 your results
Sent in by:
Scot of CA, Caroline and Libby of Needham, MA
Harness the sun's heat to cook up a tasty treat.
- 2 large sheets of black poster board
- aluminum foil
- black construction paper
- cardboard box
- pizza box
- newspaper
- tape
- book
- resealable plastic baggies
- graham crackers
- marshmallows
- chocolate bar
- 3 thermometers
- Check with an adult before you begin.
- Scot of CA sent in a design for a cone-shaped Solar Cooker. Caroline and Libby sent in a design for a pizza box Solar Cooker. You can just make one of these Solar Cookers or make them both to see which one cooks a s'more the fastest.
- To make Scot's Solar Cooker, glue two pieces of black poster board together to make one long piece. Cover one side with aluminum foil.
- Bend the poster board, foil side in, into a cone shape and tape it together. The cone should still be open on both ends.
- Put black construction paper in the bottom of a cardboard box. This dark surface will absorb heat into the bottom of the box.
- Prop the cone in the box with the narrower opening pointing down.
- Put a graham cracker with a marshmallow on top of it in a resealable baggie. Chocolate melts faster than marshmallows, so it works best to cook the marshmallow first and add the chocolate later.
- Put the baggie on the bottom of the box in the center of the cone.
- To make Caroline and Libby's pizza box Solar Cooker, put a few sheets of newspaper in the bottom of a pizza box. Cover the newspaper with black construction paper to absorb heat.
- Cut a flap out of the top of the pizza box two inches from the sides and front but attached in the back. Bend it back and cover the inside of the flap with aluminum foil.
- Tape plastic wrap across the hole left by the flap.
- Put a graham cracker with a marshmallow on it on top of the black paper in the bottom of the box. Close the box.
- Use a book or tape to prop open the flap so that the aluminum foil can catch the sunlight and reflect it onto the marshmallow.
- Make an extra s'more to be the control. Don't put this one in a Solar Cooker. If the control s'more cooks as well as the ones in the Solar Cookers, you will know that the Solar Cookers aren't working better than the sun by itself. Predict how long you think it will take to cook the s'more and which cooker will get hotter and cook faster.
- You need the sun to make your Solar Cookers work, so you'll need to do your cooking outside.
- Once you set up your Solar Cookers outside, put a thermometer inside each one and one on the control s'more. This will help you compare the temperature in the Solar Cooker to the temperature outside. If the Solar Cookers are working, it will be hotter inside the cookers than it is outside on the control.
- Check your Solar Cookers every 15 minutes to make sure they aren't in the shade. If the sun moves, move the cookers so they stay in the sun.
- Time how long it takes to cook the s'mores. Which cooker got hotter? Which one baked more quickly? Why do you think it was faster? send your results to ZOOM.
- When your marshmallows are almost done, add the chocolate to the s'mores, wait a minute for it to get soft, and enjoy a tasty treat!
Can you think up an even better Solar Cooker design? You will need a container for the air, like a shoebox or a plastic container; something to let the sun shine in, like plastic wrap; and materials that help absorb the sunlight, like black paper. Build your Solar Cooker and compare its cooking time with the ones you've already tested. Did you improve the cooking time? Did the cooker get hotter? What did you change about the Solar Cooker design? What materials did you use to build it? Why do you think it was or wasn't faster? Be sure to share your predictions and conclusions with ZOOMscientists everywhere.
Nick, age 11 of Venice, FL wrote:
The pizza box cooker dominated the cone with a high temperature of 126!
Kyra, age 11 of Calgary, AB wrote:
it worked! it took a while to cook but it was greeeat!!!
Gary, age 14 of Panama City, FL wrote:
my pizza box cooked the smores quicker than the bigger one. then me and my sisters friends son helped me eat them. they were better than the microwave made ones that we tried afterwards.
Leslie, age 12 of Alpine, CA wrote:
well it was... sooo cool. I mean I would of had never thought it would actually work!
Shelby of AZ wrote:
it bakes eggs.
Alex, age 5 of Fort Wayne, IN wrote:
My hot dog exploded.
Jenni, age 10 of Burketown wrote:
My marshmallow caught on fire.
Jazmin, age 13 of Louisville, KY wrote:
It didn't work! I was sad that it dodn't. But my dad helped me redo it and it worked awesomely awesomely aewome! They were good!
Cassidy, age 11 of Oviedo, FL wrote:
When I first started I thought no way it will work but it did. Go ZOOM for the activity. I know I can havve a marshmellow s'moe on a hot day!
Jazmine, age 13 of Saint Paul, MN wrote:
it works it really does. I made smores and it taste so good.
Britney, age 9 of Maysville, KY wrote:
Everything worked out perfect. Another way you can do it is with an one pound oatmeal box and cut it in half and then put foil in it real tight.
Elizabeth, age 11 of SC wrote:
it work. I loved the cookies that I made one it. I love your solar oven.
Brendan, age 12 of Fort Pierce, FL wrote:
Unfortunately, the temp. in the pizza box rose only slightly, but not enough to cook it. The cone of the other one got hot, but not the box. No melting marshmallows. No warm tasty s'mores for me!
Niharika, age 16 of Varanasi, IN wrote:
It was awesome. Jst d bst way to preserve d environment n also a bst way to show our skill in improving d environment condition. I find this site as d bst!!!
Jesse, age 16 of Bethel, CT wrote:
The water heated up and it boiled! we did it in science class haha
Amy, age 6 of Middletown, MD wrote:
I cook a egg.
Jennifer, age 13 of Lakemba, NY wrote:
everything went right and it worked perfectly I loved the experiment. I would love you guys to make more fantastic experiments.
Jessica, age 12 of Sydney, BC wrote:
the water heated
Cruz, age 13 of Colorado wrote:
i cook a hotdog
Orrieon, age 12 of Bridgeport, CT wrote:
It worked very well. My friends made some and their smores were goooey!!! Just remember, not to keep your marshmellows and chocolate in your pocket while cooking because it will melt in your pants. HA HA HA!!!
Alex, age 15 of Waterloo, WI wrote:
The marshmallow exploded
Bob of Chicago, IL wrote:
i cooked cookies and they turned golden brown and the were delious! and I also cookied a hot dog and it began to SWET ok Bye!
Lola wrote:
my chocolate bar melted. pretty awesome
Shane, age 13 of Berlin, CO wrote:
When I used my solar cooker, it was absolutely amazing! My food cooked so well and it was amazing.
Jula of New York City, NY wrote:
Its was terrible! I tried it 4 times and made 4 solar cookers! My frinds tried it too on a sunny day and it didnt work!
Katy, age 12 of Deltona, FL wrote:
Well it took a half hour to melt them completely.
Vakiea, age 15 of Warsaw, NC wrote:
It was pretty cool... The temparture went to about 120
Wyatt, age 9 of Falcon Heights, MN wrote:
(I made the cooker with a black bottomed box and reflective poster board.) WOW! I put a marshmallow in a plastic bag at the bottom. I left the cooker for 25 minutes and when I returned, some of the marshmallow was toasted and part of the plastic bag was melted!!!
Sherlia of Victoria, Australia wrote:
I tryed the solar cooker by putting chocolate and it melted so quick because it was a very sunny day! MMMMMM!!!
Michael, age 11 of Sarasota, FL wrote:
My cone only got up to 150 degrees, but the pizza box was 200 degrees!
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