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There is always an opportunity for learning and April 8, 2024 is just one of those days. The eclipse is a naturally occurring phenomenon that affects something we usually take for granted...the sun. If you are in the path of totality, there are probably a lot of local activities planned. Your local library and Chamber of Commerce would be two great resources to find out more. At home, here are some options for making the eclipse educational and fun.
First, check out some eclipse educational videos like this one of Bill Nye The Science Guy on The Sun. It's an older video, but still totally relevant. It's only a couple of minutes long and has a great kid-friendly explanation.
Next, grab some NASA approved glasses and take in the eclipse. I've seen where you can remove the lens of one and put it over your phone camera to take pictures, too. Be sure to watch your kids carefully so they don't directly look at the sun without eye protection at all times. If you haven't ordered any already, check with your eye doctor. Many have some available.
For another idea, here are tutorials on how to use a box viewer that are super easy. We used this one from the Boy Scouts of America for the partial eclipse a few years ago and the kids loved it. There is also a version using paper plates. For that, just poke a tiny (think sewing needle) hole in one plate. With the sun behind you, hold up that plate so the light shines through to the bottom plate on the ground or a table and watch the change in the projection.
Then, once the kids are back inside and have all the questions, grab some fun books to help them learn more. We use PaperPie, which has a huge selection of great age appropriate books for kids. Many are seen in the photo. These are all available at PaperPie ( I will receive a commission from any orders on this). You can also have them draw what they saw or print out coloring pages of the sun or moon.
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