Current:Home > StocksA family's guide to the total solar eclipse: Kids activities, crafts, podcast parties and more -Elevate Capital Network
A family's guide to the total solar eclipse: Kids activities, crafts, podcast parties and more
View
Date:2025-04-17 00:02:12
Some lucky children will be able to catch a total solar eclipse April 8 alongside their parents in an incredible event that will not present itself again until 2044.
Families in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont New Hampshire and Maine, according to NASA, will have the opportunity to experience the moment when the moon completely blocks the sun. Families in parts of Tennessee and Michigan may also experience its full effect.
With many schools closing across the U.S. on the day of the eclipse, parents are left looking for ways to keep their kids busy, but also, ideas on how to make the day fun.
We've gathered some stellar leads, but first, a little on how to talk to kids about what to expect.
Solar eclipse information for kids
Michelle Nichols, director of public observing at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago shares an easy way to explain the event to kids.
“At its very simplest, when the moon gets in between the Earth and the sun, and the moon appears to pass over the sun as seen from Earth, then we get a solar eclipse,” Nichols told Scientific American.
“If the moon partially covers the sun, we call it a partial solar eclipse. If it completely covers the sun, we call it a total solar eclipse.”
Other information that may be fun for older kids to digest would be how the solar eclipse phenomenon differs from the "new moon," Jackie Faherty, an astrophysicist and senior education manager at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, told Scientific American.
The two are similar, yes, but the moon's orbit around the Earth "is not completely lined up with our planet’s orbit around the sun," Faherty said. It is actually tilted by about five degrees, so "when the moon moves between Earth and the sun, the three bodies are out of alignment."
"The moon doesn’t block the sun, and the shadow of the moon cast by the sun lands in space instead of on Earth’s surface."
Solar eclipse activities for kids
There were some creative ideas that surfaced during the 2017 solar eclipse that more families are trying out this time around. Here are some of the best.
Make a pinhole viewer
The Boy Scouts of America have an idea for how to get kids excited about the eclipse. Why not personalize a viewing box for the event?
You will need:
- A small box with a lid
- A small piece of aluminum foil
- A small sheet of white paper
- A utility knife or hobby knife
- Tape
- A needle or sharpened pencil
- Some art supplies to decorate your box
For instructions on how to make the pinhole viewer, visit Scout Life Magazine.
Create sun prints
Scholastic has a fun art project kids can engage in ahead of the eclipse.
"Human eyes can’t see ultraviolet light, but using construction paper, kids can create sun prints to see for themselves how the sun’s powerful UV rays break down dyes and bleach paper," Scholastic shares.
You will need:
- Colorful construction paper
- Clear plastic wrap, or a large piece of plexiglass
- Leaves, flowers, or other flat items
- Small rocks to use as weights
For instructions on how to create your sun print, visit Scholastic's blog.
Recreate a solar eclipse at home
A fun way to keep your kids busy and also increase their understanding around how a solar eclipse works is by creating your own eclipse at home.
Multiple parenting blogs suggest using an inflatable earth, tennis ball (or ball of a similar size), and a flashlight to experience an in-home solar eclipse.
Follow NASA's interactive map
Know the exact time the eclipse will pass over you by tracking it using NASA's eclipse map.
You will be able to see when the eclipse begins, when it will get to you and how much of the Sun will be covered during the event.
"Wow In The World": The Great Solar Eclipse Party Podcast
Another way to celebrate the event is with a fun podcast episode for the entire family to enjoy. The "Wow In The World" special eclipse episode will be available April 1 on the Wondery app and wherever you get your podcasts.
In the special episode, “The Great Solar Eclipse Party,” hosts of the show, Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz, plan an eclipse celebration for their special friends. They explore the basic physics behind the event and discuss ways to stay safe while observing it. The party ends with a song called "Eclipse Party" by a kid band called "Moon 5."
"Wow In The World" is a the #1 science podcast for kids and their grown-ups, according to the show.
Solar eclipse glasses:Everything you need to know, including where to get them
Kids eclipse glasses
Amazon has plenty of options for solar eclipse glasses for kids. Including some really cool plastic pairs that look more like sunglasses and come in fun colors.
My Science Shop has wraparound solar glasses for smaller heads at risk of having them fall off, and Lunt Solar Systems has a really creative paper pack of four glasses for kids to enjoy.
veryGood! (64)
Related
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- California Proposal Embraces All-Electric Buildings But Stops Short of Gas Ban
- Inside Clean Energy: Here Are 3 States to Watch in 2021
- Family of Titanic Sub Passenger Hamish Harding Honors Remarkable Legacy After His Death
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- Transcript: National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Face the Nation, July 16, 2023
- Ford slashes price of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck
- Warming Trends: At COP26, a Rock Star Named Greta, and Threats to the Scottish Coast. Plus Carbon-Footprint Menus and Climate Art Galore
- Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
- Global Warming Cauldron Boils Over in the Northwest in One of the Most Intense Heat Waves on Record Worldwide
Ranking
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Latto Shares Why She Hired a Trainer to Maintain Her BBL and Liposuction Surgeries
- Dear Life Kit: Do I have to listen to my boss complain?
- Titanic Sub Passenger, 19, Was Terrified to Go But Agreed for Father’s Day, Aunt Says
- Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
- ‘Suezmax’ Oil Tankers Could Soon Be Plying the Poisoned Waters of Texas’ Lavaca Bay
- Trains, Walking, Biking: Why Germany Needs to Look Beyond Cars
- An Explosion in Texas Shows the Hidden Dangers of Tanks Holding Heavy Fuels
Recommendation
This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
Video shows driver stopping pickup truck and jumping out to tackle man fleeing police in Oklahoma
In a Stark Letter, and In Person, Researchers Urge World Leaders at COP26 to Finally Act on Science
Katy Perry Gives Update on Her Sobriety Pact With Orlando Bloom
How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
The 26 Words That Made The Internet What It Is (Encore)
TikTok sets a new default screen-time limit for teen users
Japan ad giant and other firms indicted over alleged Olympic contract bid-rigging