On a warm and sunny day kids can make sun tea, or tea made with solar energy. All you need is a clear glass container, be sure to include a lid, some water and your choice of tea bags. Allow the kids to place four to six teabags in the glass container and fill completely with water. Find a spot outside directly in the sun to leave the container. After four to five hours, the kids can bring the tea inside to see the sun's energy at work. The tea is now ready and just needs to be cooled. The kids can remove the tea bags and either refrigerate the tea until cold, or simply pour the tea over ice. Making tea has never been easier.
A great solar energy project is the solar oven. These ovens only use the sun's energy for power by trapping and concentrating the heat in a small area. Kids can paint a cardboard box black and use it as a solar oven, open side up. Help them line their boxes with aluminum foil. Fill a small pot with two parts water and one part rice and tightly cover the pot with a clear glass lid. Place the finished solar oven and rice dish directly in the sun and wait for several hours. It's not a quick method of cooking, but it shows kids the power of solar energy by itself.
This solar energy experiment shows kids the differences in light and dark colors when it comes to being in the sun. The only materials needed are two pieces of heavy card stock, one white and one black, and two cubes of ice. Take the kids to a place outside directly in the sunlight, lay down each piece of card stock and place a cube of ice on each one. The kids can wait and see which cube of ice melts first. You will find that the ice cube on the black card stock melted faster. This shows that dark colors absorb more light and heat, whereas light colors remain cooler by reflecting the light and heat. This experiment explains to kids why wearing light colors on a sunny day helps to keep them cool.
Kids can harness the sun's energy in a jar to produce lights. Purchase some frosting paint and an inexpensive solar light at a hardware store. Give the kids a regular jar and allow them to spray the inside of the jar until completely covered with the frosting paint. Place the solar light in the jar and find a spot directly in the sun to leave the homemade sun light. Once the solar light has been charged with the sun's energy for a few hours, bring the jar in and see it glow through the frosted paint like a candle. These sun lights make effective night lights for the home. This project also teaches kids about the power of solar energy while allowing them to create something pretty to display for everyone.