If you’re studying the solar system or even the weather, add this solar magnification experiment to your lesson plan. It’s super-simple and kids love trying to melt different foods using solar magnification. Just grab a magnifying glass, paper plate, and some different foods.

Use this activity alongside our planets printable or our Sun and solar energy printable.

Last year, we tried to burn paper by magnifying the sun’s rays with a magnifying glass. We didn’t get fire, but we got some charring of the paper. This summer, my daughter wondered what would happen if we used something other than paper. On our kitchen island, she spied a cherry, a tortilla chip and a cube of cheese. She grabbed them and a magnifying glass and was out the door.

Solar Magnification Experiment

Solar magnification is simply concentrating solar energy into a smaller area using a magnifying glass or something similar. A magnifying glass takes the sunlight that hits one side of the lens and concentrates it into one small area. Not only is the light much brighter in this area, but the heat created is also dramatically increased.

My daughter held the magnifying glass above a tortilla chip at a distance that created the most concentrated brightest spot of light on the chip. She held it there for just a couple minutes. (If we do this again, we will time the exposure.) The resulting heat from the magnified sunlight burned a hole in the tortilla chip.

Next, we tried the same thing on a small cube of cheese. The cube actually glowed from the brightness of the suns directed rays. After a few minutes, the cheese started to soften.

The finished product was melted, bubbling cheese.

Check out the video below to see what happens when we tried the solar magnification experiment with a cherry.

I wish you could see this better in the video, but the juices in the cherry were actually boiling and bubbling out. If you listen closely to the video, you can hear it.

This was a perfect experiment to utilize the sun’s rays this summer. Try this solar magnification experiment at home with other substances and see what results you get!

More Fun in the Sun Experiments and Activities

Books, Supplies, and Kits to Add to a Study of the Sun and Solar Energy

How Does the Sun Affect the Temperature

Studying The Sun For Homeschool Science

Fractals Suncatcher STEAM Activity

Solar Printing Science Activity

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I hold a master’s degree in child development and early education and am working on a post-baccalaureate in biology. I spent 15 years working for a biotechnology company developing IT systems in DNA testing laboratories across the US. I taught K4 in a private school, homeschooled my children, and have taught on the mission field in southern Asia. For 4 years, I served on our state’s FIRST Lego League tournament Board and served as the Judging Director. I own thehomeschoolscientist and also write a regular science column for Homeschooling Today Magazine. You’ll also find my writings on the CTCMath blog. Through this site, I have authored over 50 math and science resources.