Solar Ovens and Smores!

After three rainy Tuesdays we had a sunny day to cook in our pizza box solar ovens. The temperature outside was cool but the Smores turned out great!


First we had to make them. We used graham crackers, Hershey's Chocolate, and marshmallows in the middle. We wrapped them in aluminum foil and put them in our ovens.






We measured the temperature about every 30 minutes and logged the information in our journals.

I wondered about the success. Many of the ovens got up to 140 degrees F! The outside temperature was about 70 degrees F.







While we were waiting for the Smores to cook, we took a virtual tour of the ExCel energy power plant and learned how they make coal into electricity. This virtual tour will be like our field trip next week to Fayette Power Plant in La Grange.



We also continued to work on our projects using Museum Box. This is a cool Web 2.0 project where the students create their own "museum shadow box" display online. They are researching and making a display about an invention and how it changed our world. We can't wait to see the finished projects.

Of course the best thing about our Smores was eating them!

4th Grade Rainy Day Solar Ovens!

One of the favorite days at 4th Grade CSI is to cook in the solar ovens. We are anxiously awaiting our next sunny day so we can cook Smores in our solar oven Pizza boxes. Today was a rainy day so we spent our time making the ovens. We will cook in them as soon as it is sunny!

Emma started our day with All About Me and shared her love of reading! She has won many awards for being the top reader in her class for several years. Go Emma! Keep up the great love of reading!



STEPS TO MAKE A SOLAR OVEN:
Materials:
Pizza Box (recycled is best)
Scissors
Plastic Wrap
Aluminum Foil
Masking Tape
Black Construction Paper
Ruler

1. First, trace a line about one inch around the top of the pizza box on three sides. Don't cut the side by the flap that closes.






















2. Second, glue aluminum foil to the bottom of the flap. Trim the aluminum foil so that it fits evenly to the flap.


















3. Third, tightly tape plastic wrap to the underside of the open "window". Tape near the cut out so the plastic wrap is stretched tight over the opening.















4. Glue aluminum foil to the inside bottom of the pizza box.






















5. Glue Black construction paper on top of the aluminum foil.






6. Now your oven is ready for cooking.