Home » solar eclipse

Tag: solar eclipse

Solar and Lunar Eclipses STEM Activity Model Building for Kids

What is the difference between a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse? When these events happen, where are the Sun, Moon, and Earth located? Create a model to demonstrate both types of eclipse and be able to move and explain this space event.

Materials Needed for this Eclipses STEM Activity:

Some items are linked to my Amazon Affiliate account. When you purchase through my link, there is no added cost to you, but I receive a small commission in return.

Watch the video on how to make this Solar and Lunar Eclipses STEM Activity:

 

Let’s slow it down with step-by-step directions on how to make this solar and lunar eclipses STEM activity.

Step 1:

Color and cut out the Sun, Moon, and Earth templates. On the lunar eclipse templates, color the shadow represented during each stage. Check out the images below to help you color, or print out the templates and posters here. 

Step 2:

[Ask a grown-up to help] Carefully poke a small hole on the ‘X’ of each template and the middle of each paper plate.

Step 3:

Stack the plates and poke a brad fastener through the holes to secure. Glue the Sun on top of the small plate.

Step 4:

Sort the lunar eclipse templates to put them in the correct order, then paperclip them together.

Step 5:

Poke the other brad fastener through the Earth, Moon, and lunar eclipse templates. Make sure the lunar eclipse templates are in order of when each stage happens.

Step 6:

Poke a hole in the edge of the large paper plate. Poke the brad fastener holding the Earth and Moon into this hole and secure.

Step 7:

Turn the outside plate counterclockwise to show the Earth orbiting the Sun. Turn the Moon counterclockwise to show the Moon orbiting the Earth. Then, demonstrate solar eclipses and lunar eclipses using your model.

Want the templates seen in the video? You can grab there here in my TpT shop!

If you are looking for…

  • A Low-prep STEM lesson & easy-to-find materials
  • An engaging, hands-on activity that has guided directions
  • Opportunities for students to add their creativity
  • A quick, one-day STEM lesson for after-school clubs, homework extensions, station rotation (and more!)

then this lesson is PERFECT FOR YOU!

 

This product includes:

  • Easy project with simple materials
  • Digital & Printable
  • Written & video directions
  • Content-specific vocabulary
  • Science behind the project
  • Resources to explore the topic more
  • Experiment to test the design

 

Grab the full lesson HERE!

Related Podcast Episodes/Blog Posts:

 

 

More About The Author, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is an online K-5 STEM Coach in Colorado supporting elementary teachers world-wide navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there. With over a decade of experience teaching, 5 years teaching elementary STEM, along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM Certificate, Naomi helps teachers world-wide to navigate best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She offers a variety of tools to help teachers feel successful teaching STEM to their elementary students through lesson plans, online courses, coaching and speaking events.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM, innovation and hands-on learning in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

solar eclipse lessons for elementary students

3 Easy Solar Eclipse Lessons for Elementary Students [ep.154]

3 Easy Solar Eclipse Lessons for Elementary Students [ep.4]

solar eclipse lessons for elementary students

Check out the full episode on 3 Easy Solar Eclipse Lessons for Elementary Students:  

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

Have a STEM question? Leave a voice message for the podcast!

Episode Summary

Looking for fun and creative ways to teach your students about the solar eclipse? In today’s episode, I’m sharing three easy solar eclipse lessons for elementary students. These lessons are engaging and an excellent way to explore this celestial event with your students.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • 3 solar eclipse lessons for elementary students
  • The inspiration for each lesson
  • A brief overview of each lesson

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:

What are some quick STEM activities that you can do with your students to teach them all about solar eclipses? In this quick episode, I’m gonna be sharing with you 3 ideas that you can get started with. The first way you can help students understand what a solar eclipse is, is to have them create a model. Sadly, we aren’t friends with Miss Frizzle, and we can’t go on a magic school bus with her to check out the solar system. So the next best thing is for students to create a model and understand what is happening with the moon, earth, and sun.


Naomi Meredith [00:01:09]:

With your model, make sure that the moon is able to move in between the sun and the Earth and can demonstrate those different types of solar eclipses. I’ve been really excited learning more about solar and lunar eclipses, So I actually created a model that you can use with your students that comes with all of the printables, the directions are written and printed for you to not stress about it. And it’s a really cool way for not only students to learn about how solar eclipses work, but within the same model, they actually can explore what a lunar eclipse is and what that actually looks like. So this activity is teaching them even more than what you would expect. The second way you can teach your students about solar eclipses is by adding an element of robotics. There was a really cool activity posted on Wonder Workshop’s social media and their blog where they had a sun, moon, and Earth and created a way for Dash the robot, their all-star robot, to demonstrate the process of what a solar eclipse is. This does take some engineering of where to place the sun and the earth in the appropriate spots, and also how to code dash the robot to show the solar eclipse. But this is a really cool activity, and it looked really low prep.


Naomi Meredith [00:02:41]:

The third way you can teach students about solar eclipses is if you are in a place where you can view the solar eclipse, make sure you have those safety glasses. Another way that you can view a solar eclipse is by making your own solar eclipse viewer. I collaborated with We Are Teachers and actually had the chance to engineer a way that you can look at a solar eclipse safely by using a shoebox. There is a full video and blog post all about this, and just like everything else I just mentioned, I will link that for you in the show notes. As a recap, here are the 3 STEM activities that you can use with your students to teach them more about solar eclipses. First, create a movable model to show them what is happening with an eclipse. Next, add an element of coding and robotics, such as Dash the Robot. And 3rd, create a different version of a solar eclipse viewer, maybe one with a shoebox.


Naomi Meredith [00:03:49]:

Are you gonna try these things with your students? Let me know. Send me a message or add a comment, and can’t wait for you to learn all about solar eclipses with your students.


solar eclipse lessons for elementary students

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

 

 

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is an online K-5 STEM Coach in Colorado supporting elementary teachers world-wide navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there. With over a decade of experience teaching, 5 years teaching elementary STEM, along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM Certificate, Naomi helps teachers world-wide to navigate best practices, strategies and tools out there. 

She offers a variety of tools to help teachers feel successful teaching STEM to their elementary students through lesson plans, online courses, coaching and speaking events.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM, innovation and hands-on learning in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!