3rd Grade Art & Science Projects — The Inventor's Workshop — Building and Discovering
Students will build a solar oven and learn how the sun's energy can be used to heat food, appreciating God's gift of the sun.
The sun is an incredible source of energy that God created. Every day, the sun sends light and heat to the Earth. This solar energy warms our planet, helps plants grow, and can even be used to cook food!
A solar oven works by trapping the sun's heat inside a box. Reflective surfaces like aluminum foil bounce extra sunlight into the box, and a clear cover like plastic wrap lets light in but keeps heat from escaping. Dark surfaces inside absorb more heat.
Solar energy is a renewable resource, which means it will never run out. God designed the sun to provide energy for all of creation. Using solar energy is one way we can be good stewards of the resources God gives us.
People around the world use solar ovens to cook food in places where fuel is hard to find. Solar cooking is clean, free, and does not produce smoke or pollution. It is a wonderful example of using God's creation wisely.
Build a solar oven from a pizza box lined with aluminum foil, with a plastic wrap window and black paper on the bottom. Place a s'more (graham cracker, chocolate, and marshmallow) inside and set it in direct sunlight. Check every 15 minutes and record the temperature changes.