New Course

A ready-to-teach STEM course and classroom activity ebook for ages 4 to 12. Meet Maria Telkes, the "Sun Queen" of solar energy, then help your students design, build and test their own working solar oven.

Hands-On Deliverable (Solar Ovens)

Students build and test a functional solar oven out of accessible, low-cost household materials (such as cardboard/pizza boxes, aluminum foil, black construction paper, and plastic wrap) to melt s'mores, melt cheese on nachos, or warm up small treats.

Differentiated for Ages 4–12:

The resource includes customized lesson plans, kid-friendly science explanations, and printable STEM journals tailored for three distinct age groups (4–6, 7–9, and 10–12). Activities grow with your students—starting with simple sensory exploration for young learners and progressing to temperature tracking and problem-solving for older kids.

Turnkey & Low-Cost Materials

Includes complete teacher preparation checklists, timed lesson flows, assessment rubrics, and step-by-step visual student instructions. The hands-on engineering challenge uses accessible, mostly recycled everyday items (such as pizza boxes, aluminum foil, black construction paper, and plastic wrap).

About the course

This ready-to-teach course brings Maria Telkes, the "Sun Queen" of solar energy, into your classroom through a complete ebook and activity pack for ages 4 to 12. Your students will meet a pioneering woman scientist, explore how solar ovens turn sunlight into heat, and then design, build and test a working solar oven of their own. Every lesson comes with a timed lesson-flow table, printable STEM journals, differentiation notes for three age groups, and objectives mapped to NGSS, the National Curriculum and Lehrplan 21 - so you can walk in and teach with confidence, no extra prep required.

Scilla Roncallo

I'm Scilla Roncallo, part of the team behind Little Scientists Academy. I help teachers bring hands-on STEM learning into their classrooms with ready-to-use activity packs like this one - designed so you can walk in and teach with confidence, no science background required. I'm excited to share Maria Telkes' story with your students and help every child see themselves as a scientist and engineer.

Curriculum

2 Chapters · 17 Lessons

1. (Included in full purchase)
  Maria Telkes & the Solar Oven Challenge
2. (Included in full purchase)
  Introduction
3. (Included in full purchase)
  Course at a Glance and Learning Objectives & Standard
4. (Included in full purchase)
  Maria Telkes & the Solar Oven Challenge
5. (Included in full purchase)
  Meet Maria Telkes and Why Her Story Matters
6. (Included in full purchase)
  SCIENCE, MADE SIMPLE
7. (Included in full purchase)
  The Challenge and Preparation Checklist
8. (Included in full purchase)
  Little Sun Catchers (Aged 4 to 6)
9. (Included in full purchase)
  Solar Oven Engineers
10. (Included in full purchase)
  The Solar Engineering Challenge (Aged 10-12)
11. (Included in full purchase)
  FOR TEACHERS
12. (Included in full purchase)
  CLASS DISCUSSION Bringing It Together
13. (Included in full purchase)
  About Little Scientists
14. (Included in full purchase)
  Survey
1. (Included in full purchase)
  Aged 4 to 6
2. (Included in full purchase)
  aged 7 to 9
3. (Included in full purchase)
  aged 10 to 12

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