How To Make Your Own S’Mores Solar Oven:
Looking for some summertime fun activities for your kids? S’mores always ranks at the top of my kids’ favorite summer activities list. And making solar oven s’mores is where easy kids’ crafts meets summer fun activities for kids. With supplies you already have on hand around the house, you and your kids can easily craft your solar oven in less than an afternoon, then put science to work and harness the sun’s power to bake your own s’mores!
August 10 is National S’Mores Day in the United States. While Congress has not made this an official holiday, you can still enjoy your own s’mores on August 10 – and any other day you have a little sunshine – in your very own DIY s’mores solar oven.
This is a super-easy project that the girls and I made earlier this summer, at a library morning hosted by their elementary school. We’ve tested the ovens several times by now, and can report that they work great. No, the marshmallows won’t get roasted like they do over a campfire, but otherwise the results are just as tasty.
Best of all, you probably already have everything you need to make this craft. And not only is this project at the top of my girls’ list of fun summer activities for kids, it’s also a great example of easy science experiments for kids. Once they’ve made a few rounds of s’mores, your budding scientists can have fun experimenting with what else their solar oven can cook (mini-pizzas? cookie dough?). Talk about easy science experiments for kids that are also fun outdoor summer activities!
Ready to make your own S’Mores Solar Oven?
Make Your Own S’Mores Solar Oven (Easy DIY!)
What you’ll need:
- A small, flattish box (minimum 2 inches thick) with lid, like a shoebox or a tablet box (for a family-sized s’mores oven, use a pizza delivery box)
- Aluminum foil
- Clear uncolored plastic wrap
- Sharp scissors
- (Optional) A pencil/pen and ruler
- Clear packing tape
- Black construction paper (if you don’t have any, you can use an extra piece of aluminum foil instead)
How to assemble your solar oven:
- On the lid of the box, make three straight connected cuts (like three sides of a rectangle or square). Each cut should be approximately 2 in/5cm from the edge of the lid. (You can draw them out first using a ruler, if you like.)
- Bend back the lid along where the fourth cut would be, to open up a “window” in the top of the box.
- Wrap a piece of aluminum foil securely around both sides of the window flap, so it’s covered; use tape to hold into place if necessary.
- Line the inner sides and bottom of the box with foil. Bend the edges of the foil over to the outer sides of the box, and tape securely in place.
- Cut a piece of black construction paper to fit inside the bottom of the box, on top of the foil lining.
- Cut a piece of plastic wrap that’s a little bigger than the window in the box lid. Tape it securely to the inside of the lid, so it covers the window.
- Cut a small rectangle/square of aluminum foil to sit inside the bottom of the box, on top of the black paper. This piece will be your cooking surface, so swap in a new one whenever the old one gets messy.
How to make s’mores in your solar oven
For those of you unfamiliar with this American delicacy, s’mores (abbreviation for “some more,” because most people find them tasty enough to want seconds!) are a homemade sandwich treat. You make them by breaking a strip of graham crackers into two squares, and sandwiching a hot marshmallow and a piece of slightly melted chocolate between them.
In this case, you’ll cook the marshmallow not over a campfire, but inside your solar oven.
- Place two squares of graham cracker on top of the cooking surface, on the inside bottom of your oven.
- Place a piece of chocolate on top of one square, and a marshmallow on top of the other.
- Close the oven carefully and place it in the sun, with the window flap open.
- Check on it every few minutes until the chocolate starts to melt.
- Open the oven lid, make a sandwich with the two halves, and enjoy!
BONUS: The science behind your s’mores solar oven
- If you have an oven thermometer (the kind that goes inside your oven to monitor the temperature), it would be fun to have the kids guess how hot it gets inside your solar oven. We haven’t been able to test this ourselves yet, but I understand that it can get up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, if not more.
- See if your kids can figure out how the solar oven works – in other words, how it harnesses the sun’s energy to cook your s’mores for you. (Hints: the foil on the window flap reflects the sun’s rays down into the oven, and the black “floor” of the oven absorbs heat.)
- Try experimenting with other foods in your solar oven to see what else you can cook inside: hot dogs, fried eggs, cookies, etc.
- Try building larger/different sized ovens for different types of food.
- If you’re really ambitious (and have time to kill), you can have your kids cook for you on their solar ovens the next time you go family camping.
Happy S’Mores Day, and enjoy cooking some s’mores in your new solar oven if you can’t make it to a campfire this August 10!
If you enjoyed this DIY solar oven s’mores project, please share with others by pinning this image!
NOTE: This site contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission from any purchases made through affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. For more information, please read the full disclosure/privacy policy.
Follow Super Mom Hacks on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter!
Or stay in the loop by ✅ joining our mailing list!
Smores are always a good idea! Yummy!
This is so cool!
This is so cool and simple to make. I love that you also put an educational twist on this project. Oh and who doesn’t like a good s’more?? Thank you for sharing.
You’re so welcome! (Enjoy!)
That’s pretty neat! My kids would totally love this. It is nice to get some science into their day!
Agreed! 🙂
Oh my gosh, it has been over 90 degrees almost everyday here in GA, this would be so fun to make! And we have all of the goodies lol.
Then you are all set! Have fun! 🙂
This is such a cool at-home experiment & would work perfectly in AZ!
Have fun, and enjoy! 🙂
Okay, this is genius! And it looks like so much fun! Plus, anything to do with s’mores, I’m in. My little guy is still a bit young for this but maybe I could practice on my own right now hahah! love it!
Ooh, definitely Mama “Practice” sounds like fun. Even if you had to do all the construction yourself, he could still help you “cook” them I’m sure :)…
Very nice and educational DIY, I am going to try it with my daughter 👍
Such a cool way to conserve solar energy. Though my toddler is a bit younger for this one. Pinning it for later.
You can try it in a year or two, then! 🙂
Have fun, and enjoy the results! 🙂
This looks like so much fun, my kids are going to love trying this out! Super cool, thanks for the neat idea.
You are so welcome! 🙂
Seems to be an awesome thing to do with kids. Would love to try it.
Both fun AND simple! 🙂
Haha how much fun does this look. I am sure many young ones will enjoy doing this activity for sure
It IS so much fun! We take ours out at least once each summer (in addition to doing campfire and/or grill-top s’mores several times…)
This looks like an awesome experiment to do with our Cub Scouts on our next camping trip! I bet I can find a way to connect it to at least one of our badges 🙂
I should think so! You could have a whole alternative cooking weekend – have them make these, the old can stoves out of the #10 coffee cans, a proper large-size solar box oven for pizzas and breads, etc…
Anything DIY is an opportunity for family bonding. This will definitely be happening here soon.
Absolutely! Have fun!!!
My nephew would love this little project. Plus he has a sweet tooth too! PS: I totally think National S’mores Day should be an official holiday 🙂
I am right there with you – let’s petition Congress! 🙂
I wonder if Liam is too young for this. I bet he would love it though.
I bet he could make it with help from you. And he certainly can handle the s’mores cooking/EATING part, I bet! 😉
Pingback: Make Your Own S’Mores Solar Oven | SURVIVALIST.COM | SELF-RELIANCE | PREPAREDNESS
Oh my goodness, what a great idea! This would be so much fun for kids to do!
*Thanks,* Lauren – it IS fun, and educational to boot! 🙂
Such a perfect activity to engage young ones in!and a delicious treat at the end! Niiiice!
Yeah, hard to argue with doing something educational when they get a “reward” after, so to speak 🙂
I remember making a solar oven in middle school. Fun project!
I vaguely recall making one for Scouts once, but it was a lot more complicated than this. This one was esp. nice because it involved stuff we all generally have on hand anyway 🙂
This looks fun! I may stick to my fire and stick method but def. will keep in mind if we ever need to mix it up!
Yep – always good to have more tricks in the back pocket! (tho’ I’m with ya about nothing beats a toasted marshmallow…)
this was a great project, would certainly love to do it with my kid when he is a lil grown up. But have bookmarked your page for reference.
Definitely check back in a few years, then – thanks for saving it! 🙂
What a fun idea!!! Definitely going to do this with my little boy!
It IS a ton of fun – let us know how it goes, if you think of it! 🙂
Wow what a great and fun idea. My kids would love this. We will try this out.
Please do, and let us know how it goes if you think of it 🙂
I love the fact that this is solar!! And then s’mores… yum! What an awesome idea.
So glad you like it, Betty – I’m still amazed by the simple beauty of the whole thing! 🙂
Wow Its simple and amazing way to make your own Smores solar oven . Thanks for sharing will try this at home this weekend.
It really IS simple – i was impressed when we first made them earlier this summer. Do give it/the resulting s’mores a try, and let us know how they went! 🙂
I’m amazed right now! It’s so simple but never thought of it! I always get freaked out when we go camping, my daughter is only two, this lets her make her own herself saving me from a tantrum lol! Very cool!
OMG, you’re right – I never even thought of that! AWESOME application for this, and she gets to stay far away from the fire pit! 🙂
This looks like so much fun! I can never say no to s’mores!
It totally is! Best part is, if you tell them they have to WATCH the s’mores “cook,” you can get them to sit still/quiet for 10 minutes or more 🙂 (if your kids are as high energy as mine, this is a HUGE plus!)
This looks really fun! And my daughter would especially love it because she likes smores, but doesn’t like if the marshmallow gets burnt ?
In that case, I guess this oven would actually work better for her than making s’mores over a campfire! 🙂
This looks like such a fun educational project with the kids and so yummy! Thanks for sharing.
You’re more than welcome – it IS fun, and the coolest part is that it really does work!
What a great project! Now, I want to go grab s’mores supplies for tomorrow! Pinned this for when my Little gets older. I love the great science application you included!
*Thanks* – the former teacher in me can’t help but make things into teachable moments when I can, and this one seemed like a no-brainer to me! 🙂