This is a hands-on lab which requires students to design their own experiment! This is a great resource for reviewing the scientific method while enabling students to self-explore variables that affect climate. Students will utilize heat lamps (representing the Sun) to determine how soil (Earth) is warmed. Students can adjust distance between the lamp and substrate, length of exposure, amount of soil, and type of soil to see how solar energy absorption can be affected. Students work together in cooperative groups to design an experiment based on a provided scientific question, collect data, and analyze the data.