If there is a 2nd hand store nearby you often can get old toys with leds and motors for only a few [fill in local currency]
The nice part is that you can learn about electronics by disecting the toys (draw the schematics and try to understand it)
Ask the local computer store if they have old broken stuff you may disect too.
There are projects that are cheap as they only involve a basic UNO some wires and LED's. Think of text adventure game or SIMON etc.