Year 5 Put the Sun to Work
Our Year 5 students have been busy turning sunlight into something delicious! As part of their Technology Design project, the girls were challenged to design and build
working solar pizza ovens. Along the way, they explored how different materials, chosen for their durability, flexibility and heat conductivity, affect the performance of a solar cooker.
This hands-on project asked students to think like engineers: brainstorming ideas, sketching designs, constructing prototypes, and refining their creations based on
testing. The final test? Cooking pizza using nothing but the power of the sun. The
excitement was unmistakable as groups compared the success of their ovens and
evaluated what worked best.
We asked one group from each class to share their insights of the design journey.
Class 5.2: What did you enjoy most about this Technology Design project?
Madeleine, Senna, Penelope & Eve
This group loved the creative freedom of the design process.
“We enjoyed following the design process because we shared all our ideas and combined them. We also enjoyed drawing out the details of where to cut and construct on our oven and adding different features to create as much heat as possible.”
Their teamwork shone just as brightly as the sun powering their oven.
Class 5.3: How did your group use the ‘ideate’ phase to finalise your design?
Izzy, Stella & Alice
This group embraced collaboration in the ideation stage.
“We had shown each other our ideas and mixed them together to create our final
product which includes a rectangle box and is painted black with tin foil flaps and a thick plastic window. It also has our logo ‘ISA Sunshine Chefs’. We are really proud of our final design and we think it is going to work very well.”
A strong concept, complete with branding!
Class 5.4: What learning experiences helped you design your final pizza oven?
Harper, Sienna, Esther & Gabriella
The girls drew directly on their earlier science investigations to guide their final build.
“The learning experiences we used were the colour test where we had to measure the temperature of each colour. For our final design, we decided to paint our box black because that was the colour that attracted the most heat. We also used the durability and materials experiment to help us with construction because if our pizza oven wasn’t solid or hardy enough it wouldn’t be able to hold the pizza.”
A perfect example of theory meeting practice.
Class 5.5: How successful was your pizza oven, and what would you change next time?
Isabella, Isabella & Chloe
These students took the evaluation phase to heart.
“We liked that every surface was covered. There were no gaps, so no heat cannot escape. We had lots of black and red which was beneficial for heat conductivity. Next time, we think we need to be more aware of the resources we use so that we don’t waste materials, like using a glue gun when ordinary glue would work, or cling wrap which is bad for the environment. Another thing to consider is the size of the box. A bigger box would hold more pizza and perhaps more heat!”
Thoughtful reflection and sustainable thinking, fantastic work.
This project ignited curiosity, teamwork and plenty of sunny smiles. Watching our Year 5 students apply scientific concepts, problem-solve and create functioning solar ovens was a joy. And of course, tasting the final product wasn’t bad either!
Well done, Year 5.
- creative classroom projects, design thinking in schools, Environmental Education, girls in engineering, hands-on STEM learning, Santa Maria College, solar pizza oven project, Student Innovation, sustainability in education, Year 5 student achievements
Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.
Weekly Wrap Up – Week 8, Term 4, 2025
Year 5 Put the Sun to Work
