Solar Ovens

This is the solar oven my 8Th grade son made for his science class. Boy, oh boy, he didn't do it the easy way!

Solar ovens come in various shapes, there are simpler shapes, and more difficult ones (like the one he chose, of course!). It is a way to direct the light of the sun onto a specific spot so that it heats up and you can cook on it. Most solar ovens can get around 250 degrees and can get as high as 400 degrees.

It took us four days to make, using scraps around the house. (I do glass fusing as a hobby, so I had spare mirror around, and hubby had the wood scraps plus some caulk to hold it together). Most the other students made theirs with tin-foil to reflect the light (which would have been WAY easier, I must say!).

He took it to school to test the heat out this morning. We had it outside before school, it was about 65 outside, and it got up to about 140 degrees within 10 minutes. So, that's not too shabby! The class goal is to get the oven's hot enough to bake a cookie within 25 minutes. I am PRAYING that his caulking holds, and that he gets the cookie baked. He, on the other hand, wants to break the school record of having the hottest solar oven! Good to have a goal, sweetie.

I hope it works!