The Great American Eclipse
It is called the great american eclipse. For the first time in almost 100 hundred years, a total solar eclipse will be visible from coast to coast in the United States. This is a once in a life time event that you don’t want to miss. Thanks to a dear friend of mine, we have been planning and scheming for months how to prepare for this great event. Now what is it you might ask. A solar eclipse is when the moon passes between the earth and the sun. When this occurs, the moon blocks the sun resulting in total darkness. Day light will turn to night! For nearly a whole 2 minutes, our day will appear as night. Even the stars will be visible. My home town of Nashville Tennessee will be the only large city to fall completely within the eclipse path of totality. Now isn’t that exciting.
I have rounded up 5 activities that will help you prepare for the great american eclipse that you don’t want to miss.
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- Make sure you have solar eclipse glasses
- Read books about the solar eclipse
- Make moon cakes
- Track the path of the solar eclipse
- Select viewing location
Make sure you have your solar eclipse glasses.
Solar Eclipse Glasses are critical for the viewing experience. Looking at the sun is very dangerous and can even cause blindness. DO NOT LOOK AT THE SUN WITHOUT PROTECTIVE ECLIPSE GLASSES.
Spend time enjoying some of the great books about the solar eclipse.
We have enjoyed several great books on the solar eclipse. The quality time reading has helped to spark their excitement about the upcoming event. The books have also helped my kids understand the significance of this event as well as understand what is actually happening. It has ignighted a whole new level of enthusiasm for astronomy. I have provided a direct link below to some of our favorite books on the solar eclipse.
Make Moon Cakes with your kids.
Maybe it is just the Fitzy house but nearly every event is celebrated in the kitchen. Cooking and baking is one of our favorites ways to spend quality time together. Carol from The Red Painted Cottage has a recipe for these darling Moon Cakes. I can’t wait to make a batch to share with my kiddos.
Track the path of solar eclipse.
We are having fun studying the path of the solar eclipse while learning how it will to traveling across the United States. Here is a great website that provides information on the path of the eclipse.
Select your viewing location.
Our recent move to Tennessee has put us almost directly in the path of the solar eclipse. With this excitement, we are still working to select our exact location for the best viewing. We may need to travel about 30 minutes to find better viewing. Totally doable. Here is a link to determine the best view locations for the solar eclipse. I know our area is planning several view celebrations. Even the state parks in our area are preparing for the solar eclipse.
Happy celebrating this once in a life time event. Please share below how you plan to celebrate!
