Solar Cars
In high school, I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by father and other dads who loved to tinker. Most of them had been working for defense contractors, such as Boeing, Lockheed, or Northrop.
We built two generations of solar cars, an effort which was mostly done by universities at the time. We raced it at Texas Motor Speedway.
When I say race, it means inching forward at 6-12mph around a 1.5mile loop, meaning that you'd get toasted under the Texas Sun for about ~45 minutes before you'd have to swap out for another student driver.
Looking back, I've realized how fortunate it was for all of us involved. Our ability to tinker with electronics, high voltage systems, and batteries were a thrill.
Looking ahead, I do think tinkering with the electromagnetic spectrum is a necessary fun that should be afforded to as many students.
Here's an old school newspaper article on the adventure: