Learn more during a solar eclipse by using this free solar eclipse printable. Plus more educational resources to help your kids get the most out of a solar eclipse.
My family lives quite close to the area of total eclipse during the Great American Eclipse of 2017. We found the eclipse to be a great learning experience for my kids, so I wanted to share the free eclipse printable I created.
This printable is wonderful for guiding kids through how to observe and record what’s going on during a solar eclipse.
Obviously, I have to start this out by saying that you should never look at the sun, even during an eclipse, without proper eye protection. Go here to find out what NASA says about eye protection.
Make sure you know what you and your family are looking for before the solar eclipse happens. Some of these phenomena will only be present for a few seconds, so you don’t want to miss them while you’re trying to figure out what they are.
Click the picture to get your free Solar Eclipse Printable Worksheet.
Keep scrolling for more to look for during the solar eclipse.
Here are some links to learn more about items on the solar eclipse printable:
To watch a video about the crescents you can find in the shade under trees, look here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRcwoAHdTlI
To watch a video about shadow bands, check here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_XMnU7Ad40
Measure the temperature before the eclipse and during the eclipse to see how much it changed.
Take note of things going on around you. You may be able to see the stars, if you’re in an area away from city lights. You may be able to see some planets, even.
We have chickens, so we will be watching to see if they go and roost. We have also heard that sometimes they think it’s a new day and lay eggs again, so we will be watching to see if this occurs.
Learn more about solar eclipses with the following books:
Total Solar Eclipse: A Stellar Friendship Story
Totality! An Eclipse Guide in Rhyme and Science
Someone is Eating the Sun (this one’s out of print, but if you can find it used, grab it!)
I’d love to hear what fun things your family notices during the eclipse, so leave me a comment below to let me know!
Such a fun printable! And those books look fun too. I remember seeing a total solar eclipse back in 80’s in my hometown. I had fun and exciting memories of it.
This is a cool printable. They are allowing my son’s school to do a fire drill so they can see the eclipse. I will be at work so I don’t know if I will be able to see it or not.
I am so loving this and I know so many people that are going to see this in action and I know its going to be a worthwhile event! I dont think we will be doing the drive but a few of our good friends are! I am going to print this up just in case we dicide to do a last minute road trip!
loving this printable. and here is looking forward to a good view of it when it comes around next week
Not only is this a great tool to learn about the eclipse, but it would be such a fun memory to look back on!
The solar eclipse printable is a great tool to teach your kids the importance of how the solar eclipse works, and understand the purpose of it. We haven’t had a chance to watch the solar eclipse.
The solar eclipse worksheet is so neat and engaging for kids. I’m really interested in exploring the list of children’s books about solar eclipses; it’s a great way to make learning about this phenomenon fun and educational for young readers.
These solar eclipse printable activities for kids are fantastic! What a creative way to engage young minds and teach them about such a mesmerizing natural phenomenon. I love how these worksheets combine education with fun, making learning about the solar eclipse an exciting adventure for children.
We had the view of the eclipse last year. This worksheet would have been awesome for the grandkids.
This is such an awesome worksheet for kids! Heck, I might even print it out for my 17 year old, ha.
So … did your chickens roost? We sat at the comfort of our couch and watched. During the time, we thought of how cool it would have been to go see it live somewhere but then we saw all the traffic and we weren’t jealous at all. Plus we got to feel a little cool air from the eclipse which was also quite amazing. Just hours later, it went back to the regular heat which was also quite strange.
The temperature really was wild– we measured before it started and right after the totality, and it was an 11 degree change for us. My friends who live at a higher elevation had a 20 degree change!
Our chickens acted weird all day, but no second batch of eggs, much to my dismay! 😉
Wow! 20 degrees is huge! I actually had to put a sweater on myself.
Awww … I was hoping they would have laid a crazy amount of eggs! lol!
This printable brought some great questions to mind. We had so much fun anticipating the eclipse. Even though we didn’t see total darkness in our town, we got to see it on television.
Glad you enjoyed it! Even at 100% here in Idaho, apparently it didn’t get completely pitch dark like most of us were expecting. I’m kicking myself, though, for not driving the 40 minutes to 100%.
Great printable. We ended up watching on television it was just to cloudy here for us to see anything and then it started raining. I’ll be more prepared when it happens again in seven years though. I need to start by getting the glasses now before they jump in price. It was a very cool thing to experience and I’m glad my kids were able to see it on television.
Even on television, it was definitely cool! I’m kicking myself for not driving the 40 minutes to 100% totality. I thought our 98.9% would be good enough, but now I’m thinking I need to plan a road trip in 7 years!
It’s definitely a lovely opportunity for parents to teach their kids about this fascinating event! I love that printable, it’s going to keep them engaged and interested in the eclipse, that’s for sure! It was really exciting to see it and my boys definitely looked forward to the whole thing!
The printable really made us focus on certain things that I think we would have missed otherwise. Glad you enjoyed it with your kids!
This is a cool printable to keep handy during then eclipse. My mom was really excited about seeing it but I am not really one to get into these kind of things. I have attempted to see this and the super moon as well as what other amazing things in the sky are promised to happen only to be disappointed when nothing happens. Since my mom was so exited I had high hopes for her and yet again I was let down, she didn’t see anything, too cloudy and it never got dark.
What a bummer! We were at 99% here, and I really wish we would have driven the 40 miles to see it at 100%. It was still really cool here, but it didn’t get completely dark, just like right before the sun sets. We did watch the NASA live feed (from the town 40 minutes North of us), and it was pretty cool– maybe your mom would still enjoy that.