I think I was in the first grade when I watched my first solar eclipse. I can't remember what we used to look at it with, (I vaguely remember camera film or something) but at some point I decided that I didn't need eye protection and just looked directly at it. Ooops. I suppose it should have been common sense not to do that, but I was really young, impulsive, and the sun was surprisingly easy to look directly at at that point. It didn't take long to figure out what a bad idea it was. I had a blind spot and a burn mark on my retina for YEARS. So, few years ago, when my kids wanted to watch an eclipse, I wanted them to experience it, but I also didn't want them to hurt themselves. With the another solar eclipse coming up in a few days, I thought I'd share some things I did to ensure a safe viewing experience. The first thing I did was share my experience with them, and made sure to stress the importance of not looking directly at it without eye protection. Sometimes, kids just need to be reminded about common sense stuff. I also thought it would be fun to explore all the possible ways to view it. We experimented with different things, but this pinhole projector worked the best. Here are a couple different ways you can do it.
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/box-pinhole-projector.html
As fun as these are, I still think there is something about being able to look at it through glasses, so, we will be viewing it that way as well. If you want to do the same but are worried your littles will be tempted to peak around them, this might be worth a try. :)
Happy viewing!
