Literacy

Professional Development

August 16, 2017

Solar Eclipse Activities for Primary Learners

It’s here! Seeing a solar eclipse is not something that happens every day! Years ago we were able to catch a solar eclipse at 100% totality here across America.  How awesome was it to see something like this? The science nerd in me just loves it! You may be wondering, “How can I explain this to my little learners?” Here are a few free solar eclipse activities for kids you can do that will help your little learners understand how amazing this is!

Watch this solar eclipse video.

Yes, this one right here that the wonderful McGraw-Hill has created is perfect for our little learners. While it’s pertaining to the solar eclipse from 2017, it still is a great visual and it’s in kid friendly language!

Act out the solar eclipse.

Acting out the event with your students is a great way to give them a hands-on experience. Here is a simple step-by-step.

  1. Grab a piece of yellow paper (sun) and a piece of black paper (moon).
  2. Have students grab a partner. One partner will be the sun and will remain in place.
  3. The second partner will be the moon by slowly moving across the sun’s path until it covers the sun and blocks it completely.
  4. You could also do this with a flashlight (sun) and a black piece of paper (moon). Simply hold the flashlight in place and have a child move the moon until it blocks the sun completely, leaving it’s shadow to cast on the earth and making it dark for a few minutes.

You can also use the sun, moon, and earth to act out the solar eclipse.

Solar Eclipse Activities for Kids: Teaching Poster

Write about the solar eclipse.

Have them write about what is happening and illustrate it!  This is perfect for them to do after you have had a class discussion, watched the video, or acted it out!

Solar Eclipse Activities for Kids: Writing Page

Grab this UPDATED 2024 Solar Eclipse Freebie HERE!

Extend their learning about outer space.

More than likely, this is going to peak their interest when it comes to the sun, moon, and stars even! To me, this is one of those things we take and run with! Let their interest drive the instruction.  This is why your curriculum map is a living document–you move things around to best meet your students where they are! You can find these activities and MORE in my Sun, Moon, and Stars unit HERE.

Are you ready to explore the sun? Use this science unit and have your students write about all that they learn!
Blast off into space and explore the moon as students learn through this science unit and write about objects in the sky!

What are your plans for the big day? I know these solar eclipse activities for kids will help you be set for a day of learning! I’d love to hear your ideas!

Solar Eclipse Activities for Kids

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Happy Teaching,

Amanda

Mega Read Aloud List

Use this FREE mega list of science-related read alouds for kindergarten through second grade to help you teach science all year long! This list covers 39 science topics with 4+ book suggestions for each topic. Grab it today to be set for the entire year of science read alouds!

Hi, I'm Amanda

I’m a K-1 teacher who is passionate about making lessons your students love and that are easy to implement for teachers.  Helping teachers like you navigate their way through their literacy block brings me great joy. I am a lifelong learner who loves staying on top of current literacy learning and practices. Here, you’ll find the tools you need to move your K-2 students forward!

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