One of the most popular, practical and fun school activities has to be a solar oven school project.
Not only does it engage different participants involved in various activities, but it also ultimately results in a physical device that literally cooks food exclusively with the power of the sun and of course at no cost, bar that of the initial cost of the raw materials.
If there is a moderate budget and a limited time frame there is no better option than deciding on constructing a solar funnel cooker.
Ironically the main frame of the solar funnel cooker lies dormant in most vehicles, enter the simple windshield shade.
Apart from the windshield shade you will need some strips of Velcro, a heat-resistant, food grade plastic bag that can be sealed and is big enough to accommodate a black solar pot, a black solar pot, a small stand to put the pot on, a small bucket or box to act as the base of the solar funnel cooker, the food to be cooked, and of course the guest of honor, sunshine! Although this is areasonably uncomplicated task there are some excellent photographs that can be obtained online to supplement this project.
Now fold the windshield inwards and secure the two edges flush together to form a funnel, ensuring the most reflective surface is facing inwards.
Position the base of the funnel (closed end) in the mouth of a tight-fitting bucket or box to achieve stability.
Position an appropriate black cooking pot on a stable base of some sort on top of the bucket or box.
The base and the pot with a tight-fitting lid (with the prepared, uncooked food inside) must be put into an appropriate heat-resistant plastic bag, for example an oven bag is perfect.
Either manually blow some air into the bag to give it some body or alternatively use a small inflatable air pump.
The additional air helps to accentuate the greenhouse effect whilst heating in the solar cooker.
Ensure the bag is tightly sealed.
Position the solar cooking pot (in the plastic bag) at the base of the funnel and place the device in full sunshine.
Orientate the solar cooker every hour or so in order to follow the arc of the sun, thereby ensuring maximum exposure to the solar radiation.
Once the meal is cooked unravel the device and pack the windshield shade away, until at least the next generation requires another solar oven school project.
Not only does it engage different participants involved in various activities, but it also ultimately results in a physical device that literally cooks food exclusively with the power of the sun and of course at no cost, bar that of the initial cost of the raw materials.
If there is a moderate budget and a limited time frame there is no better option than deciding on constructing a solar funnel cooker.
Ironically the main frame of the solar funnel cooker lies dormant in most vehicles, enter the simple windshield shade.
Apart from the windshield shade you will need some strips of Velcro, a heat-resistant, food grade plastic bag that can be sealed and is big enough to accommodate a black solar pot, a black solar pot, a small stand to put the pot on, a small bucket or box to act as the base of the solar funnel cooker, the food to be cooked, and of course the guest of honor, sunshine! Although this is areasonably uncomplicated task there are some excellent photographs that can be obtained online to supplement this project.
Now fold the windshield inwards and secure the two edges flush together to form a funnel, ensuring the most reflective surface is facing inwards.
Position the base of the funnel (closed end) in the mouth of a tight-fitting bucket or box to achieve stability.
Position an appropriate black cooking pot on a stable base of some sort on top of the bucket or box.
The base and the pot with a tight-fitting lid (with the prepared, uncooked food inside) must be put into an appropriate heat-resistant plastic bag, for example an oven bag is perfect.
Either manually blow some air into the bag to give it some body or alternatively use a small inflatable air pump.
The additional air helps to accentuate the greenhouse effect whilst heating in the solar cooker.
Ensure the bag is tightly sealed.
Position the solar cooking pot (in the plastic bag) at the base of the funnel and place the device in full sunshine.
Orientate the solar cooker every hour or so in order to follow the arc of the sun, thereby ensuring maximum exposure to the solar radiation.
Once the meal is cooked unravel the device and pack the windshield shade away, until at least the next generation requires another solar oven school project.