COOL Experiments for Kids

(printable version)

The Energy from the Sun

This is an experiment that will show you how hot the sun is. First we're going to build a solar reflector oven. Then we're going to use the sun to bake an apple!

Here's what you need:

• Slice of apple
• Coffee can or other large aluminum container
• Unwaxed paper cups
• Aluminum foil
• White paper
• Black paper
• Plastic wrap
• Newspaper
• A sunny day!

Here's what to do:

Line the inside of your paper cup with black paper.

Place a slice of apple inside the cup.

Tightly cover the cup with plastic wrap.

Cover the white paper with a sheet of aluminum foil. Use tape to keep it in place. Wrap the paper into a cone shape around the cup with the foil on the inside. Tape it closed.

Stand the cone and cup in another cup to hold it all together.

Set the cups in a coffee can that's been filled with crumpled newspapers (make sure the newspapers are crumpled around the cups, not just below them).

Take the apple baker outside and put it in a sunny place to let it cook. Be patient!

What's going on:
The aluminum foil cone is a reflector that concentrates radiant energy from sunlight onto the apple. This radiant energy causes the apple to bake.

The sun is the source of most of the earth's energy. In a two week period, the sun transmits more energy to the earth than all the energy stored in the earth's known reserves of coal, oil, and natural gas. As you can see by your baked apple, the energy coming from the sun can be used to do work.

Can you think of other ways we use the sun to do work?