Monday is the Eclipse!

I love eclipses of any kind and meteor showers. I'm the crazy one who stays up late or gets up early to see the event, even if I have to be wrapped up in blankets. I try to capture it on camera, mostly missing the meteors, but I have gotten one or two. So, of course, I am really excited about the eclipse on Monday. We are close to the path of totality and will be driving to see it.

One of my favorite memories of grade school is making a solar eclipse viewer. I think it must have been for a partial eclipse. The memories of making the viewer and seeing it, have stuck with me through the years. The kids' school has let the off on Monday, so we'll be watching it together.

I bought my solar eclipse glasses when there was a partial one not too long ago. Some stores still have them, but in case you can't find any eclipse glasses, you can make your own viewer. There are two different types: the shoebox viewer and the pinhole viewer. Both will work, you just need to have foil and a shoebox for the one, and only white cardboard or thick paper for the other. Here are some sites with great instructions on how to make them: Shoebox viewer instructions, Pin hole viewer.

FUN ECLIPSE SNACKS:
If you are having a viewing party (or like me, just want an excuse to have some extra sweets), here are a few cute snacks ideas:

• Galaxy Cookies: Similar to my Christmas swirl cookies, but use blue and white dough. You could also lightly brush the outside of the chilled cookie dough with water, roll in purple/blue/white nonpareil sprinkles, slice, and bake, for an extra fun cookie.
• The sun or moon is pretty easy to add in icing or fondant to a cookie, cupcake, or cake.
• Cut fruits and veggies into star or moon shapes.
• The moon is made of cheese, right? Have cheese slices or make a cheese pizza (for your meat lovers, add pepperoni "craters").
• Make solar themed chocolates (sun, moon, stars, etc.). Amazon has some cute molds (stars/moon, star candies, star lollipops, sun glasses aka eclipse glasses) although local craft stores like Michael's and JoAnn Fabrics usually have star molds.
• Galaxy/Eclipse Popcorn: Similar to the Valentine's Candied Popcorn, but use a mix of blues, purple, black, and white candy melt/chocolates. Use star, moon, and sun shaped sprinkles, or even just yellow sprinkles for the sun.
• Chocolate dipped Oreos (regular or mini sized). I'm working on dipping them today. I plan on making a display out of them: full sun (all yellow Oreo), partial eclipse (half yellow, half black Oreo), 90% eclipse (since that's about what we'll see), full eclipse (all black dipped Oreo).

• Instead of Oreos, you could also do it with round pretzels. Dip pretzel in melted chocolates or Candy Melts, set on wax paper, fill in the hole using a spoon or piping bag.
• Sugar cookies. It's hard to go wrong with cookies! You could made sun shaped cookies, moon shaped cookies, earth themed cookies, half yellow/half black cookies for the eclipse. There are so many options! And now I want cookies...
• Pancakes: Pipe pancakes in the shape of a sun (circle with rays).
• Easy Solar system themed foods (anything with sun, moon, orbit, galaxy, etc. might work): 
• CapriSun
• SunnyD
• Sunkist
• Eclipse Gum
• Milky Way candy bars
• Sun Chips
• Starbursts
• Moonpies
• Sunflower seeds
• Sun-Maid Raisins
• Skybar candy bar
• Space Goldfish (They used to have a space themed Goldfish, but I'm not sure if they still make it.)
• Freeze Dried/Astronaut ice cream (Amazon has on Prime, but can also find in camping section of stores and in some museum gift shops. I've even seen it at Michael's Crafts!)
• Ice cream: I've heard of Moon ice cream and Blue Moon ice cream.
• Krispy Kreme's Eclipse Donut, available Monday 8/21.
• Babybel cheese: peel off part of the wrapper.
• Mini Chips Ahoy: I think these kind of look like the moon with chocolate chip craters.
• Stretching it a little here, but Mars candy bars.
• Adults only: Blue Moon or Corona beer

FUN:

• ECLIPSE WORD FIND 
• Higgins was worried about still seeing the sun over the top of his glasses. I made him a face mask for the glasses out of a thick paper plate (these are official eclipse glasses, just with bonus coverage). I saw the idea on Facebook, and I think it will work out great! (see picture below for instructions)

• I thought it would be fun (and educational) for the boys to have an observation sheet for the eclipse in case they got to see it. I couldn't find exactly what I wanted online, so I made one this morning!

Click here for a printable PDF observation sheet.

• Shoebox viewer instructions, Pin hole viewer, video making shoebox video

Some of my favorite sites:

• EarthSky
• NASA Eclipse Safety
• NASA Live Streaming of Eclipse

NOTE: If you are lucky enough to be able to watch the eclipse, never look at the sun without the special eclipse glasses or eclipse filters for cameras/telescopes/binoculars.