Not sure what to do with your students on eclipse day? Take a trip inside a classroom for some tips

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Many schools around our area have decided to give students the day off or change their schedule to allow them to experience the Solar Eclipse.

That left many teachers and parents asking, "What should I be doing with my students?"

WDRB Meteorologist Hannah Strong takes you inside the classroom to give you some ideas.

Vicki Bryan is a 5th and 6th grade Science and Religion teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes in Louisville.

"The NSTA is the National Science Teacher Association and as a science teacher I belong to that association," Bryan said. "A few months ago they sent out an email asking for people to apply to be a Solar Eclipse partner in different communities through the United States, so I applied and I was picked as a community partner here in Louisville."

Bryan said her favorite thing about teaching is being able to teach her students about current events so they can go home and teach their families about what's going on.

Students are learning about what to look for and facts and history about solar eclipses.

"I have always been fascinated with space science," Bryan said. "In 2017 when the partial eclipse happened here, we had a big event on the field and we were all so excited about it. After that event I said 'I have to see it in total. I have to!' So I've been planning this event since 2017. I have a feeling it'll be one of the most spectacular things I ever see."

For those of you wanting some pointers about how to talk to school-aged kids about the eclipse, Mrs. Bryan recommended this website. Her lesson focused on what an eclipse is, what will happen on April 8, and how to watch safely.

Total eclipse:

The eclipse will start in the Pacific on April 8 and first reach land over Mexico around 11:07 a.m. local time, NASA predicts. Then, it’ll cross over into Texas and move across parts of the Midwest and Northeast in the afternoon.

For much of the Louisville and southern Indiana area, the eclipse will start around 1:45 p.m. and will be at its max just after 3 p.m. The city of Seymour is ground zero to view totality. The city launched a website — SeymourEclipse.com — to help visitors and residents know where to go for the best glimpse as possible.

That line of totality runs from southwest to northeast, following a line including these cities:

Dallas, Texas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Paducah, Kentucky
Evansville, Indiana
Cleveland, Ohio
Erie, Pennsylvania
Buffalo, New York
Burlington, Vermont

A total eclipse will be visible within a 115-mile wide swath — the path of totality. Outside that path, you can still see a partial solar eclipse, where the moon takes a bite out of the sun and turns it into a crescent shape.

To learn more about the eclipse in Indiana, click here.

Eclipse coverage on WDRB:

You’ll be able to find all our Eclipse coverage on wdrb.com and some of that coverage involves you!

Do you have questions about the eclipse, how to watch safely, or how kids can participate? Send them to us! We will have a panel of experts answer your questions in one of our upcoming segments. You can send those to me on Facebook or X or you can email Hannah Strong: hstrong@wdrb.com

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