How to Safely View the Solar Eclipse Without Glasses

Here’s how to view the solar eclipse safely without glasses!

Solar eclipses are amazing! It’s definitely worth taking time out of your day to show your kids the magic.

Picture this: you want to encourage your kids to marvel and learn about amazing scientific concepts! You want to view the solar eclipse, but you realized too late that you don’t have those special glasses…

I’ve been there! And I’ve got great news.

You can still appreciate and view the solar eclipse magic WITHOUT those special glasses!

Psst – even if you have eclipse glasses, this activity is still a cool way to track the progress of the eclipse with kids! I’m not totally comfortable with my youngest using glasses to view the eclipse without my direct, hands-on help, so I’m planning on having her mostly do this activity!

Plus even WITH special viewing glasses you should not look at the sun directly for more than a few minutes at a time, so this is a fun activity while you’re taking breaks!

How to View The Solar Eclipse Safely Without Glasses

Don’t even think about using regular sunglasses or peeking a look directly at the sun. Those things are NOT safe!

Step 1 – Find Something With Holes In It

Find something with a hole (or holes) in it! The most common recommendation is a colander but anything with a hole will work, so if you’ve got a bit of time to prepare, encourage your kids to experiment with finding things around the house!

Kids can even try using a thumbtack (supervision required!) to poke holes in a piece of paper or cardstock, or maybe use a hole punch to punch holes in craft foam or cardboard. Get creative so you can see what works best!

Someone even suggested a CRACKER with holes in it! Give it a try if you’ve got a cracker handy and let me know if it works!

Step 2- Filter the Sunlight Through Your Object

Position yourself with your back to the sun, and hold the object above the ground, at an angle where sunlight can pass through it’s holes. (The angle will depend on what time of day you’re viewing the eclipse – closer to noon will mean the colander will be closer to parallel with the ground (but still above it!).)

You should be able to see the shadow of the object you’re using, and the multiple projections of the sun through the holes! At different points during the eclipse, you will notice these projections changing as the eclipse increases and then decreases. Which brings me to step three..

Step 3 – Trace The Solar Eclipse

If you’re projecting on the sidewalk, encourage your kids to trace the eclipse with chalk at various points. Then you can see the progress after!

If you’re out of chalk or projecting on a non-chalk friendly surface, use a piece of paper and a marker. This hands-on step only makes this project more memorable so I encourage you to try it!

And by the way, it doesn’t hurt to buy your eclipse glasses now while you’re thinking about it for next time. Only if you’ll store them somewhere you’ll remember 😉