Cooking with Solar Energy—Flinn STEM Design Challenge™

Product Details

The Earth receives enough energy from the Sun every hour to meet its energy needs for an entire year. The challenge is to capture solar energy in a usable way. Solar ovens are a fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly method of using the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation to cook food. Learn how solar ovens work and cook some yummy snacks with energy from the sun—no electricity or flames needed! In the first part of this activity, students make a basic box-type solar oven and then investigate how high the internal temperature reaches in a given amount of time. Once the data are collected and analyzed, students then apply their knowledge of science concepts, such as heat transfer, reflection, absorption and the greenhouse effect, to design and implement improvements for a more efficient oven.

Complete for eight student groups, including boxes. Thermometers are required and available separately.