---
title: "Science in Action: Solar Ovens (public)"
description: "Hands-on experiment from St Finbarr's Primary School (Byron Bay) exploring Energy in Science and Technology with a focus on the heat and light energy, their characteristics and effects on the world around us. Think conduction, convection and radiation, penguins and…"
url: "https://stansw.asn.au/resource/science-in-action-solar-ovens/"
updated: "2024-11-13"
category: "K-6 Resources"
tags:
  - Energy 
  - Primary 
---

# Science in Action: Solar Ovens (public)

Hands-on experiment from St Finbarr's Primary School (Byron Bay) exploring Energy in Science and Technology with a focus on the heat and light energy, their characteristics and effects on the world around us. Think conduction, convection and radiation, penguins and popcorn!

This experiment is designed for Year 3 and 4 students, challenging students to become an engineer and come up with a way to:

- Build a **solar oven** with a variety of materials (such as cardboard, newspaper and aluminium foil)

To be successful as a system, solar ovens need to demonstrate 4 criteria elements:

1. **The concentration of sunlight** – a reflective surface that directs sunlight into the centre of the solar oven
2. **The absorption of sunlight** – a colour material to absorb light to make heat inside the oven
3. **The conduction of heat** – a material that can transfer heat to the food
4. **The retention of heat** – a way to trap the heat energy inside the solar oven. (Can you trap the sun's heat to cook something delicious?)

Read more [here.](https://asn.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3d7616aa5961b7bb8ada5aee9&id=08006773f1&e=0ad3c85d69)