
How to Make a Solar Oven With Your Kids
- Michelle
- October 8, 2016
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0
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Activities Table
Challenge your kids to build a solar oven that will absorb, trap and reflect heat. The reward? Sweet treats, and a whole lot of science know-how.
I was looking for summer activities to do with the kids and came across lots of ideas on building a solar oven like this one from NASA Climate Kids. It seemed like a great activity that and has a sweet reward at the end — eating s’mores.
- Students will design a solar oven based on what they know about the role of heat from sunlight
- Students will predict what will happen then collect time, temperature and observational data
- Students will compare results from different designs and food items
- Students can explore growing societal energy demands and the role of the sun to meet that demand
MATERIALS LIST 
- Cardboard box (pizza or shoe box)
- Box cutters or scissors
- Plastic wrap – or clear plastic bag
- Tape
- Aluminum Foil
- Black paper
- Marshmallows, chocolate & graham crackers
- Food items to melt: cheese, gummy bears etc.
- Stick or pencil to prop open oven lid
- Thermometer
- Clock
- Paper, pencil, computer or way to enter data
Step #1: Core idea: Heat from sunlight can be trapped.
Design challenge: How will you let the heat from sunlight into your solar oven and keep it in your oven?
Hint: Make a window! Just like a greenhouse, or the inside of a closed up car on a hot day.
- Using box cutters or scissors, cut a three sided “window” or flap on the widest part of the cardboard box
- Using plastic wrap and tape, cover the opening to create a window.
Dig Deeper: Is there anything else you can do to let in light and trap it in? What happens if you make more than one window?
Step #2: Core idea: Since light is energy, the more light the solar oven absorbs, the more heat there will be. Since black absorbs all the wavelengths of light, it absorbs the most heat.
- Place a piece of black construction paper in the bottom of your solar oven.
Dig Deeper: Is there anything else you can do to absorb more heat?
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Challenge your kids to build a solar oven that will absorb, trap and reflect heat. The reward? Sweet treats, and a whole lot of science know-how.
I was looking for summer activities to do with the kids and came across lots of ideas on building a solar oven like this one from NASA Climate Kids. It seemed like a great activity that and has a sweet reward at the end — eating s’mores.
- Students will design a solar oven based on what they know about the role of heat from sunlight
- Students will predict what will happen then collect time, temperature and observational data
- Students will compare results from different designs and food items
- Students can explore growing societal energy demands and the role of the sun to meet that demand
MATERIALS LIST
- Cardboard box (pizza or shoe box)
- Box cutters or scissors
- Plastic wrap – or clear plastic bag
- Tape
- Aluminum Foil
- Black paper
- Marshmallows, chocolate & graham crackers
- Food items to melt: cheese, gummy bears etc.
- Stick or pencil to prop open oven lid
- Thermometer
- Clock
- Paper, pencil, computer or way to enter data
Step #1: Core idea: Heat from sunlight can be trapped.
Design challenge: How will you let the heat from sunlight into your solar oven and keep it in your oven?
Hint: Make a window! Just like a greenhouse, or the inside of a closed up car on a hot day.
- Using box cutters or scissors, cut a three sided “window” or flap on the widest part of the cardboard box
- Using plastic wrap and tape, cover the opening to create a window.
Dig Deeper: Is there anything else you can do to let in light and trap it in? What happens if you make more than one window?
Step #2: Core idea: Since light is energy, the more light the solar oven absorbs, the more heat there will be. Since black absorbs all the wavelengths of light, it absorbs the most heat.
- Place a piece of black construction paper in the bottom of your solar oven.
Dig Deeper: Is there anything else you can do to absorb more heat?

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