Each group needs:

• 2 clean, empty, 12-ounce soda cans, ideally all the same type, plus 2 extra cans for controls
• laboratory thermometer (liquid immersion; accurate to 0.5 or 1°C)
• an assortment of "useful junk," such as fabric scraps (various sizes), socks from the lost & found, packing peanuts of several types, pieces of foam (various sizes), construction paper (both light and dark colors), bubble wrap, newspapers, quilt batting, old overhead transparencies, rubber tubing, drinking straws, funnels, aluminum foil, large zipper-type plastic bags, and anything else that might be used as insulating or conducting material, or to absorb or reflect radiation
• scissors, if possible
• glue, one bottle, if possible
• roll of tape, if possible
• (optional) timer or stopwatch