Briefing
In the United States, most people cook with electricity or natural gas. But in some countries, people make ovens that get all their heat from the sun. In this Smart Art, you'll build your own solar oven!
Activity
What You'll Need:
Black box kit or a shoe box with no top
Black construction paper (if you are using a shoe box)
Plastic wrap
Aluminum Foil
Water
2 paper cups
A thermometer
Tape
A tea bag (optional)
What to Do:
1. Cut off one of the long sides of the shoe box. Then cut the two short sides at an angle. (DRAWING HERE) Your box should look kind of like a stage.
2. Line the bottom of the box with black paper.
3. Line the sides with aluminum foil.
4. Cover the oven with plastic wrap. Tape it down along the edges. Leave a corner untaped so you can put stuff in it.
5. Now, put your solar oven in the sunniest place you can find! (The sunnier it is, the better the oven will work!)
6. Fill two paper cups with lukewarm water. Record the temperature of the water.
7. Put one cup inside the solar oven and tape it shut. Put the other one right next to the oven, outside the box.
8. Wait 30 to 60 minutes, then come back and take the temperature of each cup of water. Record the temperature of each.
9. If your solar oven is cooking, try brewing a cup of tea in it!
Debriefing
What was the difference in temperature between the two cups? Did your solar oven work? Why do you think it worked (or didn?t)? Can you think of ways to make your solar oven even hotter?
If you've got your Case Journals, answer the questions in it now!