Little River Canyon 
Field School

Jacksonville State University
246 Martin Hall
700 Pelham Road North
Jacksonville, AL 36265
(256) 782-5697

The Sun

The Earth is a starship, and our star is the Sun. The Sun affects us in very real and fundamental ways. There are a variety of solar projects for all grade and ability levels – make a sundial, study sunspots, learn about solar flares. Try these sites for ideas.

http://solar.physics.montana.edu/YPOP/Classroom/index.html
Excellent activities to study the sun

http://solar.physics.montana.edu/YPOP/Classroom/Lessons/Sundials
/sundials.html
How to make a sundial

skyandtelescope.com/observing/skychart/article_1220_1.asp#
Online star charts

http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/sunclock.html
Simple sundial – excellent for elementary students

http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/Academy/Earth/Sundial/Sundial-ConstructSimple.html
Good middle level sundial project

http://eo.nso.edu/rasl/
High school level solar physics project

Solar Ovens

Here’s a fun way to safely cook with students of all ages. These ovens can be as simple or as complex as you want to make them. Simply make solar tea in a jug in the sun, or have a contest between teams or classes for efficiency, or conduct experiments on different designs. This project won’t be cool for long as things heat up!

http://www.re-energy.ca/t-i_solarheatbuild-1.shtml
How-to with extensions

http://www.stewardwood.org/resources/DIYsolaroven.htm
How to build and recipes

http://www.geocities.com/thesciencefiles/solar/cooker.html
Simple solar cooker from Styrofoam cups!

http://www.knowledgehound.com/topics/solarcoo.htm
good list of links

http://www.solarcooking.org/plans.htm
An array of designs with pictures