Casey Hayes

Hayes’ innovative teaching idea, “Off-the-Grid Cooking,” focuses on teaching energy generation and consumption to fourth through sixth-grade students at Desert Sky Montessori School. Students participate in hands-on learning about sustainability by building a do-it-yourself (DIY) solar oven out of aluminum foil and cardboard. They will cook bread, nachos or other agreed upon items in the solar oven and compare the results to cooking in an off-the-shelf solar oven and in an earthen “cob” oven. In tying this to math, they will conduct comparative analysis of objective data (e.g., temperature, cook time) and subjective data (e.g., taste, level of effort). This will spark multiple discussions of renewable and nonrenewable energy sources, practicality and what they will experiment with next. The school’s intent is to add additional grade levels over time. With additional funding, the school intends to continue developing its Off-Grid Outdoor Kitchen, complete with hot water and electricity created from solar energy and a greywater recycling system.