Make Sun Smores!
Harness the energy of the Sun to make the best snack ever
invented.
A solar oven is a box that traps some of the Suns energy to make the air
inside the box hotter than the air outside the box. In other words, the solar
oven is like a super greenhouse.
You will need:
Cardboard box with attached Tape (transparent tape, duct
lid. Lid should have flaps so tape, masking tape, or
that the box can be closed whatever you have)
tightly. Box should be at Stick (about 1 foot long) to
least 3 inches deep and big prop open reflector flap.
enough to set a pie tin (Use a skewer, knitting
inside. needle, ruler, or whatever
Aluminum foil you have.)
Clear plastic wrap Ruler or straight-edge
Glue stick Box cutter or Xacto knife
(with adult help, please)
How to make solar oven:
CAUTION:
Have an adult cut the box with the box cutter or blade.
1. Using the straight edge as a guide, cut a
three-sided flap out of the top of the box,
leaving at least a 1-inch border around the
three sides.
2. Cover the bottom (inside) of the flap with
aluminum foil, spreading a coat of glue from
the glue stick onto the cardboard first and
making the foil as smooth as possible.
3. Line the inside of the box with aluminum foil, again gluing it down and
making it as smooth as possible.
For more information and to find this activity online go to NASAs Climate Kids website: http://climatekids.nasa.gov/smores.
Find more fun activities at http://climatekids.nasa.gov/make.
www.nasa.gov
4. Tape two layers of plastic wrap across the
opening you cut in the lidone layer on the top
and one layer on the bottom side of the lid.
5. Test the stick you will use to prop the lid up. You
may have to use tape or figure another way to
make the stick stay put.
Put the oven to work!
Set the oven in the direct Sun, with the flap propped
to reflect the light into the box. You will probably
have to tape the prop in place. Preheat the oven for
at least 30 minutes.
To make Smores, you will
need:
Graham crackers 4. Depending on how hot the day
Large marshmallows is, and how directly the sunlight
Plain chocolate bars (thin) shines on the oven, the
Aluminum pie pan marshmallows will take 30 to 60
Napkins! minutes to get squishy when you
poke them.
1. Break graham crackers in half 5. Then, open the oven lid and
to make squares. Place four place a piece of chocolate
squares in the pie pan. Place a (about half the size of the
marshmallow on each. graham cracker square) on top
IMPORTANT!
of each marshmallow. Place
The marshmallow goes UNDER the another graham cracker square
chocolate. on top of the chocolate and
! press down gently to squash the
2. Place the pan in the preheated
solar oven. marshmallow.
3. Close the oven lid (the part with 6. Close the lid of the solar oven
the plastic wrap on it) tightly, and let the Sun heat it up for a
and prop up the flap to reflect few minutes more, just to melt
the sunlight into the box. the chocolate a bit.
7. Enjoy!
For more information and to find this activity online go to NASAs Climate Kids website: http://climatekids.nasa.gov/smores.
Find more fun activities at http://climatekids.nasa.gov/make.
www.nasa.gov
