To tell DD's school that if they won't let her watch the solar eclipse, I'll keep her home until its over?

[listsandbudgets]

I asked today what they were doing about it and the head said they were just carrying on as normal.

I want DD to see it. DD is desperate to see it. Its 90% here so worth seeing. We can easily make a pin hole projector though I will try to get some eye protection.

AIBU?

my son has been given permission to go to the local science centre to watch it, and then come in to school and report about what they did. The rest of the school are doing stuff about pinhole cameras today and then doing stuff about it in the morning until about 10.45, by which time my boy, the roving reporter, will have returned.....

I just got a test from school reminding me of the eclipse breakfast at school tomorrow. Excited!

Just received an email informing me about children being dragged outside to see it. Our school has more sensible approach to the situation.

I am 100% keeping ds at home if it's not cloudy.... I think it's appalling that schools aren't geared up to use the kids' enthusiasm for this as a learning opportunity. Regarding how to watch it - I read you can fill a bucket or bowl with water, and watch the reflection!! That sounds better to me than watching a silhouetted version so thought I'd share (sorry if I am repeating anyone, haven't read the thread yet).

DD is allowed to go in to school at 10am if she wants so we can watch at home OR she can go in and watch it on the telly with school as the head says it's too risky to do a supervised viewing with all the kids.

Lie in then / yay !

We've an email reminding parents not to let their child look at the sun on their way to school.

I had already emailed them to explain I would be taking him out after the register, and returning him after assembly.

It's definitely not safe to watch the eclipse refelcted in water I'm afraid :(

Very disappointed with both our schools not allowing the children out. I'm taking DS in late and DD has a GP appointment in the morning :)

I don't have a TV. Does anyone know of good internet sites that will be broadcasting it live?

half TV catch-up.

Don't know where you have heard that from LucasNorthsTwiglets, the advice I have read is to watch the eclipse reflected in water or a mirror if you don't have the special glasses/ pinhole camera

Thanks but I was hoping for something live so if it is cloudy or my pinhole things fail we can turn to thecomputer.

Well I'm in a minority then.

There always seems to be sone sort of eclipse which won't be seen for another 70 years or something. I must have seen 5 or 6 no.

It doesn't go black.. Just looks like it might rain for 10 minutes ( if it isn't already raining/ cloudy anyway because it's England.

You don't get to see anything that looks any different to seeing a crescent moon in the morning.

Hope this one is more interesting ( doesn't hold out much hope).

Robin - No, don't look in a mirror! The mirror's supposed to be used to project an image of the sun onto a wall. Reflections in water do lose some of the brightness, but not enough to make it safe.

www.popastro.com/help/help.php?title_pag=How%20to%20safely%20view%20the%20March%2020%20Solar%20Eclipse

Reveal, it's not going to go pitch dark. If you're not that impressed by astronomical events, stay in bed :)

Robin, yes lots of places will say that you can watch it safely in water but you just can't. It's a myth. The refelcted light, whilst lesser, will still be too strong. Here's one link from Astronomy Now

8revealall*
You are talking rubbish.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_solar_eclipses_visible_from_the_United_Kingdom_AD_1000%E2%80%932091#The_twenty-first_century_.28AD_2001_-_2091.29
They happen VERY rarely in any one place.

The last one was before every child in year 10 and below was born

EVERY child can make a pinhole viewer to look at it on a piece of paoer

All you need are two pieces of card or paper for a pinhole viewer. Prick a hole in one and the sun will come through to the other.

I did too, Kim - we went to France to see it. It did get properly dark then and it was so eerie - it suddenly got cold and the birds stopped singing (or did they start?! There was something about the birdsong anyway )

Did nobody as a child play the game in the playground where you had to look into the sun and the first one whose eyes watered lost?! May be just my school.
So the schools that aren't allowing the kids out what are they doing on a sunny day, keeping them in?

Mmmm well using talkingpeaces link there haven even 12 solar eclipses since I was born and there must be loads of lunar ones too.

And even the link says the 1999 was disappointing because of cloud cover.

I'd love it to be be a thrilling event but of course it's been hyped up to within an inch of it's life and everyone now is either an expert or a health and safety executive.

Actually I think it's you lot who take the joy out of natural events.

halfway here you go

Just had a chat with a colleague in Italy and they did the look into the sun game until their eyes watered too so not feeling so odd now. I have a feeling some people may be scarred by watching Day of the Triffids