Eclipse plans?

[carolinacool]

Are you doing anything special for the eclipse? I'm getting oddly excited about it. LOL I live in North Carolina, and according to the charts, my city will have anywhere between 93% and 95% sun blockage, which sounds pretty good to me. A lot of folks plan to drive down to parts of South Carolina that are in the total eclipse window.

DS will be in his last week at Y camp. I was hoping to go over and watch with him, but I'll be in my second week of a new job, so that's not happening. I will, however, skip any work meeting. :ROTFLMAO:

[georgiegirl]

We have 95% here, but I can reach totality if I drive south on the interstate for 1:45. I debate whether to do it or not. I can't if there's lots of traffic since the kids have their school open house that night starting at 4, and I can't go much earlier since I have to drop my sister and her kids off at the airport at 10:30. Totality will happen at 1:08 I think.


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[BDKmom]

Where we live, we will get 98% blockage. Kids will be back in school already. Our school district is extending the school day by one hour since the timing of the eclipse is pretty near usual dismissal time. I haven't heard what our school is doing yet. I guess DH and I will go out and take a look. Not sure if we will stay home or head to a nearby park or anything.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I'm content with the % anticipated at home. That plus ds2 will be in school means that I will just stay put. We have family at 100% and my dh and ds1 will likely go and crash with them. There's a chance I might pack ds2 up and drive a bit south but I don't think I care that much. :)

[Mommy_Mea]

We are doing a program at a local wildlife center, DS1 will totally geek out. We are only about 70%, but it is still fun :)

[o_mom]

We are driving 6 hours south to stay with friends who are in the total path, but may drive a bit from there to the "center" of the path.

I am taking all the kids out of school for a day.

[carolinacool]

BDKMom mentioned a park. I just looked up local events and a few places are hosting viewing parties. Our local minor league baseball team is playing during the day and billing it as a Solar Eclipse game. lol

[candaceb]

We are headed to Carbondale IL.
I have a friend whose parents live there and she is flying in with her son, who is one of DS's buddies. We are going to drive down and meet them there. We have tickets for the big NASA event at the football stadium. DS doesn't have camp that week (and school doesn't start until 9/5) so I was looking for something to do anyway.

[AnnieW625]

We will be driving back home from Sacramento, and we would've left Portland three days earlier; the kids start school on the 23rd so we can't extend the trip any longer.

I remember the big one that was pretty dark in 1991 in California.


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[AngB]

I actually almost made a BP about this topic so funny it shows up here.

We are in the path of the total eclipse and our area is expected to have over a million visitors which is not really a touristy area. (Missouri). The schools have activities planned for the kids so I plan on definitely sending DS1 because they are far more excited/involved over it then I would ever be.

I have clinicals that day so am hopefully going to go but not sure what the million visitors is going to do to traffic around us (probably not good.)

I was wondering if people were talking about this constantly everywhere else or if it's just our area since we are right in the path. BUT...I don't really get the hype. I usually like science but this is just so underwhelming to me. I get the whole "once in a lifetime" thing but it's still just the sun and the moon that we see every day. The whole thing is like 2 minutes. Honestly I wouldn't be upset not to see it. My clinical sites are going out of the way to keep the schedule light that day so I have no idea.

DH is contemplating to take the day off work (he cares about it more then me but not a lot) because of traffic which isn't great on a regular day so forget it on eclipse day.
Our local news has aired "what to do if you are stuck in your car for 6+ hours in eclipse traffic" features so I will need to determine if that's a real possibility or they are just desperate for stories related to the eclipse.

[carolinacool]

After I posted, I've been reading up more. South Carolina is expecting 1,000,000 visitors as well. I think traffic will be pretty hellish. I also read that even if you're in an area at 95+%, you won't see a dramatic difference. Meh. Maybe so, but I can't imagine trying to do a day trip at this point. Apparently hotels are sold out.

[AngB]

After I posted, I've been reading up more. South Carolina is expecting 1,000,000 visitors as well. I think traffic will be pretty hellish. I also ready that even if you're in an area at 95+%, you won't see a dramatic difference. Meh. Maybe so, but I can't imagine trying to do a day trip at this point. Apparently hotels are sold out.

Ditto hotels here. In some parts people have rented out their fields/farmland for people to camp for crazy prices. I will pass on that. ;)

I have noticed a lot of people trying to sell eclipse shirts and personalized glasses, etc. on FB.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Hotels in a 2 hour radius of the totality appear to be sold out, per our research. They even sold out of floor space in a gym at a university in the totality. No thanks!!


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[Corie]

What website can I use to see what my percent of eclipse I'll see?

[ellies mom]

We have 99% at home but we are heading an hour south to get totality. The science museum in town is hosting an event at the state fairgrounds and we have tickets to that. Then, I expect to spend the rest of the day sitting in traffic.


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[SnuggleBuggles]

What website can I use to see what my percent of eclipse I'll see?

http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/maps.htm

[carolinacool]

You can enter your ZIP Code on this one and it gives you a percentage.
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/7/25/16019892/solar-eclipse-2017-interactive-map

[94bruin]

Like the OP, I am also oddly getting excited about it. Kids will be back in school, so I don't know if anything is planned at school. We're just at 70-80% coverage, but that's good enough for me. It's my normal day off from work and kids will be back in school, so why not!

According to a local NPR show, the there will be another total solar eclipse in 7 years - crossing in a completely different path. Maybe I'll plan better for the next one. :)

According to the same show, one of the biggest worries about the tourist bombarding these rural towns is having enough facilities for everyone. Um, I'll stay far away!

Also, if you do plan on looking, make sure you get a certified pair of eclipse glasses.

https://eclipse.aas.org/resources/solar-filters
https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/26/16033902/solar-eclipse-amazon-solar-filter-glasses-safety-iso-certified

[marymoo86]

We are on vacay and the spot is in the path of totality - complete coincidence as I didn't know it when I booked in Feb :D

Some areas could be a huge traffic snarl and cluster of major proportions. Glad we can hop out on the deck for viewing.

[anonomom]

I'm pretty excited about it, but not enough to go towards the path of totality. I need to check and see if we can view it from the backyard.

I know y'all probably know this, but order glasses now if you don't have them already. You can't view the eclipse safely without them. (that said, I ordered mine over a week ago and they're not here yet. I'd imagine the companies that make them are having a really nice month. :-)

[niccig]

We're not in the path, about 70% I think. I'll be back at work and DS will be at school, not sure what will happen at school


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[Meatball Mommie]

Sadly we will be on a plane coming back from Europe! Our home isn't in the totality range anyway, but I wish were at least on the ground lol My son even has a solar filter for his telescope (not purchased specifically for this) that we could have used to view it.

[smilequeen]

We are in a totality area. The tourists will annoy me but I'm excited. My kids have school and both schools have plans for watching. I'm going to watch with my 5th grader.

[Corie]

You can enter your ZIP Code on this one and it gives you a percentage.
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/7/25/16019892/solar-eclipse-2017-interactive-map


Looks like we'll get 90.5%. We could drive about 3 hours SW and get 100% but I have no desire to sit in traffic.

[baymom]

We recently finalized our plans--will be in Lusk, Wyoming in the band of totality. We are a bit worried about the traffic to Denver airport to make our flight home, as it'll likely be jam packed that afternoon. Fingers crossed. I guess we'll be one of the throng of tourists that locals seem to be annoyed about, but there is no way we'd miss this!

[chottumommy]

I'm pretty excited about it, but not enough to go towards the path of totality. I need to check and see if we can view it from the backyard.

I know y'all probably know this, but order glasses now if you don't have them already. You can't view the eclipse safely without them. (that said, I ordered mine over a week ago and they're not here yet. I'd imagine the companies that make them are having a really nice month. :-)

You can get them free at your local library. My cupboard is full with atleast 50 of them free from various summer events my kids attended. I also expect about 20 odd guests so they will come in handy. We are in the 100% totality area.

[carolinacool]

I read somewhere today that approved and safe glasses should have this code printed somewhere on them: ISO 12312-2.

One of the people DH supervises gave us three pairs and it was stamped with that number.

[rlu]

None. We're around mid 70% in the mid-morning and at some point that day we need to be at DS school to pick up his schedule. I'll note the time more closely to ensure none of us are outside staring at the sun. Watching the dark (if any?) go over the ground could be cool.

[ahisma]

We're driving 10 hours to a hotel, and then driving 90 mins that morning to reach totality at a park with a line-up that appealed to us. The kids are out of school and my girlfriend and I have flexible work schedules, so we're making a road trip out of it. We know that it's going to be chaotic, but my kids survived (and enjoyed) the Women's March in DC and I can't imagine it will be much worse than that. We're staying an extra day afterwards to relax before we head home.

I ordered my glasses earlier this week. BH Photo had some reputable glasses in stock and REI had the ones with 2x magnification.

[belovedgandp]

I was just going to send kids to school. The district is doing special programming and all students have glasses and will watch. We're in a 99+% area and I was going with that's good enough.

I kind of kicked myself about a year ago when I didn't make a plan. Last minute tonight a friend had an opening in her block of rooms at a hotel 2 hours east of here that will be in totality. I decided to pull the kids and go for it.

[lalasmama]

We're directly in the totality path. It's before school starts (weeks before!), and in the morning for us. So, I'm going to work for an hour, then walking home (1 mile), watching it for 90 minutes or so, and then walking back to work for the rest of the day. DH, youngest DD, and MIL will all be here. We're about 1/8 mile from an open field, so we will just watch from there.

[PZMommy]

We're not in the path, about 70% I think. I'll be back at work and DS will be at school, not sure what will happen at school


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Same here. It is at our recess time which complicates matters. Im waiting for the district to issue some sort of "rule".

[elizabethkott]

We're driving to Kentucky to view it!
My dad has a whole grand-master plan, researched for a couple of years, regarding our hotel, and viewing sites. And yes, he has an "A" plan, and a "B" plan, both predicated on weather and traffic. I think he also has a secret plan "C", just in case. He's chosen sites that are off the beaten path, in large, open, public spaces. (FWIW, he is an astronomer, so there's that lol!)
I'm getting really excited! I saw a total eclipse in 1992 and it was seriously amazing. I'm so excited to share this with DH and the kids. It's not just about the totality, which is super, super cool! but also about the different phases of the eclipse. And there's something so eerie about hearing the night animals come out in the middle of the day!

[squimp]

We are in the totality and everyone is freaking out about how many people are going to be here. I am planning to watch in my neighborhood.

[Corie]

I was talking to a guy at the hardware store and he told me that there is another total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Cincinnati
will get 99.8% coverage for the 2024 eclipse.

[mikala]

We considered driving several hours to totality but realized it's just not going to happen this time.

I'm having a hard time findimg in stock eclipse glasses and just started another thread on that, thought I'd mention it here in case any of you have info to add.

[essnce629]

Am I the only person who hadn't read or heard a thing about this? I have no idea when it is or anything. Is it because I'm in Los Angeles? My mom just mentioned it to me tonight. [emoji23][emoji23]

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[AnnieW625]

Am I the only person who hadn't read or heard a thing about this? I have no idea when it is or anything. Is it because I'm in Los Angeles? My mom just mentioned it to me tonight. [emoji23][emoji23]

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I haven't either other than here and I have cousins who live in NC and one mentioned it on FB in response to my sister's question about when and where to take a quick weekend trip when she asked a few weeks back. I wouldn't be driving out of my way to see this or messing with school schedules for this even if we were in an area that covered more than 70%. This will last 90 minutes and yes it is cool and maybe I will stop along I-5 and get a photo or two since we will be driving home, but that is it.


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[PZMommy]

Am I the only person who hadn't read or heard a thing about this? I have no idea when it is or anything. Is it because I'm in Los Angeles? My mom just mentioned it to me tonight. [emoji23][emoji23]

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I'm in LA too. I only heard about it because of other teachers in other states talking about it. Not sure what we will do at school since it is as recess/lunch time and kids shouldn't look at the sun during the eclipse.

[o_mom]

I'm in LA too. I only heard about it because of other teachers in other states talking about it. Not sure what we will do at school since it is as recess/lunch time and kids shouldn't look at the sun during the eclipse.

Sounds like a good time to demonstrate pinhole projection.

[mcmanutm]

I was talking to a guy at the hardware store and he told me that there is another total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Cincinnati
will get 99.8% coverage for the 2024 eclipse.

Thanks for sharing! How cool! I wonder if our schools are doing anything for this?


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[AnnieW625]

Same here. It is at our recess time which complicates matters. Im waiting for the district to issue some sort of "rule".

According to Griffith Park (http://griffithobservatory.org/sky/skysolareclipsestimes.html) it will be done by 11:44.


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[PZMommy]

According to Griffith Park (http://griffithobservatory.org/sky/skysolareclipsestimes.html) it will be done by 11:44.


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Good to know! We have recess/lunch starting at 10:15 and they go until 1:00. Various grades at different times.

[rlu]

Sounds like a good time to demonstrate pinhole projection.

Yep, BSA put out a posting on the Cub Scout facebook page on July 21 explaining how to view safely. https://www.facebook.com/officialcubscouts/?hc_ref=ARQmMW03Ly4BoNFQbhYSXK02c6jHdf6rFl0XrVZZ0C ZthX9o6syKJX8gOyl6DBaY_AE&fref=nf

[ccather]

We're driving 8 hours south to an area just outside of the Totality path, then driving an about an hour south west the morning of to our Plan A spot. We'll be watching the weather and planning to roll with it as needed! My kids cheered when we told them we were going with the same equivalency of a major amusement park :) Hotel was pretty easy to find and surprisingly not too expensive. We're suckers for adventure and this is perfect!

[c&j04]

maybe I will stop along I-5 and get a photo or two since we will be driving home, but that is it.


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This is exactly what emergency personnel do NOT want people doing in our area. Traffic needs to keep moving and shoulders are to be kept clear for official use. We're expecting major traffic issues.
I could stay home and probably see enough but will drive 30 minutes for maximum potential. (#1 viewing spot!)

[maylips]

I haven't read all of the replies so it may have been mentioned, but I'm in the western part of NC in the path of totality. My work is hosting a big event that I'm in charge of so I've been to quite a few trainings. They all say that if you're not in 100%, it is completely a different experience and nothing like 100%. Even 99.3% isn't the same.

I think that's why the totality areas will be so full. It will be crazy, but it sounds worth it if you're not too far to get there.

[bisous]

I haven't read all of the replies so it may have been mentioned, but I'm in the western part of NC in the path of totality. My work is hosting a big event that I'm in charge of so I've been to quite a few trainings. They all say that if you're not in 100%, it is completely a different experience and nothing like 100%. Even 99.3% isn't the same.

I think that's why the totality areas will be so full. It will be crazy, but it sounds worth it if you're not too far to get there.

Yes, this is what I've heard as well. Only 100% makes for the really cool events. As a Southern California resident I'd have to drive way too far to be in the path of totality. Maybe some time in my lifetime I'll get to see one. It sounds really cool.

[Smillow]

We are headed down to the Charleston area. We are leaving early Saturday morning, but headed back home (about 8 hours in normal traffic) asap after the eclipse concludes. I might wait to go back early Tuesday morning, but we will be traveling again later in the week and I want to get home!

[Dream]

Its 70% for us in NY but its at 2.45pm I have work, kids will be in skating camp. I don't know whether its worth it to take time off to view this. I do have a telescope but I don't know how it'll be in broad day light.

[kristac]

Its 70% for us in NY but its at 2.45pm I have work, kids will be in skating camp. I don't know whether its worth it to take time off to view this. I do have a telescope but I don't know how it'll be in broad day light.

If you use a telescope you need a filter to view it. Do not look directly at the sun with a telescope and no filter.

[Pear]

We are at something like 99.7% blockage. Dd has school and they are doing a big eclipse day. DH and I might drive 15-20 min north to get to 100%, but more likely we will just step outside at the appropriate time.

[Pear]

Our pta bought glasses for all students and staff and everyone will be outside to view. If they had not made that announcement, we would have pulled Dd from school for the day even though it is the first few days at a new school.

[Dream]

If you use a telescope you need a filter to view it. Do not look directly at the sun with a telescope and no filter.

Thank you for pointing that out. I guess we'll pass this time.

[lizzywednesday]

No plans whatsoever; we'll only get a partial view and that could be obscured by clouds, depending on the forecast for that day.

DH has toyed with the idea of doing a marathon drive down to SC, but I think he's just talking out of his hat.

ETA: Since things at the office for DH are so FUBARed, DD and I signed up for an eclipse event at the library. I've also got a ton of links about making pinhole viewers/projectors and a great (blank) resource for kids from the Planetary Society:

(1) Warby Parker's Eclipse 2017 page (stores' supplies of glasses are likely gone by now, but their printable viewer is still pretty cool):

https://www.warbyparker.com/solar-eclipse

(2) NASA Eclipse Viewing (if you can't get glasses or don't want younger kids looking at the sun):

https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/eclipse-viewing

(3) KiwiCo, formerly KiwiCrate, how-to make a pinhole projector:

https://www.kiwico.com/diy/Holidays-and-Events/2/project/Pinhole-Projector/2858

(4) Planetary Society BLANK handout:

http://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/education/eclipse2017/20170814_eclipse-handout-blank.pdf

(5) Planetary Society - Viewing the Eclipse with Kids (includes links to blank handouts in several languages other than English, as well as sheets for specific areas, like LA or within the path of totality):

http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2017/sharing-an-eclipse-with-kids.html#handout

[ahisma]

We're second guessing plans now. We were headed to NE, but the cloud cover predictions don't look great there. We also have reservations in southern IL that we could use.

[KrisM]

We have reservations in Nashville for Sunday night. Leaving really early on Sunday morning and hoping traffic isn't awful. We're crossing our fingers that we can just see it from the parking lot! We are planning to drive home Monday afternoon, but realize traffic could make it tough, so might need a plan B.

[hbridge]

We are at about 70%. I bought glasses months ago and my plan is to go out in the yard/neighborhood to "watch". We may need to be a few towns over, in which case we will observe from there...

[PZMommy]

We finally got official word from our school district. We are sheltering in place from 9-12. Some of the high schools bought glasses for classes to use, but Elem schools are staying inside.

[bisous]

We finally got official word from our school district. We are sheltering in place from 9-12. Some of the high schools bought glasses for classes to use, but Elem schools are staying inside.

This reminds me. I have a dumb eclipse question. Where I'm at we'll have approx. 70% blockage of the sun. Is that enough that it will attract the kids to look directly at the sun? AKA, there is no way that they might not notice what's happening and just avoid looking at the sun naturally? Because it is freaking me out to think we might look at it accidentally yet we're outside all the time and dont seem to have a problem avoiding the sun. Does that make sense?

[PZMommy]

This reminds me. I have a dumb eclipse question. Where I'm at we'll have approx. 70% blockage of the sun. Is that enough that it will attract the kids to look directly at the sun? AKA, there is no way that they might not notice what's happening and just avoid looking at the sun naturally? Because it is freaking me out to think we might look at it accidentally yet we're outside all the time and dont seem to have a problem avoiding the sun. Does that make sense?

From what we have been told, it will be covered enough that kids may look at the sun. The problem is that when the sun is out like normal I is too bright to actually look at it. But during an eclipse it is covered enough that it is easy enough to look at it, and it won't feel painful, but it can cause damage.

[bisous]

From what we have been told, it will be covered enough that kids may look at the sun. The problem is that when the sun is out like normal I is too bright to actually look at it. But during an eclipse it is covered enough that it is easy enough to look at it, and it won't feel painful, but it can cause damage.

Thank you! I was wondering how that worked!

[carolinacool]

We're second guessing plans now. We were headed to NE, but the cloud cover predictions don't look great there. We also have reservations in southern IL that we could use.

Yeah, I'm not really sure what the weather is doing here. There's a 20% chance of afternoon rain or a thunderstorm. Welcome to August in North Carolina. I hope for the sake of everyone traveling to totality that it's a bright sunny day without a cloud in the sky.

[Smillow]

From what we have been told, it will be covered enough that kids may look at the sun. The problem is that when the sun is out like normal I is too bright to actually look at it. But during an eclipse it is covered enough that it is easy enough to look at it, and it won't feel painful, but it can cause damage.


Thank you! I was wondering how that worked!

Please watch and be safe! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jS45tOchYx4 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jS45tOchYx4

[okinawama]

In what our district is calling an "over abundance of caution," our students won't be allowed outside during a 4 hours window on Monday. Our neighboring district, who releases 10 minutes shy of eclipse time has actually cancelled school on Monday. I'm disappointed for my kids, but am hopeful that some of the other activities as well as the NASA live stream will be a memorable experience!

[abh5e8]

We live right in the middle of the band of totalitly. I'm working, but will go outside to view it. Dh and the kids will be home. They are planning to go outside to view it as well. We all have glasses. I'll a little worried about my little ones... that they wouldn't keep their glasses on. Ds3 just turned 1... Dh is planning to put him down for nap and leave him inside.

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[PZMommy]

Please watch and be safe! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jS45tOchYx4 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jS45tOchYx4

I will. My district is not letting us be outside from 9am-12, so we will be watching the NASA feed, plus just getting our regular work done.

[AngB]

I am pretty shocked that our schools are taking ALL the kids outside (even preschoolers) without parent permission needed. You have to sign a form for your kid to stay inside. Many of the districts here are doing it this way. I am not a lawyer but I think when a few kids end up with eye damage (in a district of 16000 I would guess that's inevitable?), I would guess the parents' have a decent case to sue. But I can't imagine they didn't already investigate this so maybe not?

I decided to keep my kids home and staying home too. We are in the path of totality and I expect traffic to be a nightmare. Last year we had an unexpected ice glazing around 1-2pm that hit right before rush hour. Traffic that evening was 4+ hours almost everywhere with roads shut down, etc., a few schools had to keep kids overnight. I don't see how having a million or more visitors in an area, all leaving right before rush hour, (should be over around 1:30pm), is going to go well. I would love to be wrong but not risking it!

[mom_hanna]

We are in 97% totality. Kids haven't started school yet but their schools gave out free glasses at the end of last year and all this week so we will go outside to view it. No plans to drive a couple hours to get to 100%. It's supposed to be clear skies, sunny and 85 degrees so viewing should be good.

[PZMommy]

I am pretty shocked that our schools are taking ALL the kids outside (even preschoolers) without parent permission needed. You have to sign a form for your kid to stay inside. Many of the districts here are doing it this way. I am not a lawyer but I think when a few kids end up with eye damage (in a district of 16000 I would guess that's inevitable?), I would guess the parents' have a decent case to sue. But I can't imagine they didn't already investigate this so maybe not?

I decided to keep my kids home and staying home too. We are in the path of totality and I expect traffic to be a nightmare. Last year we had an unexpected ice glazing around 1-2pm that hit right before rush hour. Traffic that evening was 4+ hours almost everywhere with roads shut down, etc., a few schools had to keep kids overnight. I don't see how having a million or more visitors in an area, all leaving right before rush hour, (should be over around 1:30pm), is going to go well. I would love to be wrong but not risking it!

I'm surprised by this!! How can one teacher and maybe an aide or two ensure that all the little kids will keep their glasses on and not look at the sun?? It would be a huge liability issue!! In my district a few high schools are doing a viewing of it, but even at that level they need signed permission slips! I would not want to be a teacher that was required to take my entire class out. It only takes one kid who doesn't take the warning seriously and looks at the sun for there to be a problem.

[lizzywednesday]

I replied 2 weeks ago, but things have changed for us, which means DD and I will be attending an eclipse event at our local library.

As a reminder to anyone who hasn't been able to get eclipse viewing glasses and who wants to use a pinhole projector/projector box or other method that the pinhole "camera" viewers are INDIRECT methods, which means you don't point them directly AT the sun; you stand with your back to the Sun and use the projection method in front of your body.

It's a good idea to test your method at the time the eclipse will be viewable for your area.

I've also got a ton of links about making pinhole viewers/projectors and a great (blank) resource for kids from the Planetary Society:

(1) Warby Parker's Eclipse 2017 page (stores' supplies of glasses are likely gone by now, but their printable viewer is still pretty cool):

https://www.warbyparker.com/solar-eclipse

(2) NASA Eclipse Viewing (if you can't get glasses or don't want younger kids looking at the sun):

https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/eclipse-viewing

(3) KiwiCo, formerly KiwiCrate, how-to make a pinhole projector:

https://www.kiwico.com/diy/Holidays-and-Events/2/project/Pinhole-Projector/2858

(4) Planetary Society BLANK handout:

http://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/education/eclipse2017/20170814_eclipse-handout-blank.pdf

(5) Planetary Society - Viewing the Eclipse with Kids (includes links to blank handouts in several languages other than English, as well as sheets for specific areas, like LA or within the path of totality):

http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2017/sharing-an-eclipse-with-kids.html#handout

[bisous]

I'm starting to rethink my plans. I read something on FB (I KNOW you guys, don't believe everything you read but being cautious can't be bad right?) that was talking about young kids and possible problems with adherence and/or fit with the glasses. I don't want to chance my little guys not wearing them properly. I'm thinking instead that if I find glasses today I'll buy them for me and the big kids. We'll put a movie on for the littles and the big kids and I will catch a glimpse from home but we won't be spending alot of time outside to do so. Originally I was going to go to our local public library for glasses and some activities. I'm just not sure that my two littles will listen properly and keep their glasses on the whole time and I don't want to risk eye damage.

[doberbrat]

Maylips - sent you a PM hoping you can help me find a better viewing spot from where I am :)

thanks!

[AngB]

I'm surprised by this!! How can one teacher and maybe an aide or two ensure that all the little kids will keep their glasses on and not look at the sun?? It would be a huge liability issue!! In my district a few high schools are doing a viewing of it, but even at that level they need signed permission slips! I would not want to be a teacher that was required to take my entire class out. It only takes one kid who doesn't take the warning seriously and looks at the sun for there to be a problem.

I know!!! I think it's crazy. I worked with a girl who sends her kids to a private Catholic school in our area and their school is only letting grades 4th and up go outside (younger kids can go outside if a parent wants to come take them.)

Our 4 yo already told me he does not want to wear glasses so I can't imagine sending him to their prek class (public school, he has an IEP and I think about 12 kids in his class for 1 teacher and an aide) ...but they are going out! Obviously they are very eager to have parents volunteer to come help.

I definitely feel bad for the teachers that have to deal with it.

[specialp]

I'm starting to rethink my plans. I read something on FB (I KNOW you guys, don't believe everything you read but being cautious can't be bad right?) that was talking about young kids and possible problems with adherence and/or fit with the glasses. I don't want to chance my little guys not wearing them properly. I'm thinking instead that if I find glasses today I'll buy them for me and the big kids. We'll put a movie on for the littles and the big kids and I will catch a glimpse from home but we won't be spending alot of time outside to do so. Originally I was going to go to our local public library for glasses and some activities. I'm just not sure that my two littles will listen properly and keep their glasses on the whole time and I don't want to risk eye damage.


No, I take that warning seriously. I attached elastic band to the back to make the glasses a mask so it fits snug, totally covers, and can’t be taken off easily. We will be in our neighborhood's best viewing spot weather permitting and already have our glasses.

[squimp]

Someone asked about need in glasses during the partial eclipse and you definitely need them.
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/08/18/543745409/be-smart-a-partial-eclipse-can-fry-your-naked-eyes

[carolinacool]

Welp. That was a dud. The only patch of rain in the ENTIRE state of North Carolina was over my city. Hundreds of us standing in a park staring at clouds. :ROTFLMAO:

DH drove out near our house to pull DS out of camp. They had better luck. Still some clouds but they eventually moved away.

[NCGrandma]

Welp. That was a dud. The only patch of rain in the ENTIRE state of North Carolina was over my city. Hundreds of us standing in a park staring at clouds. :ROTFLMAO:

DH drove out near our house to pull DS out of camp. They had better luck. Still some clouds but they eventually moved away.

No rain here, but I really expected it to get a lot darker than it did. Even the birds seemed unimpressed.


Sent from my iPad using Baby Bargains (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87652)

[doberbrat]

Welp. That was a dud. The only patch of rain in the ENTIRE state of North Carolina was over my city. Hundreds of us standing in a park staring at clouds. :ROTFLMAO:

DH drove out near our house to pull DS out of camp. They had better luck. Still some clouds but they eventually moved away.

HAHA I know where you are! :) We're vacationing in NC. Drove 30min to an event ...... My mom and aunt refused to go saying it would be too busy /crowded etc. As we approached, the clouds thickened. When we got off the highway, it was total cloud cover so I made DH turn around and go back to where we came from and we had perfect weather. He was really thrilled with me ;)

ETA I'm sorry you missed out. It was really cool. Well dh, dd1 & I thought it was cool. DD2 spent the time climbing trees