Girl Scouts, grab your safety glasses and your viewing maps and get ready to get eclipsed! On August 21, we will have a rare opportunity to witness a solar eclipse. A solar eclipse is when the moon gets in the way of the sun light’s path, making it dark in the middle of the day. The total eclipse will cross the entire country, giving Girl Scouts from all over the opportunity to take a look– something that hasn’t happened since 1918!  Total solar eclipses are super cool because they allow us to look directly at the sun’s outer atmosphere, called the corona. Because of this, many scientific findings have taken place as a result of a total solar eclipse. How awesome is that?

The solar eclipse is the perfect way to get together with your fellow Girl Scouts to explore our solar system and witness a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence– and you can earn a fun solar eclipse patch! To help you prepare for the experience, we have put together some great learning suggestions and we have awesome tools so you can make the most of the event!

Here are some great suggestions of ways to learn  about this astronomical phenomenon:

• Eclipse Demonstration – Using simple objects from home create a solar eclipse. Here are two experiment options to choose from: orange and clay model and apple and pencil model.
• Watch the Eclipse – Step outside on August 21^st to view this amazing sight. It is important to be safe when viewing a solar eclipse. Watch this video to follow the guidelines provided by experts.
• Make a Pinhole Projector – With objects found at home you can make a tool to help you view the solar eclipse on August 21. Watch this video for step by step instructions to make a pinhole projector.
• Attend our Solar Eclipse Party at Camp Mu-Sha-Ni! Full of hands-on events and a prime viewing location, this is a great way for all girls to learn about eclipses and earn our Solar Eclipse patch!
• Looking for other fun activities? Use the official Girl Scouts Solar Eclipse Activity Guide full of great activities for every grade level!

In addition, Girl Scouts is celebrating the solar eclipse with patches and kits to help you safely view and locate the eclipse– get eclipsed!

Don’t miss out on your Great American Eclipse 2017 patch by ordering today! You can place your order online or email shop@nccoastalpines.org with the quantity, customer name, and shipping address.

Happy viewing, Girl Scouts!