Solar Eclipse Resources
You're all probably aware that there will be a total solar eclipse in Vermont on April 8th. Many teachers and area agencies have been compiling resources for teachers and families that I thought might be useful to some of you. A list is below. Don't forget to order special eclipse glasses soon!
There are lots of directions that interest in the solar eclipse could take your class. Children might be interested in learning more about outer space and planets or they might become fascinated by light and shadows. You might end up building rocket ships for your classroom and putting "moon sand" in the sensory table or you might end up creating shadow puppets and conducting science experiments in the sunshine. Children will have a tangible, exciting experience that they can wonder about and explore with all the adults in their lives and this offers a great "teachable moment" to build on.
Be open to the directions that children's interests take you and think about what you might incorporate into your environment to promote children's wonder and interest. What provocations might help children to question and build connections to their observations of the solar eclipse? Consider webbing your ideas!
Eclipse Resources:
Vermont Public Guide (a fabulous printable!)
ACSD has created an eclipse guide for PreK-12 students
How to explain April's solar eclipse to kids (Scientific American) (or understand it yourself)
Mystery Science video (subscription or free trial required) - focused on an eclipse from 2017, but a nice explanation of why eclipses happen that would be accessible for many preschoolers
Just-for-fun: They Might Be Giants - Why Does the Sun Shine? (The Sun is a Mass of Incandescent Gas) and their follow-up which corrects the science: Why Does the Sun Really Shine? (The Sun is a Miasma of Incandescent Plasma)
Picture Books:
Moonbear's Shadow by Frank Asch
The Moon Book by Gail Gibbons
Me and My Place in Space by Joan Sweeney
Max and the Tag Along Moon by Floyd Cooper
SO many more resources depending on the direction your curriculum goes!
