A Warm Gooey Treat in a Shoebox

You might have heard of pizza box solar ovens, but did you know you can make a simple solar oven using a simple shoebox? I’m Andrea from No Doubt Learning and thanks to Ashley for allowing me to guest post today so I can share how we make warm, gooey cookies on a scorching hot day. Not only is this a fun activity to check on throughout the day, but it’s a great educational activity to teach kids about the power of the sun’s heat.

If you’re like us, you probably have a shoebox lying around just waiting for a *special* project. If you have a day in the upper 90 or 100 degree temperatures, you are set to start baking!

Line the bottom of the shoebox with black construction paper, which is helps with heat absorption.
Cut a hole in the lid, leaving a 1-inch perimeter around the edge.
Tape plastic wrap around all the edges of the lid’s hole to resemble a window (this keeps the heat from escaping the box).

You are ready to start! Place some cookie dough on a piece of tin foil in the bottom of the box, close the lid securely, and set the shoebox oven out into the backyard where it will have direct sunlight all day.
In the meantime, complete your last step: Cover a large piece of cardboard (such as the side of a cereal box) with foil to act as a reflector. Angle the reflector to shine the sun’s light directly at your cookie dough. Tape or prop the reflector in place so the sun continues to reflect on the baking cookies throughout the day.
Wait several hours and check the cookies often to be sure the sunlight is continues to be reflected on the cookie dough.

After several hours, voila! You’ll have tasty warm cookies, made in a shoebox in your own backyard. How cool is that?

Feel free to come visit me for other science and solar activities. Or, just let me know you stopped by from Life with Moore Babies!

Andrea lives in California with her husband and two young girls. She left 11 years of teaching public school to homeschool and she hasn’t looked back! Connect with her on at her blog No Doubt Learning, Facebook, G+, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Thanks so much to Andrea for sharing this fun (and delicious) way of learning about the suns heat with us! Make sure you stop by her blog, No Doubt Learning, and check out all her fun ideas for teaching!