One summer Mr. Traveltales spray painted a larger box black and put one of his bowling balls in it, out in the 105 degree sun. This was supposed to bake out the oils that were picked up from the bowling lanes. I don't think it worked.

Here are some fun experiments that will help you have fun with heat. I'm thinking of making a shoebox oven.

1. Balloon over candle: Blow up a balloon, tie it off and hold it several feet above a lit candle. Slowly and carefully, bring the balloon down toward the flame until it pops.

Take another balloon and fill it partially with water. Repeat the same lowering motion as with the first balloon. This time, you should be able to actually touch the balloon to the flame.

Why doesn’t it pop? The American Physical Society illustrated this experiment and explained that “heat conduction” is the key. The water in the balloon pulls the heat from the candle straight through the rubber balloon surface. This leaves the balloon strong enough to withstand the flame.

2. Make your own lunch outside using solar heat energy: Most people have heard the myth that if it’s hot enough outside, it’s possible to fry an egg on the sidewalk.

On its own, the sidewalk won’t get hot enough to actually cook an egg. But if you put the egg on something metal, such as a frying pan or the hood of a car, it will work.

Here’s something else to try. Cover the outside of a shoebox with black construction paper and the inside with aluminum foil. Cut a hole in the top of the box to let sunlight in. Put a hot dog or two inside the box and set it outside in direct sunlight.

The foil will become hot enough to reflect heat onto the hot dog and cook it.

3. Hot water, air pressure and eggs: Here’s another one involving a snack.

Find a plastic or glass bottle with an opening that’s a little smaller than the circumference of a peeled, boiled egg.

Take the lid off and set the bottle in a bowl of very hot water for five minutes. Then move the bottle to a bowl of ice water. Wet the egg and set it on the opening, with the slimmer side facing down.

Even though the egg is bigger than the opening, it will be sucked inside the bottle. National Geographic Kids explains that the heat from the water changes the air pressure inside the bottle.

An alternate method without a bowl of water is to drop a lit match inside a glass bottle just before setting the egg on top.

4. Hot air balloons: Take the lid off a plastic bottle and stretch the end of a balloon over the opening. Put the bottle in a pan or bowl of very hot water and wait a few minutes.

As heat causes the air in the bottle to expand, the balloon will begin to inflate.

Discovery’s TLC does this experiment with a twist: put one cup of water into the bottle at the beginning of the experiment, along with one spoonful of baking soda.

Work quickly on the next part — pour in a splash of vinegar and stretch the end of a balloon over the top. This will give different results than using just air.