How Insulation Keeps Your House Cool on a Hot Day

Here's a way to see how the insulation in your house helps to keep it cool. Be sure to have an adult help you with this! All you need is two ice cubes, three paper towels, and two small bowls.

Get two ice cubes out of your freezer. Make sure they're both about the same size. Put one of the ice cubes by the edge of one of the paper towels, and roll it up in the paper towel, then wrap the ends of the paper towel around it. Then wrap it up in the second and the third paper towels.

Now put the two ice cubes in the two bowls. The plain ice cube is like a cold house on a hot day without any insulation. The wrapped-up ice cube is like a cold house on a hot day with insulation around it. The paper towels are the insulation.

Check back in about an hour or so. The plain ice cube should be mostly or completely melted. Now unwrap the paper towels. How much ice is left? Which stayed cooler, the plain ice cube or the wrapped-up ice cube?