Stick and Sun Compass

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Find a tree branch. Look for the straightest limb and break it off. The stick needs to be at least two feet long. Stick the stick in the ground. A shadow will appear. Mark the tip of the shadow as a reference point, with any object you have available. Wait 20-25 minutes and you will see a second shadow. Mark the tip of the second shadow with another object. Draw a line between the two reference objects. This line will be the West to East direction. The first reference points West and the second reference points East.

Fire Extinguisher

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Fill a 1 pint (or larger) plastic bottle ½ way to the top with lemon juice or vinegar. Take a piece of tissue and form it into a cup shape. Use your finger to poke the tissue through the mouth of the plastic bottle. Leave the sides of the tissue hanging over the rim of the bottle. Hold the sides of the tissue in place as you pour baking soda to fill the tissue. Place a rubber band over the rim of the bottle to hold the tissue in place. Screw the cap on the bottle. Store up right, so that the vinegar/lemon juice does not touch the baking soda. When you need a fire extinguisher, shake to mix, and then take the lid off. Pour over fire. (Not for grease or electrical fires.)

Rudimentary Battery

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• 2 lemons
• 3 copper wires
• 2 large paper clips
• 2 pennies

Attach one paper clip to one copper wire. Attach one penny to the second copper wire. Attach another penny to one end of a third wire, and a paperclip to the other end. Roll two lemons in your hand several times to get the juices flowing inside them. Then make two small cuts about an inch apart in the both lemon skins. Put paperclip from the third copper wire ( the one attached to the paper clip and penny) into one of the cuts. Push it in until you get to the flesh of the lemon. Stick the penny end of the copper wire into one of the cuts in the other lemon. Put the paper clip from the one copper wire into the second cut of the lemon with the penny. Put penny from the second wire into the last open cut. Now you have a battery. Test it on an alarm clock by connecting the free ends of the wires to the terminals of the digital clock. It will make enough electricity to power the clock.

Solar Still

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Pour about two inches of saltwater into a large bowl or container. Take an empty glass (should be shorter than the height of the bowl, but taller than the water level) and put it inside of the bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, ensuring the seal is tight. Place a heavy object on the outside of the plastic wrap and directly over the empty glass. Just make sure the heavy object is not so heavy that it actually touches the glass. Leave the bowl in the sun. As the sun heats up the salt water it evaporates and becomes a gas. That gas rises and hit’s the plastic wrap, turning back into water. The droplets roll toward the heavy object and fall into the glass. The longer you leave it, the more water you will have. Within a few hours you should see ¼ of a glass. The water inside of the glass is distilled.

Solar Cooker

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Glue two pieces of black poster board together at their edges, making one long piece. Cover one side of the poster board with aluminum foil. Make a cone shape, with the foil side inward, by bending the poster board edges together. Tape it secure. The cone will be open at both ends. Line the bottom of a cardboard box with black construction paper. The dark surface will absorb heat and make the bottom of the box hot. Prop the cone inside the box. Point the narrowest opening down. This can be used to cook things like s’mores Put the s’more in a baggie at the bottom of the box and in the center of the cone. 25 minutes latter, perfect s’mores. To see how to make a bigger solar cooker that can be used to bake breads, cook beans etc… see here or  here