Solar Cooker

 Today we learned about solar energy.  The sun gives off heat and light, which is absorbed by the soil, plants, and animals on Earth.  The sun's energy can be used to power and heat things.  We created a solar cooker out of a box, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, black construction paper, and tape.  Then we made S'mores and cooked them by using the sun's energy!

Here are the materials we used and the steps we followed to make our solar cooker.

Materials:

Cardboard box

Aluminum foil

Plastic bags or plastic wrap

Skewer

Black construction paper

Marshmallows

Chocolate bar

Graham crackers

Procedure:

1. Cut a window in the top of the box

2. Cover the window with plastic, line the inside of the box with aluminum foil. 

3. Glue the black piece of construction paper to the inside bottom of the box. 

4. Place the S'mores in the box, directly beneath the window.

5. Place a thermometer inside the box, and one outside the box. 

6. Prop the flap with a skewer and place the box in direct sunlight.

7. After a few hours, return to the solar cooker and remove the cooked S'mores.  Eat!

8.Check the temperature inside the box, and outside the box.  

Results:

The solar cooker cooked our marshmallows and melted the chocolate.  The S'mores were delicious!  The temperature in the solar cooker was more than 110 degrees Fahrenheit.  The temperature outside of the solar cooker was only 100 degrees Fahrenheit.