Let’s Celebrate : Solar Eclipse

posted in: Unit Study | 21

Can I be honest with you? I had no idea that a solar eclipse existed until a few months before it happened? What ? I mean how could I have not known about this absolutely amazing phenomenon? Well, now that I’ve shared with you this embarrassing fact, I can explain why we were so excited to learn all about the solar eclipse.

We planned our trip to Oregon/Washington around the same time the solar eclipse was to occur. It was a mere coincidence that we were at the right place during the right time.

We watched a few videos and read about solar eclipse before we went to Oregon. We did not have too much time to actually do our unit study before so we did it afterwards.

If you’ve never seen a solar eclipse…please, please drive or fly the next time there is one. It is one of the coolest experiences ever.

We ordered solar eclipse glasses and a camera cover before we went. The funny thing was when we put on our glasses while not looking at the sun it was pitch black and silly us thought we must have gotten the wrong glasses but once we looked at the sun we were able to see the solar eclipse and it was one of the coolest things we have ever seen. It got really hot at first and the sun was so bright. We have never seen it so bright. Don’t worry we did not look at the sun but the warmth from the sun was very much felt. Then it was so cold. We wanted to put our jackets on because the weather had dropped so much. When totality happened we saw birds frantically flying. Poor things. We saw over 2 minutes of totality and that was by far the best lived 2 minutes. Everyone around us (including us) were shouting with joy. Then the sun came back out and it felt like we just woke up and it was the start of a new day. There was once again fog around us.

 

 

 

Art

 

First thing we do when we start a unit study is paint, draw, read, and watch some education videos on you-tube. This is one of my favorite scenes.

 

 

 

 

Geography

 

Since we live in California we drove to Oregon to watch the solar eclipse. We wanted to see totality. On Aug 21, 2017, 14 states were able to witness total totality. I’m so glad that we traveled to see it. It is something my family will not forget.

 

 

Math

So the math is a bit confusing but I wanted to share some really cool things about numbers and the solar eclipse. These are so it is easy for even a 6 year old to understand. The sun is 400 times larger than the diameter of a moon. The sun is 400 times away from the moon. This is why when we see them in the sky the moon and sun appear to be exactly the same size. That’s how we get to see total solar eclipse because the moon disc perfectly covers the sun disk.

Have you heard of ellipses? Well that’s a shape that looks like an oval. There are ellipses in nature. As the earth travels around the sun it travels in an ellipse path.  The earth does around the sun and the moon around the earth. This all happens at the same time. Isn’t that cool? Elizabeth loved drawing ellipse faces.

 

 

 

Solar Eclipse Phases

 

There are 5 stages in a total solar eclipse. The first one is known as partial eclipse. In this phase you get to see the moon over the suns disk. The second stage is total eclipse occurs and this is when the entire disk of the sun is covered by the moon. It is in this stage when you can see the Baily’s beads and the diamond ring affect. This occurs just before totality or right after totality. The first stage is totality or maximum eclipse. In this stage the moon covers the disk of the sun. You can only see the suns corona. It becomes dark and cold during this stage. The fourth stage is total eclipse ends. Here the moon moves away and the sun appears. The last stage is the partial eclipse ends. The moon in this stage stops overlapping the suns disk.

For this we made crepes and added food coloring to whipped cream cheese.

 

 

History

 

If you happen to stop by while we are homeschooling you might be apart of our lesson. See that truck full of fruit and vegetables? Well my amazing parents just picked all of that goodness from an organic farm and were making their rounds delivering goodness to my sisters and I. They stopped by while we were playing solar eclipse history hopscotch. My mom learned all about the solar eclipse history with us.

Did you know that a solar eclipse is responsible for helium being discovered? Yes, it is true. During a total solar eclipse on August 16, 1868 astronomer Jules Janssen discovered the second lightest and most abundant element known as helium.

Imagine fighting in a battle and all of a sudden it becomes dark? Yeah, you would most likely not want to fight any longer because you would believe it was a sign from God. This happened in 585 BCE as Lydians and Medes were fighting amongs each other and darkness filled the sky. They put down their weapons and called it a day.

This game was so easy to make. I just went on-line gathered some information about the solar eclipse history and printed out pictures for the events we wanted to talk about. We drew a hopscotch on the cement and taped the pictures next to the numbers. I then had my kids hop until I told them to stop. The box that they land on they have to explain. This is such a fun way to learn.

 

 

Science

 

It’s so easy to demonstrate how the alignment of earth, the moon, and the sun causes us to witness a solar eclipse. All you need is two round balls that are different sizes and a flashlight.

 

 

Thank you for reading our post. We share a new post every Thursday at 8 pm.

How long have you known about the solar eclipse? Have you seen a total solar eclipse before?

21 Responses

  1. Cecilia C. Cannon

    the solar eclipse was truly amazing to see, that is great you made it into an entire learning curriculum in your home for the kids, they won’t ever forget it.

  2. Lori Geurin

    This is such a wonderful activity to do with the kids! I was able to see the solar eclipse and we had around 95% coverage where we live. It was so cool!

    By the way, I’m pretty sure we have the exact same dining table and chairs. 🙂

  3. Melissa Chapman

    Those are some great facts about the eclipse. We were in New York and the eclipse was a little bit of a letdown. It got a little darker and then it was over. I was too afraid to look at it. I think there will be another one in 8-12 years.

  4. Jeanine

    This is so neat to teach the kids about. Learned about it in school too many years ago. These projects are great fun to teach them!

  5. Terri Steffes

    The eclipse was amazing! I live in St. Louis where we had 100% totality. The sight of it was inspiring. So cool to hear the crickets start to call and the birds flying back to their nests.

  6. Rachel

    I had no idea the eclipse was coming until a week or two before and by then it was way too late to get anything. Luckily it was overcast.

  7. Akim

    That’s an unforgettable moment combined with academic lesson. Such a great way to let the kids have fun while still learning!

  8. AnnMarie John

    It was amazing seeing it live after so long! I usually just see it on TV. I think it’s a very good topic for the kids as well, there’s so much to learn and understand about it.

  9. Cindy Ingalls

    Though I only got to see a partial eclipse where I live, it was still pretty amazing. I did watch it on TV and it was so cool to see it go across the country and hear people’s reactions.

  10. reesa

    I love how you demonstrated the eclipse for the kids! I need to try this with mine as they were fascinated by the eclipse!

  11. Jessica Joachim

    My parents have a place in Andrews, NC which happened to be a totality town. I didn’t get to go, but they went up and said it was just amazing!

  12. Heather

    I’m so glad you took full advantage of this experience for an educational opportunity. What a great learning lesson!

  13. Keith

    Wow! Great bonding moments. Also, kids will be able to learn while still having fun!

  14. Letty R

    We didn’t witness the eclipse here in our place. It makes me sad. Anyway, I’m so happy to see this. I’m sure your kids had so much fun!

  15. Jam

    Such a great way for kids to learn something new. You have great parenting strategies especially about learning/schooling!

  16. Mark G.

    Events like this shouldn’t be missed. You’re a great mom!

  17. Nina

    Seeing a mother who teaches her child new things (especially about science) really makes me smile. Awesome!

  18. Bea P.

    I’ve never witnessed a solar eclipse yet! We didn’t have the opportunity to see it because of our location. You’re lucky!

  19. Sha M.

    Your kids are so blessed to have you because you’re doing everything to help them learn. Commendable!

  20. Xam Chloe

    Reading the first paragraph makes me smile! I also had no idea that a solar eclipse exists. Wish I could witness it too!