Harness the sun's natural voltage to power a homemade oven.
30 minutes
The sun is the greatest source of energy for planet Earth. It gives off energy in the form of heat and light. Solar panels are special panels that can soak up solar energy and change it into electricity. With your child, follow the directions below to create a primitive solar oven:
Discuss with your child what happened to make the cup of water in the solar oven warmer. It is because the black paper absorbs all the sunlight's energy, and the foil directs more of the sunlight to the cup inside the oven than the cup sitting outside. Also, the plastic wrap collects the sun's energy. Outside, without any substances acting as transmitters, the energy is diffused so it is not as strong.
To try cooking with your solar oven, fill another cup with water and put in an instant teabag. If it is really sunny, the oven will warm the tea in about 15 minutes. Instant rice cooks in about 30 minutes.