Desert Shade Showdown: Battle in the Desert!
Energy and Change- Grade:
- 3
- Teacher:
- Michaela Rodrigues
We came up with our idea for this project after we saw an animal on the ground because it was too hot outside, and that made us wonder how animals can stay cool in the Arizona sun. Since our team lives in Arizona, we are used to seeing animals in the blazing hot sun, and we wanted to find out which natural material makes the best shade for them. We decided to test four water bottles in direct sunlight and covered three of them with different natural materials: mesquite wood trunks, large rocks, and a prickly pear pad, while the fourth bottle had no covering at all. The question we wanted to answer was: Which material would keep the water inside the bottle the coolest over time by absorbing less of the sun’s energy? We also wondered if prickly pears are good at keeping things cool, if rocks absorbed more heat and if mesquite trees provide cool enough shade because of their trunks. The purpose of our project was to find out which natural material creates the most shade and helps keep things cool, so we can help animals stay safe and comfortable in the heat. This project will help animals by showing us the best way to make shade for them so they can stay cool during hot days.