Solar S’mores
Materials needed:
For the Oven:
- Cardboard box with attached lid. Lid should have flaps so that the box can be closed tightly. Box should be at least 3 inches deep and big enough to set a pie tin inside.
- Aluminum foil
- Clear plastic wrap
- Glue stick
- Tape
- Stick (about 1 foot long)
- Ruler or straight-edge
- Box cutter or Xacto knife
For the Smores:
- Graham crackers
- Large marshmallows
- Plain chocolate bars (thin)
- Aluminum pie pan
A solar oven is a box that traps some of the Sun’s energy to make the air inside the box hotter than the air outside the box. Just like a greenhouse.
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Directions:
Cut a three-sided flap out of the top of the box, leaving at least a 1-inch border around the three sides.
Cover the bottom (inside) of the flap and the entire inside of the box with aluminum foil, use glue to make it stick and make sure the foil as smooth as possible.
Tape two layers of plastic wrap across the opening you cut in the lid, one layer on the top and one layer on the bottom side of the lid.
The stick will be used to prop the lid up. You may have to use tape to make the stick stay put.
Set the oven in the direct sun on a sunny day when the outdoor temperature is at least 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Prop the flap open to reflect the light into the box. Preheat the oven for at least 30 minutes.
Place four squares in the pie pan with a marshmallow on each.
Place the pan in the preheated solar oven.
Close the oven lid (the part with the plastic wrap on it) tightly, and prop up the flap to reflect the sunlight into the box.
Depending on how hot the day is, and how directly the sunlight shines on the oven, the marshmallows will take 30 to 60 minutes to get squishy when you poke them.
Then, open the oven lid and place a piece of chocolate on top of each marshmallow. Place another graham cracker square on top of the chocolate and press down gently to squash the marshmallow.
Close the lid of the solar oven and let the Sun heat it up for a few minutes more, just to melt the chocolate a bit.
Eat and enjoy!
