jars are waterpoof, so if you accidentally leave them outside over night, there are no worries.  In fact, we were warmly greeted by our jars on the deck coming home in the dark one night.

Related posts on eco-friendly toys:

• Maggie’s Organics Adorable Sock Monkeys

• Have a Haba and Play Time is Endless with Baby Bear Ankle and Wrist Rattle

• Soft And Organically Cuddly - Aurora Eco Plush

I’m going to try and recreate them for Halloween and holiday gifts in place of pumpkins and candles. Maybe add a stencil designs to them like the word "Boo" or a picture of a star or ornament. The only concern I have is the toxicity of the glass frosting spray that I used. The spray definitely made me feel a bit faint at the end of the day and I couldn’t help but hum the tune from Macgyver.

Sun jar instructions:

http://www.notmartha.org/tomake/homemadesunjar

Supplies needed: Handy assistant, frosting spray, jar, solar lamp, iced mocha to keep up with the excitement.

Don’t blink!

Oh you blinked and missed the set up because it was that quick!

See more here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/earth2joy/sets/72157602337039519

*The title of my flickr set "How to make a BOMB ass sun jar" was in reference to me trying to get through security for my flight home. They did search my bag and instead of saying "science project," I told them it was my solar lamp gift per my smart cousins’ husband’s suggestion.