How to make shade

For the end of our first case study on the effects of the sun on the earth, the students became engineers.  They were given the task to create a shade over a pretend sandbox.  Each child first designed a shade on paper.  Then, teams of 2 were assembled and many materials were available to each team (parchment paper, wax paper, white and black construction paper, aluminum foil, masking tape, straws).  At the end, each shade was tested with a flashlight.  All teams were successful in providing shade!