Design: Keep It Cool

Design a shade or cover that decreases sunlight's warming, and test it with data.

Warm-up, learn, try it together, practice, then a quick check. About 15 minutes.

What children learn in Level 62

Engineers design things to solve problems. Problem: a bowl of water gets warm in the sun. Can we keep it cool?
Ideas: shade it with an umbrella, cover it with shiny foil, or cover it with clear plastic. Test each one with a thermometer!
Shade blocks the sunlight, and shiny foil reflects it, so both kept the water cool. The clear plastic trapped warm air, so the water got even warmer!
That's why playgrounds have shade roofs, and some houses have light-colored roofs.

Georgia Standards of Excellence in Science:

S3P1.c — Use tools and every day materials to design and construct a device/structure that will increase/decrease the warming effects of sunlight on various materials. (Clarification statement: Conduction, convection, and radiation are taught in upper grades.)