The Great North American Eclipse will take place this Monday, April 8th, and many schools have their (veiled) eyes on it as a learning opportunity. But why is a solar eclipse so rare, and what does it all mean? If families need help explaining it, let our favorite Science Communicators lead the way!
Solar Eclipse 101
For younger kids or a beginner guide to the entire concept of the solar eclipse, the YouTube channel learning junction teaches the basics.
Why Can’t We Look at the Sun with Astro Alexandra
A brief look at the damage looking into the sun can do to an eyeball. She doesn’t show anything gross, but there is a diagram that shows the holes.
Getting Ready for the Eclipse with SciShow Kids
These were created for a past eclipse event and explain “what is a solar eclipse” nicely.
How Ancient Babylonians Predicted Eclipses
Back to SciShow Kids for some history of eclipses!
2 Podcasts for Learning in the Car
If it’s hard to capture their attention or if you want to limit the YouTube they watch, there are at least two great podcast episodes for learning about the eclipse: Tumble Science Podcast for Kids and But Why Kids?
A Kid's Guide to the Total Eclipse – Tumble Science Podcast for Kids
I’d love to know the science educators your family loves to follow. We could have listed many more here, like Smarter Every Day and hankschannel, who both have excellent Q&A-type videos published already and will likely post interesting follow-ups.
It’s rare nowadays that we have a live, natural event that gets so many people across the globe to literally keep their eyes on it — with the proper eclipse glasses, of course.
Read more: Yo-Yo YouTube
Photo/Image Credit: Canva