Metro Detroit school teacher teaches kids to stay safe during the solar eclipse
(CBS DETROIT) - All eyes are on the solar eclipse, but how do we keep our kids from looking at the sun while experiencing this rare sight?
Many schools around Southeast Michigan will dismiss for the day just at the peak time of the solar eclipse. So how do we keep our kids safe? One teacher knows just the way.
Brian Langley, the science coordinator for grades K–12 in the Novi Community School District, also teaches physics at Novi High School. This year, the eclipse timed perfectly with his astrophysics unit.
"We chose something everyone could partake in, which is the indirect method," Langley said.
Langley says it's never a good idea to look at the sun.
So how does viewing the eclipse through a box work?
"We're going to have the sun over our shoulder, shining this way and in the box. The box then serves as a way to project the image of the sun so you don't have to look at the sun to observe the eclipse," Langley said.
And if you're looking to do this at home, you don't even need a box to view the eclipse safely.
"All you need is a hole for the sun to go through. So, it can be a colander or just with your hands, making a little hole for the sun to go through and then to project onto something. You can enjoy it very easily," Langley said.
If you'd like to make your own solar eclipse viewing box, NASA has a set of instructions.