Discuss heat and how it can transfer from one object to another. Show the class images of items that can transfer heat as suggested by the "Heat Transfer" lesson created by the Waterford Institute, found at SMART Exchange online. Place various items into the sunlight to demonstrate to students what happens to them when sunlight heats them. Use manipulatives including candles, ice cream and children's putty to demonstrate how the sun's heat affects them and causes a shape transfer. Place each of the items in the freezer and demonstrate the pliability of the items. Place the items in the sunlight long enough to notice a shape differential. Demonstrate and discuss how the sun's heat changes the items more easily than freezing temperatures.
Demonstrate how chocolate melts in the sun's heat by using squares of chocolate. Place the squares on a paper plate in hot sunlight. Use various types of chocolate, including white, milk and dark chocolate in equal amounts to determine which chocolate type melts faster, logging each result. If the chocolate doesn't completely melt, record the softness of each chocolate type. Discuss how items, such as chocolate, can transform from solids into liquids (or somewhere in between) in the sun.
Lay T-shirts in various colors out on a hot sidewalk in the sunshine. Demonstrate how heat affects colored fabrics, including white, pink, green, yellow, red and black. Create a color chart and check the fabrics by gently placing your hand on each one of them. Log which colors feel warmer after 10 minutes in the sun. Continue logging after four, 10-minute increments. Discuss why the black shirt absorbed more heat while demonstrating color, light and the sun's absorbing heat.
Gather various colors of super balls. Create a chart indicating the ball colors. Instruct students to bounce the balls inside of a gym or a classroom. Instruct students to make notes on the chart concerning how high the balls bounce or how hard it is for them to make the balls bounce. Set the balls on a paper plate wrapped in aluminum foil. Set the balls in the sunlight long enough for the balls to soak up heat. Instruct students to bounce the balls outside in the sun. Assess which balls bounced higher indoors than in the sun and if any balls bounced the same. Discuss why the sun's heat could affect the behavior of a ball's bounce.