Solar Energy

Have you ever thought about the way we produce and consume energy? Come make some craft and learn about clean energy!

Suitable for ages: +7

Activity information

Have you ever thought about the way we produce and consume energy? Come make some craft and learn about clean energy!

 

Solar energy

Solar boy cooker

Build your own solar box cooker and learn how to use it.

 

Materials needed

Varies according to the cooker you want to build, for this particular one you will need:

  • Large cardboard box
  • Tin foil 
  • Glue 
  • Step-by-step instructions 

Step-by-step instructions 

  • Take a large box and cut it in half as shown in Figure 1. Set one half aside to be used for the lid. The other half becomes the base. 
  • Fold an extra cardboard piece so that it forms a liner around the inside of the base (see Figure 2). 
  • Use the lid piece as shown in Figure 3 to mark a line around the liner. 
  • Cut along this line, leaving the four tabs as shown in Figure 4 
  • Glue aluminium foil to the inside of the liner and to the bottom of the outer box inside. 
  • Set a smaller (inner) box into the opening formed by the liner until the flaps of the smaller box are horizontal and flush with the top of the liner (see Figure 5). Place some wads of newspaper between the two boxes for support. 
  • Mark the underside of the flaps of the smaller box using the liner as a guide. 
  • Fold these flaps down to fit down around the top of the liner and tuck them into the space between the base and the liner (see Figure 6). 
  • Fold the tabs over and tuck them under the flaps of the inner box so that they obstruct the holes in the four corners (see Figure 6). 
  • Now glue these pieces together in their present configuration. 
  • As the glue is drying, line the inside of the inner box with aluminium foil. 

Finishing the lid 

  • Measure the width of the walls of the base and use these measurements to calculate where to make the cuts that form the reflector in Figure 7. Only cut on three sides. The reflector is folded up using the fourth side as a hinge. 
  • Glue plastic or glass in place on the underside of the lid. If you are using glass, sandwich the glass using extra strips of cardboard. Allow to dry. 
  • Bend the ends of the wire as shown in Figure 7 and insert these into the corrugations on the lid and on the reflector to prop open the latter. 
  • Paint the sheet metal (or cardboard) piece black and place it into the inside of the oven. 

Improve efficiency 

  • Glue thin strips of cardboard underneath the sheet metal (or cardboard) piece to elevate it off of the bottom of the oven slightly. 
  • Cut off the reflector and replace it with one that is as large as (or larger than) the entire lid. This reflects light into the oven more reliably. 
  • Turn the oven over and open the bottom flaps. Place one foiled cardboard panel into each airspace to divide each into two spaces. The foiled side should face the centre of the oven. 

Colours of Solar Energy

Experience the influence of colours on the heating effect by sunlight and link it to situations in daily life.

 

Materials needed

  • (Small) PET bottles 
  • Paint of different colours OR coloured paper 
  • Thermometer 
  • Water 

Step-by-step instructions 

  • Paint the PET bottles in different colours, at least one black, one white. As an alternative, you can also wrap coloured paper around the bottles. 
  • Fill the bottles with water and measure the temperature of the water inside. 
  • Put the lids on the bottles and put them into direct sunlight. 
  • After 30 minutes, measure once again the temperature of the water inside. 

What can you observe? 

Reflect or ask the participants about situations in their daily life where they have experienced something similar, regarding colours and heating by sunlight (e.g. black clothes in summer).

Thank you to JOTA JOTI and Scouts UK for sharing this idea and learning opportunity with us. You can find more activities in https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/   

Completing the activity

This activity is a resource activity for you to complete at home or with your group or friends! To complete this activity, please make use of the resources above and then you can reflect on what you've learnt.

Eco Adventure

Solar Energy

Discover how solar energy can be fun and eco-friendly.

What has everyone else shared?

"Being mindful of electricity use means being aware of how and when we use power. Simple actions like turning off unused lights, unplugging devices, and using natural light can make a big difference. Choosing energy-efficient appliances and avoiding unnecessary use of heating or cooling also helps. The key is to build habits that reduce waste and make our energy use more intentional and responsible."


Rosalia Amanda
Madiun Regency Rover and Ranger Scout Council, Indonesia

"Remember to turn of the lights, be mindful of your device usage so the dont need to charge as often. And super important right now, stop using AI!!! everytime we search using AI it is the equivalent of charging your phone 10 times, and the results aren't even useful."


Atlas
Det Danske Spejderkorps, Denmark

"As a Scout member, of course we are taught how to save. Electricity consumption also needs to be saved, to find out electricity consumption, I generally look at the volt meter that has been set.listed on the home electricity meter. So I can save on home electricity."


Hans Septian Saragih
Penegak Sangga Pencoba Gugus Depan 29-105 SMA N 1 Raya , Indonesia

"Building the solar box cooker and trying the colour experiment helped me understand how powerful solar energy can be. I was amazed at how a simple material like black-painted cardboard or a bottle can absorb so much heat compared to lighter colours. It really made me think about how we can use natural sunlight more often in our daily lives. To be more mindful of my electricity consumption, I can start by turning off lights and devices when not in use, using energy-efficient appliances, and taking advantage of natural sunlight during the day instead of relying on electric lights. I also want to try using more renewable energy sources like solar panels in the future. This activity showed me that even small steps can lead to big changes if we all make an effort."


Pranav
Bharath Scout and guide , India

"Many UK homes have smart meters that measure electricity consumption each day, you can track this over a few days and work out what you did differently on lower days. For example; combining washes in the washing machine, not using lights during bright days and turning off power sockets when not using them."


Will
14th St James's, Southport, United Kingdom

"Getting smart bulbs or similar products that automatically turn lights off when not needed "


Noah Boksansky
Troop 99, United States

"As a scout, I have learned a lot about how to save energy and reduce energy consumption whenever possible. Where we live, there are frequent power outages and we"


YOPI
Madiun Regency Rover and Ranger Scout Council, Indonesia

"my most terrifying brake on saving electricity is the electricity bill. Fortunately, reflection also comes when analyzing how much heat my devices at home get, or how much light they generate. I currently turn off everything that makes sound, light and heat - if I'm not using it."


Łukasz
Radio club Mikołów, sp9zhm, Poland

"Being a scout I have learnt a lot about saving energy and reducing consumption where possible. Where we live we often have power cuts and spend long periods of time without mains electricity, so we have to be smart by using power banks or finding some other form of energy we can harness by using solar panels."


Ezra
Doubtless Bay Sea Scouts, New Zealand

"we should be very careful in using electricity. Most of the electricity we use is produced from coal which is depleting the coal reserves. We should switch off all the lights and fans if not in use. We should not install unwanted electric appliances. When its day i usually take my work towards the balcony so that i can save power and during night as we have big terraces we as a family go up and sleep. The air is pure and chill. Around thousands of money gets saved and our electricity bill has also reduced . We dont use air conditioner it is a huge plus for the environment as well for us."


Navyasri
Patel scouts and guides group , India

"To be more mindful of electricity consumption, you can do some simple things such as turning off lights and appliances when not in use, using LED lights, adjusting the use of air conditioners, choosing energy-efficient appliances, monitoring electricity consumption, saving on the use of electronic devices, considering renewable energy sources, checking and repairing damaged appliances, using timers, and teaching children about energy saving. By doing this, you can reduce electricity consumption, save money, and help reduce the environmental impact of excessive energy consumption."


Aisyiyatul Cantika Fz
Parsel Scout Camp, Indonesia

"We can save electricity by, among other things: turning off lights and electronic equipment when not in use, using LED lights, and utilizing air vents and natural light. And always check for current leaks or not."


Dilham Saajidur Rahman
Madiun Regency Rover and Ranger Scout Council, Indonesia

"Being mindful about electricity use not only lowers your utility bills but also reduces demand on power plants and cuts greenhouse-gas emissions. using strategies and habits we can control elecricity consuption therby saving our planet"


Aman
Scouts Holy Child EMHSS,Snehagiri , India

"To be more mindful of electricity consumption, you can do some simple things such as turning off lights and appliances when not in use, using LED lights, adjusting the use of air conditioners, choosing energy-efficient appliances, monitoring electricity consumption, saving on the use of electronic devices, considering renewable energy sources, checking and repairing damaged appliances, using timers, and teaching children about energy saving. By doing this, you can reduce electricity consumption, save money, and help reduce the environmental impact of excessive energy consumption."


Aman
Scouts Holy Child EMHSS,Snehagiri , India

"We should be more economical when using electricity, unplugging the electricity when not in use, turning off the lights during the day and using electricity sparingly."


Rohma
Madiun Regency Rover and Ranger Scout Council, Indonesia

"I did the Colour of Solar Energy experiment, and I know that water in a black bottle heats up much more than in a white one, so colour really does matter! This explains why it’s better to wear light-coloured clothes in the summer) | We can be more mindful of our electricity consumption by turning off lights and appliances when they’re not needed, and by using natural light. Small actions from everyone every day really do matter)"


Yuliia
Sokil, Ukraine

"We can use energy efficient lighting methods and motion detecting lights so that it can automatically turn off when nobody is around . Also , we should monitor our energy consumption on daily basis. We can make our home in a way that natural light and air can enter into the house . It will reduce the cost of lighting and ventilation. "


Raunak
Lion's Open Group , India

"We can be more mindful of our electricity consumption by switching to clean energy and keeping track of how long we are using electrical appliances. Not only are we helping the environment but we are also applying the safety precautions that we have learned in scouting."


Corine
Boy Scouts of the Philippines, Philippines

"We can be more mindful of our electricity consumption by turning off lights and appliances when not in use. Using energy-efficient devices and unplugging chargers also helps reduce wasted power. Additionally, being aware of our daily habits and setting limits on usage can make a big difference over time."


Angelica
Senior Scouts/Boy Scouts of the Philippines , Philippines

"Make it a habit. When leave the room, switch off the lighting and electrical appliance. Spend more time with nature instead of with phones, iPad, PC, etc. We will be healthier and uses less electricity.🍃🌏💜"


Jude
Miri Scout, Malaysia

"To pay attention to electricity consumption, we can turn off electronic devices that are not used, use energy -efficient devices, and utilize natural light.  In addition, unplug the cable from the socket when not in use, adjust the AC temperature properly, and take advantage of air ventilation. "


khairin
Madiun Regency Rover, Indonesia

"We can be more mindful of our electricity consumption by turning off lights and devices when they're not in use, using energy-efficient appliances, unplugging chargers when not needed, and making the most of natural light during the day. Choosing renewable energy sources like solar power and talking with others about saving energy can also help reduce our environmental impact. "


Sebastián
Pueblo Libre 132, Peru

"Be aware of our electricity consumption to reduce the impact, choose to use appliances that consume little energy. "


Darwin
Omega , Venezuela