I would have gone gaga over something like this as a kid. One of my early “grown-up goals” (somewhere in between bird on a wire, dolphin trainer, interior designer, Disneyland employee, rock star and storybook illustrator) was to become an architect. I would spend hours building intricate structures out of plain wooden blocks and Lincoln Logs — not so much Legos as I was a pint-sized minimalist — and then populating them with Playmobil people or whatever action figures I was currently obsessed with.

Back then, I wasn't hip to photovoltaics and rainwater collection systems nor was I aware of the impact that homes have on the environment. But times have changed. So parents, if you have a building-fixated kid on your hands, use this as an opportunity to open up a dialogue about environmental concerns around the home. After all, it's much more exciting than sitting down and explaining a utility bill to them.