Do you ever get into the car in the summertime and yell AGHGH!!! as you sit on the seat? Cars can get very hot if they’re parked in the sun. But how hot, you might ask? The seat can reach 123 degrees, and the dashboard can get to a sizzling 157 degrees. Your body is just 98 degrees, so these things are a LOT hotter than you. Here are some tips to keep things cool for you.
Wee ones: What’s your temperature? Or the temperature of the room you’re in, or outside? See if you can find a thermometer or thermostat, or look up the weather on a phone. Then see if you can read the digits.
Little kids: Cars heat up less in the shade. If you park in the sun, then in the shade, then in the sun again, then the shade to keep the pattern…where do you park on the 8th turn? Bonus: A white towel on the seat helps a lot. If the seat is now only 2 degrees hotter than your body temp of 98 degrees, how hot is the seat?
Big kids: Of course, all the chocolate in the car has melted! Chocolate melts at 88 degrees. How much hotter than that is a 137-degree dashboard? Bonus: That got you wondering if the car is hot enough to bake cookies. Hmmm…not quite. Chocolate chip cookies need a 375-degree oven. If that’s 3 times your car temperature, how hot (or cool!) is your car?
Answers:
Wee ones: Your temperature will be around 98 degrees. A room thermostat could read anywhere from 65 to 78 degrees.
Little kids: In the shade, like all the even-numbered turns. Bonus: 100 degrees.
Big kids: 49 degrees hotter. Bonus: 125 degrees.
