The 2024 total solar eclipse is almost here.
The rare occurrence is a great opportunity to get kids excited about space and science.
But how do you explain a solar eclipse to a young child?
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Fun art projects and simple models will do the trick.
Read on for inspiration on how you can teach your kids about the solar eclipse and get them excited about the event.
"A solar eclipse happens when, at just the right moment, the Moon passes between the sun and Earth," according to NASA Space Place.
On the website there is also a two-minute animated video that does a great job of explaining what a solar eclipse is to children. The video covers what it is, what happens and what you can expect to see during a solar eclipse.
It isn't often that a total solar eclipse is visible in the United States. The next total solar eclipse won't be visible in North America until 2044.
The rarity of the event brings about a lot of excitement.
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Use this fact to get your children excited about seeing the solar eclipse on April 8. Let them know they'll be adults the next time this event comes around.
To further explain a solar eclipse, beyond your explanation and informative videos, use an interactive model.
You can create a representation of what happens during an eclipse with just a few household items.
All you need are two balls, one bigger, such as a beach ball, to represent Earth — and one smaller to represent the moon. You'll also need a flashlight to represent the sun.
Shine the flashlight onto the beach ball and have your child slowly move the smaller ball between the beach ball and the flashlight.
This will demonstrate what happens during a solar eclipse to give your child a better understanding beyond a verbal explanation.
NASA has an interactive map you can view online to see the places within the path of totality. This will allow kids to see which cities will experience a total solar eclipse. Examples of cities in the path of totality are Dallas and Cleveland.
States outside this path will see a partial solar eclipse.
On the interactive map, you and your child can click around to different cities and see what time the eclipse will occur and how long it will last.
Observing the solar eclipse through a pinhole viewer is one safe viewing method.
Making pinhole viewers can be a fun activity for kids to try.
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When you use a pinhole viewer, you'll have your back facing the sun, and you'll see the eclipse through a projection.
Another safe way to view the solar eclipse is with special glasses.
Failure to use proper eyewear to view a solar eclipse can cause severe injury to the eyes.
Luckily, there are tons of different options for glasses you can pick up for you and your child. Tell them they can pick out the glasses they wear to get them excited about the event. There are lots of different colors and designs to choose from.
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Just be sure that the glasses you purchase have the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 12312-2 code on the inside to be sure they are safe to use.
The American Astronomical Society has a list of trusted manufacturers and vendors to refer to in order to ensure that the glasses you buy will protect your eyes.
Creating sun prints is an easy and fun craft you can put together with your child to show just how powerful the sun's rays are.
The Scholastic website provides step-by-step instructions on how to create sun prints.
All you need is colorful construction paper, leaves, flowers, plastic wrap and rocks for weights.
Once you and your child have gathered leaves and flowers, arrange them on the construction paper to your liking and cover them up with plastic wrap. Secure the plastic wrap with the rocks.
Then, leave your artwork on a sunny surface. After a few hours, pick up the plastic wrap, pull off the leaves and flowers to see the designs left behind.
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