Solar oven

This August is turning out to be the hottest on record with temps in the 100's for 31 days in a row now. Let's hope September is a little kinder. We are so ready for fall to say the least! But as with lemons, you just make the most of it. So, we built a solar oven out of an old pizza box and "roasted" some smores. Our little oven has to be one of the coolest things we've done. (We got this fun idea from an old issue of Family Fun Magazine.)
Step 1: Find a pizza box (any size - ours is small) and cut three sides 1 inch around as shown leaving one side attached. Fold attached side out.
Step 2: Glue aluminum foil to the flap and bottom of pizza box. Tape black construction paper over aluminum foil on the bottom of pizza box. Tape a sheet protector in the opening, sealing it as tightly as possible.
Step 3: Add your ingredients. Place graham crackers on the black construction paper and add chocolate and marshmallows.
Step 4: Put oven in the sun and close the lid. The idea is that the sun will hit the aluminum foil and double the light into the box. The foil and construction paper inside the box make it nice and toasty thus creating a very warm oven.

Bringing in his oven, Caleb checks out the smores. The instructions for this oven said to leave in sun for 1 hour. Ummm, this is AZ! We had smores in about 15 minutes. And, looking back, we could have just put the smores on the sidewalk and done the same thing, but what is the fun in that! Caleb is already trying to think of what else he can "cook" in his solar oven.

The smores smash!!


YUM!