NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY AT ANYTIME – EVEN DURING AN ECLIPSE! But good news...you can watch an eclipse without looking at the sun directly. The next time there is an eclipse, and you don't have access to a pair of special eclipse viewing glasses, you can make your own eclipse viewing box. Here's how to make one in 5 easy steps with adult supervision:

 

 

1) Cut a small hole close to an inch in diameter in one end of a shoe box, near an edge.

 

2) Get some tinfoil and tape a piece over the hole.

 

3) Punch a tiny hole in the center of the foil using a pin or a needle – let mom or dad do this

 

4) Cover the opposite inside end of the box (from the foil-covered hole end) with a piece of white paper. Be sure to attach the white paper so that the light from the tinfoil hole shows on the white paper because this is where the sun will “appear.” We'll call the white piece of paper your viewing area.

 

5) Cut a hole (about 1 inch) on one side of the box near the end with the white piece of paper (viewing area). This hole will be what you look through. The hole should be positioned so you can look through it at an angle and see the viewing area (white paper).

 

When the eclipse is ready to happen be sure and hold the box so that it lines up with its own shadow. Stand in a place so that when you look through the viewing hole, you can see a tiny bead of light on the viewing area. That tiny bright spot will be the sun. As the moon passes in front of the sun you'll begin to see the shadow of the event on your viewing screen. The moon (shadow) will begin to cover the sun (bright spot).

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If you need a visual, you can always go to YouTube and search for eclipse viewing boxes.