Today is August 19, 2017 and we are approaching the Great American Eclipse 2017. For the crazy people making a big deal out of this, join me to prepare a party for this great event.
First, protection glasses are needed to avoid damaging your eyes forever if you really want to look at the eclipse. You need to make sure they are approved by the American Astronomical Society (AAS) Reputable Vendors of Solar Filters & Viewers, and you can check the list
on this link. They also say to check if they have an ISO number on the glasses to make sure they are real. I imagine there is really no more time to order online, but there are a lot of stores selling them (we saw them at Lowes).
Another way to watch the eclipse is using a Solar Viewer that projects the image of the Sun in a piece of paper. I followed the instructions on how to make it following T.R. Richardson's, from the
College of Charleston
Department of Physics and Astronomy. The link with the instructions is
here.
Using his instructions, I popped a +1 lenses from reading glasses from the Dollar Store and made this contraption to project the Sun in white paper.
It is not looking very pretty, but I hope it works.
We are planning some food for the party, so I made signs to name each dish. These I will try to use round food, like meatballs, doughnut holes, cookies, round bread.
If you want to print these signs, just go to my link here:
food signs 1,
food signs 2,
food signs 3
.
This sign I really don't know where to use, but I wrote it anyway. Maybe it can be the name of the party or the song we have to sing (the sign to print is with the page "food 3").
I made a sign to place on the table that the kids can help decorate. You can download here:
Great Eclipse.
I saw this idea looking for space parties and I thought it was cute. Little favor bags with Milky Way and Orbitz gum (I couldn't find Eclipse gums). The link to print is
here and the kids can also color.
I also made signs so we can hold to take pictures during the eclipse (I printed all in different colors construction paper).
The pages to print are here:
Mooned and
Date.
I made a little time sheet so we know when to run outside. Before that we will watch the livestream on the Science Channel or on the NASA website.
If you live in NY and want to follow this page, here is the link:
NY Time. I wrote 72% but it may vary according to different sources. The little arrows and angle signs I made it by hand, because I don't know how to make it in the computer.
And I printed maps to follow the path of the eclipse throughout the country and little pinhole projectors shaped like the country and the state. Both you can find on the NASA website:
pinhole projectors and
map.
NASA's website have a ton of information, activities and ideas for the eclipse, so be sure to check:
NASA.gov.
Even though we are not on the path of total eclipse, it will be fun to follow the trail on TV and have a great part of the sun covered.
We can't wait.
Get gradually bigger as time went on.
Until it got the maximum coverage in our area at 2:44PM.
All the excitement came together with my eclipse of the heart cake.
Cookies with brigadeiro (condensed milk and chocolate dessert from Brazil).
Sunny D, Sun chips, Sunkist, star rice krispies.
And all the other food the could not relate to the theme but the kids like to eat.
I don't remember ever seeing an eclipse in my life, probably because it has always been cloudy in the past.
But today just when the Sun, the Moon and the point on Earth were we stand aligned, we had clear skies. And we had a chance to be together and celebrate with our kids.
And that does not happen all the time.
