50+ Educational Resources for the Great American Eclipse 2024

With the big solar eclipse just a couple of weeks away, our homeschool has been busy doing a mini-dive into the solar eclipse & other astronomy topics.  And I’ve gathered up more than 75 resources to share with *you* for the ultimate collection of resources for the Great American Eclipse.

My first stop for all things to do with outer space is, of course, NASA!  Their multitude of websites never let me down, and their eclipse part is no exception.  They have both a K-12 section as well as a homeschool section.  

• 5 Surprising Effects Besides Darkness

Preparing to Watch the Great American Eclipse 2024

• Hosting an eclipse party
• Snacks during the eclipse sounds great!  See BBC’s suggestions for cakes, cookies & fruit ideas to eat the eclipse!
• Solar Eclipse Viewing Guide  This illustrated guide is a one-stop shop for the must-know information.
• 5 Safe Ways to View the Eclipse (video)
• No eclipse glasses? Alternatives from your kitchen!
• 25 Things to Bring to the Eclipse
• How to get kids ready for, and excited for, the Great American Eclipse
• NASA has a large collection of downloadable items, including images, posters, activity guide,s and infographics.
• Solar Eclipse Across America is a collection of resources, information, and everything else you could want to know, put out by the American Astronomical Society.  Be sure to check this one out!

• NASA Eclipse Flickr gallery Upload your eclipse photos and check out the photos from other across the country.

What is a solar eclipse?

• Solar Eclipses 101  National Geographic offers a short video on why they occur, the various types, and safely viewing them.
• Solar Eclipse v. Lunar Eclipse PhysicsGirl will teach you!
• Smithsonian Air & Space Museum brings you four videos to teach you about the eclipse

The Myths & Truths of Eclipses

• No eclipse glasses? Alternatives from your kitchen!
• How Eclipses Changed History (video)
• Misconceptions about Eclipses

Learning about the Sun

• Standard Solar has two comic books: What color is the sun? and Secrets in Sunlight.
• Native American Starlore
• Ancient Civilizations & the Sun  Learn about early civilizations & their beliefs about the sun and their relationship to it.

Solar Eclipse Apps

• NASA’s Eyes is a web-based or desktop simulation of the eclipse from various places in the US.
• Totality app by BigKid science
• Eclipse Software & Apps

Eclipse Books for Adults

• American Eclipse: A Nation’s Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon & Win the Glory of the World  (story of the 1878 eclipse)
• How to Photograph an Eclipse

Elementary Solar Eclipse Resources

The Science of Solar Eclipses

• Eclipse: An Introduction for grades 1-3
• Why do eclipses happen?  A yardstick demonstration.
• NASA’s Space Place website is an opportunity for upper elementary kids to learn about space through games & videos.
• DIY Sun Science  This app, available for Apple products only, offers hands-on activity ideas, videos, images, etc.
• A dozen fun activities to do with your kids/students provided you to by NASA.
• Make a moon phase calendar.

Elementary Eclipse Art Projects

• Predict the Corona (chalk art)
• Coffee filter eclipse craft
• Solar Eclipse Painted Paper Plates
• Solar Eclipse Craft for kids
• eHow demonstrates solar eclipse art projects for the younger crowd.

Kids Books about the Eclipse

• Solar Eclipse: The Complete Kids’ Guide & Activity Book
• When the Sun Goes Dark
• Eddie’s Eclipse
• 10 Solar Eclipse books for Kids
• The Big Eclipse
• Looking Up: The Science of Stargazing
• Hello, World! Solar System

Solar Eclipse Resources for Middle School & High School

News Articles

• As Eclipse Madness Sweeps US, a Stonehenge Made of Cars Prepares (Audio & print)
• A Beautiful Spectacle Why a geographer encourages everyone to see an eclipse (audio + print)
• Eclipse Chasers Urge Viewing (Audio + print)
• Total Eclipse of 1878
• Scientists Prepare for the Most Beautiful Thing

Solar Eclipse Math Activities

• Ancient Eclipses & Length of the Day (math)
• Space Math for high schoolers
• Solar Math for high schoolers
• Measuring Solar Energy during an Eclipse

The Science of Solar Eclipses

• Why do eclipses happen?  A yardstick demonstration.
• Eclipse Shadow Cones (video)
• Teaching Planetary Science–Eclipses  A professional development video on teaching eclipses to high school-level students.  
• A dozen fun activities to do with your kids/students provided you to by NASA.
• Teach about the Solar Eclipse  A collection of links gathered by PBS Learning Media.
• Pinhole Camera  Learn how to construct a pinhole camera for the eclipse
• Science of the Sun  Middle school & high school unit of 11 different activities on the sun, including directions & worksheets.
• Space Weather
• The Sun & Total Eclipse A free course through Coursera

Teacher Resources

• Eclipse Resource Toolkit
• From Harvard University, hear a lecture about the Coast-to-Coast eclipse.
• Eclipses Across the Curriculum  This guide provides ideas to study the eclipse in various subjects
• The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) has put out a solar eclipse viewing guide with lots of answers to those WHY questions kids ask.
• Lego Education Eclipse Ideas

Is my ultimate resource list missing a Great American Eclipse resource?  Please share below!