Solar Eclipse 2024

April 8th is the United States’ 15th

When something’s rare, it’s special! A total solar eclipses happens only every 400 years and we’re fortunately getting lots of visibility opportunities this year. Watch the moon pass between the Earth and the sun and the afternoon sky go dark for around 4 minutes incorporating some educational, therapeutic techniques.

OT – Eclipse Viewer Creation:

OT Foundation Skills: Fine motor precision, visual-motor integration
Materials Needed: Cardboard, foil, tape, paper, and a pin
Instructions: Assist students in creating simple pinhole viewers using cardboard and foil. This activity enhances fine motor skills as they manipulate materials to observe the eclipse safely.

Speech – Boom Cards

Since the last total solar eclipse in the U.S. was many years ago, don’t be surprised if your students don’t have much background knowledge on the topic. Instead, spend some time pre-teaching solar eclipse vocabulary and concepts. Get some help from this Boom Cards deck that starts with an introductory reading passage about solar eclipses. The deck also includes several speech therapy activities for goals such as answering comprehension questions, making inferences, identifying word meaning, and using past tense verbs.

PT – Prevent “eclipse neck”

Support your head and neck by reclining in a chair which allows you to rest your head.
If you plan to lie on the ground add a pillow to prop your head at the angle for viewing.
Lie on the hood of your car and use the windshield to recline.
Take frequent breaks and stretch the muscles in the back of your neck by resting your chin to your chest.
Do a test run and see how your neck feels for just a few minutes in the position you’ll be viewing skyward.

Unlocking the Wonders of a Solar Eclipse: Engaging Activities for Elementary Students – CreativeCOTA

Solar Eclipse Activities for Speech Therapy (stacycrouse.com)

“ECLIPSE NECK” and how to avoid it | Kramer Physical Therapy