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5 Brilliant Activities to Get Kids Thrilled about the Solar Eclipse

5 Brilliant Activities to Get Kids Thrilled about the Solar Eclipse

We are going to have an epic experience tomorrow! An annular solar eclipse!!  The third and final solar eclipse of 2019 will occur over Asia, Africa, and Australia tomorrow (Dec. 26, 2019). A Solar eclipse is a natural phenomenon that occurs when the Moon comes between the Sun and the Earth.  Are your kids thrilled about this historic eclipse? Solar eclipses are the perfect time to learn about the sun, the moon, the earth, and the paths they take as they orbit around each other. Here are 5 brilliant activities that combine creativity and science to get your children thrilled about the upcoming solar eclipse.

5 Brilliant Activities to get children thrilled about the Solar Eclipse

Learn about Solar Eclipse

Find out the time is the moon going to pass between the earth and the sun

You can use this interactive map by timeanddate.com and click on the name of any town to see when the eclipse will start, when the maximum coverage will occur, and how much of the sun will be covered (obscuration).

 

This poster from the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai is very informative and explains the solar eclipse for kids.

Source: Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai

 

 

Make a Pinhole Viewer

Explain to your children that looking directly at the sun is very dangerous. Only eclipse glasses that have a certification with “ISO 12312-2 international standard” are safe for use, according to NASA. Other options are the number 14 welder’s glass or a pinhole projector that allows a user to project the image of the sun on paper or cardboard. You can stand with the sun behind you and watch the eclipse indirectly using a pinhole viewer that children will enjoy making themselves, using only a cereal box, some foil, and a pin!

 

Create Solar Powered Art

Use craft paper to create sun prints to demonstrate how the sun’s powerful UV rays break down dyes and bleach paper.

Source: Scholastic

 

Simulate a Solar Eclipse

Make a model of the eclipse with a few balls and a torch in this fun activity even young children can understand. If you have a group of children, you can even get children to act it out! In a group of three, have one child each play the Sun, Moon, and Earth. Then, after asking the Sun and Earth to stay still, direct the Moon to walk between the Sun and Earth. They can all take turns as Earth, relating what they see as the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun.  With older children, you can add orbits: have the Moonwalk around Earth as Earth walks around the Sun. Challenge them by asking what will happen if there’s a lunar eclipse instead of a solar eclipse.

 

Source: Inspirationlaboratories

 

Test your Suntan

How well does your favorite lotion protect against sun rays? Test suntan lotion and find out in this experiment.

Download Eclipse Apps

There are a number of free apps, like the Exploratorium’s free Total Solar Eclipse app that has loads of interesting and useful information.  You can also you can watch a live webcast online, courtesy of the Slooh community observatory on YouTube or directly via Slooh.com.

Happy and safe eclipse-watching!

 

 

 

Last modified on Wednesday, 22 January 2020 12:36

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