By: Sandra Ortiz
Protect your children's eyes during the 2024 solar eclipse with this DIY craft you can make at home. Your kids will love it!
We're on the brink of witnessing the 2024 solar eclipse, a phenomenon we've been anticipating since August 2017, when the last solar eclipse was visible in the United States. The excitement for this event stems from the fact that we won't witness a similar natural phenomenon again until August 23, 2044.
According to NASA, the total solar eclipse will begin over the South Pacific Ocean. Weather permitting, the first location in continental North America that will experience totality is Mexico’s Pacific coast at around 11:07 a.m. PDT. The phenomenon will then continue its path from Mexico to Canada.
In the United States, specifically, it will start in Texas and end in Maine, although small parts of Tennessee and Michigan will also witness the entirety of the event. To know the exact time, it will pass through your area, we recommend consulting the schedule provided by NASA.
How to protect yourself to safely watch the eclipse:
To watch the eclipse, you'll need special glasses (not regular sunglasses) that comply with the international standard ISO 12312-2. This standard ensures that the glasses reduce visible solar light to safe levels and block UV and IR radiation.
According to Forbes, there are three American companies selling solar eclipse glasses listed on the American Astronomical Society's Suppliers of Safe Solar Filters & Viewers list. These are: Astronomy for Equity, Eclipse2024.org, and GreatAmericanEclipse.com.
Now that you know where to get safe glasses, the next step is to ensure that the kids at home are well-protected.
That's why we bring you this idea that's going viral on social media and that we wanted to put to the test.
To make this craft, we based it on the article from Astronomy Plus, but added some additional steps and important recommendations.
You'll need:
Scissors
Box Cutter
Pencil
Paper plate (sized for the child)
Set of crayons for decorating
Procedure:
Important: First and foremost, we recommend having additional glasses that you can use to design these protectors, thereby eliminating the risk of damaging them during the process.
Step 1: Place the plate facing upwards and place the glasses on top. Trace a line following the contour of the glasses.
Step 2: Mark four points to indicate where the lens protections are located so you can draw a replica.
Step 3: With the help of the cutter and scissors, cut the holes where the glasses' protections will go.
Step 4: Mark on each side the corners corresponding to the hinges of the glasses, there you will make a hole (with the help of the cutter) to insert them.
Step 5: Ensure that the outer edge of the glasses completely covers all cutout sections.
Step 6: Mark a triangle on the part where the nose starts to the end of the plate.
Step 7: Decorate the protector to your liking, but be sure not to tape the glasses to the plates if you plan to decorate them.
Now, the kids will be happy to enjoy this wonderful natural phenomenon, and you'll be much more at ease knowing that they're getting a little more protection.
Happy 2024 solar eclipse!
About the author: Sandra Ortiz
Sandra Ortiz Juárez studied Communication Sciences in her native Mexico and obtained a master's degree in Audiovisual Journalism in Spain. She has worked on radio, television and in digital media such as AOL Latino, Mamás Latinas and in the magazines Siempre Mujer and Ser Padres, where she served as digital director. She has interviewed celebrities such as Carolina Herrera, Isabel Toledo, Natalia Jiménez, Luis Fonsi, William Levy, among many other personalities. In her free time she likes to dance and experiment in the kitchen. She confesses to being addicted to the internet and sushi.
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