My kids are a rambunctious pack of childhood energy just waiting to brim over and wreak havoc on our home. As a result I am always on the lookout for any sort of project that has a wide age range of appeal, they age 14, 10 and almost 3. A recent activity that captivated them all was making a solar oven that they used to cook hot dogs and chocolate chip cookies. The process is listed below:

Supplies:

• a cardboard box
• aluminum foil
• plastic wrap
• food such as hot dogs or cookie dough
• a hot area

Process:

• Cut cardboard box so that it has four sides and a bottom
• Line sides and bottom with aluminum foil
• Place food item in bottom of box
• Cover with plastic wrap
• Place box in hot environment and monitor for finished product

By many standards our solar oven is simple and modest. There are many more ways to make them more complex and more productive. Our hot dogs were well done and our cookies a bit on the gooey side, but it was an afternoon of activity that kept my brood occupied and happy, and that's a good thing in our house.