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Solar Eclipse for Kids || Kids Astronomy || Science for Kids

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I Am The Solar System by Rebecca and James McDonald | A Book About Space for Kids | Read Aloud

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Children will explore the phenomenon of a total solar eclipse.

Vocabulary:

confused, partial solar eclipse, total solar eclipse
Science Focus:

objects in the sky
CCSS (and states that have similar standards):

RI.K.1 key details, RI.K.4 vocabulary, RF.K.3.A letters and sounds, RL.K.1 key details (literature)

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Students learn about a total solar eclipse and read a graph of safety glasses colors.

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As part of our space unit, we had the fun opportunity to visit a local NASA museum. The museum was small - nothing like the large NASA museum in Houston that I would love to take my kids to - but we still enjoyed a couple of hours there one afternoon.

One of the exhibits my kids enjoyed the most was focused on life in the International Space Station. That exhibit included a glove box, which is a special box astronauts and scientists use to study (1) objects that may be harmful to humans if handled directly or (2) objects that may be damaged if touched directly by human hands.

I wanted to give my kids a better understanding of the glove box and its role in scientific research. So I figured, what better way to help them understand the glove box than to build one of our own?
Note: For more space-related activities, see my Space Unit Study page.
To build our glove box, we began by cutting the lid flaps off of a cardboard box.

We then lined the bottom of the box with duct tape. We did this in anticipation of putting some damp materials into the box, but you can skip this step if you only plan to put dry items inside.

We then cut two holes on either side of the box. Make sure you make the holes large enough for your kids to fit their hands through. But you also want them small enough that you can tape your gloves to them in the next step.

Next, we found a pair of unused rubber cleaning gloves. (We used some adult-size gloves, but in hindsight I wish we had used our kid-size craft gloves instead.)

We placed the gloves through the holes we had cut, making sure to position them properly for little hands to be inserted into them. By this I mean you want to make sure to put the left glove in the left hole and the right glove in the right hole. You'll also want to be sure you point the thumbs inwards and maybe slightly up so the hand position will feel natural when kids insert their hands in the gloves.

We used duct tape to form a complete seal on the outside of the box where the gloves went in. My kids and I talked about why having a complete seal was important to scientists and astronauts.

This is what our glove box looked like once we had our gloves connected to it.

The last step to complete our box was to fill it with the objects to be manipulated and then cover it with plastic wrap so the kids could see what they were doing but not grab the materials except by inserting their hands into the gloves.

In the picture below, I put rocks, markers, bowls, and magnifying glasses into the glove box. My kids and I pretended that the rocks were moon rocks, and I gave them the task of looking at the rocks, labeling the rocks, and then sorting the rocks into their respective bowls.

They really took on the role of astronaut scientists very well with this activity, and had a lot of fun with it. They used the markers to make spots on the rocks, and began telling me that the rocks were contaminated with mold (even though they know that no such contamination was found on the real moon rocks). They were laughing so hard during this activity that I couldn't help but smile.

Building a glove box was a great way for my kids to learn more about how scientists works, and they got to emulate the astronauts who studied the first moon rocks back in 1969.

More resources for learning about space

More space-related posts from Gift of Curiosity:
You'll find more resources for learning about life in space on my Space Unit Study page and my Space and the Solar System Pinterest board.
Follow Katie @ Gift of Curiosity's board Unit Ideas: Space & the Solar System on Pinterest.

Products mentioned in this post:

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DIY astronaut glove box - Gift of Curiosity

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As part of our space unit, we had the fun opportunity to visit a local NASA museum. The museum was small - nothing like the large NASA museum in Houston that I would love to take my kids to - but we still enjoyed a couple of hours there one afternoon.

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Here are a few options for observing the eclipse!

If you don't have eclipse glasses, have your students follow our step-by-step activity to construct a pinhole projector. Click the arrow on the right to begin this activity.

If you have eclipse glasses, discuss safety procedures before distributing the glasses and observing the eclipse.

If it's cloudy or you are unable to go outside, you can watch a live stream of the eclipse, courtesy of NASA. The livestream will run from 1 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time on April 8, 2024.

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Why does it get dark during a solar eclipse?

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In the mini-lesson, students reflect on how shadows are made when light is blocked and connect this to the really BIG shadow the Moon makes during a total solar eclipse. In the activity, students work with a partner to create a solar eclipse viewer out of paper.

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📚 Storytime Channel for Kids | Total Solar Eclipse: A Stellar Friendship Story ☀️🌚

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Learning The Solar System With Blippi | Science Videos For Kids

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Learning The Solar System With Blippi | Science Videos For Kids

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Place planets on floor, move around the planets while the music plays. When the music stops the child stands on the planet they are closest to and names that planet.

You can also place the planets on the floor in a straight line and have the children hop to each one.

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Planet Song | Preschool | Solar System Song

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Look Up! Total Solar Eclipse Explained for Kids | Science + Educational Songs | Super Sema

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Kids Yoga Stories | Yoga and mindfulness resources for kids

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Learn about outer space through books and yoga!

My daughter came home from school, talking about what they were learning about the solar system in her classroom. This sparked a discussion about the mysteries of outer space. We went outside to watch the night sky together and to point out the stars, moon, and constellations.

The next day, we went to the library to check out outer space books for kids. We worked on an outer space puzzle to learn the order of the planets. Then we made up space yoga poses for kids to learn about various astrological phenomenons.
This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
7 Outer Space Books for Kids

Here are seven of our favorite outer space books for kids:

The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System
by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen
If you're a Magic School Bus fan, don't miss Ms. Frizzle and her class's adventures to space in these titles: Lost in the Solar System, Hello Out There (Sticker Book About the Solar System), and Take a Moonwalk.

Check Out this Space Book List from our Friends at Growing Book by Book

5 Outer Space Yoga Poses for Kids

After reading about the solar system, make a list of things you might be able to mimic through yoga postures. These yoga poses for kids below are specifically sequenced to invite flow from one pose to the next. Five yoga poses that we made up to pretend that we were different astrological phenomenon.

1. Extended Mountain Pose: pretend to be the sun

How to practice Extended Mountain Pose: Stand tall in Mountain Pose, look up, take your arms straight up to the sky, and touch your palms together. Pretend to look up to the sun.

2. Crescent Moon Pose: pretend to be the Moon

How to practice Crescent Moon Pose: Stand tall with legs hip-width apart, feet facing forward, and straighten your arms alongside your body. Reach your arms up high over your head, bringing your palms together. Tilt your upper body to one side, pretending to be the moon. Come back to center. Tilt your body to the other side.

3. Warrior 3 Pose: Pretend to be a Shooting Star

How to practice Warrior 3 Pose: Stand on one leg. Extend the other leg behind you, flexing your foot. Bend your torso forward and take your arms back alongside your body. Pretend you are falling through the sky like a shooting star. Switch sides and repeat the steps.

4. Extended Child's Pose: Pretend to be a Comet

How to practice Extended Child's Pose: Sit on your heels, slowly bring your forehead down to rest in front of your knees, place the palms of your hands flat out in front of you, and take a few deep breaths. Imagine your arms being the "tail" of gas and dust particles coming out of a comet.

5. Child's Pose: Pretend to be an Asteroid

How to practice Child's Pose: Sit on your heels, slowly bring your forehead down to rest on the floor in front of your knees, rest your arms down alongside your body, and take a few deep breaths. Pretend to be an asteroid in the dark sky.

You could finish your Outer Space Yoga session in Resting Pose, pretending to gaze at the stars in the sky. Imagine the constellations that you might see in the night sky. What did you learn about the solar system? Tell us in the comments below!

MAY WE SUGGEST...

Download Our Free Outer Space Yoga Poster

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Other Outer Space Resources

Here are some more fun resources to learn about space:
Melissa and Doug Outer Space Puzzle Yoga for Kids Outer Space Blastoff DVD
Space Yoga for Kids, S ugar Spice and Glitter

Ideas for Outer Space Kids Yoga Class, OMazing Kids

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Outer Space Yoga and Books - Learn about the solar system through books and yoga poses for kids. Pretend to be the sun, the moon, or a comet!

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Students stand beads on pipe cleaners to match the number on the star.