SOLAR EGG TREAT

I had been talking to my girls about Solar energy lately, and I wanted to show them different ways of harnessing this awesome energy. We had a really hot week recently, (90+ degrees F) so all we needed were a few things that are always present in our home. 

Most of the experiments call for either a cast-iron skillet or, the sidewalk, or some sort of solar oven. We decided to vary it slightly. It is more time-consuming, but I just had to find out how long it would take to cook the egg using our materials. 

Materials:

1. Corelle/Microwave-safe plate
   
2. An egg
3. Extremely Sunny day 
4. Adult helper
   
5. Paper
6. Pencil/pen

How do I begin?

1. Locate a sunny spot where the experiment can be done without any interruptions. This is important as the experiment will take a while and observations have to be recorded. 
2. Crack an egg onto the plate. Place it in a sunny spot. (We conducted our experiment in our backyard)
3. Record the time on the paper.
4. Check the egg after 10 minutes. Record the time, and observe how it looks.
5. Check after another 10 minutes. Record both the time and your observation. 
6. Keep checking every half hour till you notice the egg yolk change color and darken. It took us about an hour.
7. When you finally notice the white and the yolk fully cooked, record the time.  
8. DO NOT EAT THE EGG!! WE FED OUR DOG AND HE WAS FINE, BUT WE DO NOT RECOMMEND FEEDING ANYONE THE EGG!

Exploring further:

1. Try this experiment with plates of different materials like steel, aluminum or stoneware. Which plate helps in cooking the eggs faster? 
   
2. Use a cast-iron skillet instead of a plate and try frying the egg in the Sun.
3. Try cracking an egg on the sidewalk. How long does it take to cook it?
4. Which method produces the fastest results? You can post your results to our Facebook page. The girls and I would love to hear about your experience.