Build a Pizza Box Solar Oven

Introduction

Have you ever cooked something outside, like for a BBQ or while camping? It can be a lot of fun to be outdoors and enjoy eating the fruits — or burgers — of your cooking labors. Did you know that you can directly use solar power to cook food? This can be done using a solar oven, which is a low-cost, ecologically-friendly technology that seems to have everything going for it. In this science activity, you will build your very own simple solar oven out of a pizza box to gather the sun's rays and cook a tasty treat for you!

Credits

Materials

• Pizza box. The larger the box, the better the oven should work.
• Pencil or pen
• Ruler
• White school glue
• A sheet of black paper
• Utility knife
• Aluminum foil
• Plastic wrap
• Shipping tape or black electrical tape
• A wooden skewer or pencil
• To do some cooking with your solar oven, you will need sunlight and fairly warm outside temperatures (above 75 degrees Fahrenheit is recommended, and the hotter it is the better). It should also not be windy.
• If you want to cook some s'mores in your solar oven, you will also need graham crackers, marshmallows, and a chocolate bar. You can use an aluminum pie pan or a small piece of aluminum foil as a tray.