How to Make a Solar Oven for Kids

Kids love creative stuff, I am sure you'll agree. Arts and crafts is something which gets them engaged in their spare time and helps them enjoy learning new things. Making solar ovens with the help of shoe boxes or pizza boxes at home is a nice creative and eco-friendly thing to design. I don't need to emphasize the importance of saving energy in today's times. Solar oven is an excellent way to enhance the use of renewable energy. It is supposed to be a natural cooker which works on solar power. Not only that, but a solar cooker is a handy item on camping trips and boat excursions since it provides a passive option to prepare food.

Very often it happens that the shoe boxes containing our new shoes, go waste. But you can always put them in the right use by making something useful, something like solar oven?

Things you'll need: Shoe box with lid, scissors, roll of aluminum foil, glue, black construction paper, thick clear plastic sheet, clear packing tape, thin wire or bamboo sticks, craft knife (optional).

Steps::

• Mark one inch from all the sides of the shoe box lid from inside and cut the three sides sparing the fourth one which helps in lifting and propping up the rectangle easily.
• Alternatively, you can use 2 boxes, smaller one inside a larger one. Line the bottom of the larger box with crumpled newspaper and then place the smaller one. Fill the space in between with crumpled newspaper as well.
• Line and glue aluminum foil paper from within the shoe box, shiny side out. Add 2 or 3 layers if required. Foil the rectangular piece from inside the lid as well which acts as a reflector. Make sure to smooth out any wrinkles on the foil.
• Cut out black paper and glue in within the shoe box. We all are familiar with the fact that black absorbs maximum heat.
• Cut a plastic sheet and tape it to the inside of the lid to cover the rectangular cutout.
• Prop the foil lined lid open and hold it using metal wire or bamboo sticks placed at the corners.
• Place food in cookware inside and put the lid on the top.
• Position your oven where it gets maximum exposure to sun.
• Cooking time will differ according to the weather and food kept inside.
• Your shoe box solar oven is ready!

How Does a Solar Oven Work

When the sunrays fall onto the open rectangular piece, it acts as a reflector and reflects light on the plastic sheet covering the food. The heat created due to solar energy is absorbed to its maximum cause of the black paper lining at the inside of the box owing to which the food gets cooked. Almost anything that is cooked in a conventional oven, can be cooked in a solar oven, but it works best for rice and vegetables, I guess.

So now you know how to make a solar oven for kids which will help them in science fair projects as well. It's not a big deal for them to deign one for themselves. So let them enjoy some easy crafts to help save energy and learn simultaneously. All the best!