Hooked on Science: Make a pizza box solar oven

Using the sun, a pizza box and a few other items from around the house, you can create your own oven.

Materials

* Pizza box

* Scissors

* Clear adhesive tape

* Aluminum foil

* Transparent plastic

* Black construction paper

* Wooden dowel

* Hotdog

Instructions

STEP 1: Draw a square in the top of the pizza box. Make sure you leave a 1-inch border on all four sides. Using scissors, cut three sides, making sure you do not cut the line along the back of the box.

STEP 2: Fold the square back along the uncut line to form a flap. Cover the inside of the flap with aluminum foil.

STEP 3: With the flap open, cover the opening with plastic. Use tape to secure the plastic on the pizza box.

STEP 4: Open the pizza box and cover the inside bottom with aluminum foil. Place a piece of black construction paper in the center, on top of the aluminum foil.

STEP 5: Put a hot dog inside the pizza box, on top of the black construction paper, and then close the pizza box.

STEP 6: Prop open the flap by using the dowel rod. Adjust your pizza box solar oven so the aluminum foil reflects the maximum sunlight through the window into the box.

Explanation

Your pizza box solar oven uses the sun to reach temperatures of 275 degrees. That's hot enough to cook food.

Jason Lindsey is a Science Outreach Educator with Hooked on Science. Check out his website "Hooked On Science" at hookedonscience.org for webcasts and experiments that might get you hooked on science. Send him your science questions at jlindsey@hookedonscience.org. More science experiments can be found at www.semissourian.com.