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WEST LAFAYETTE, IND — Getting Hoosier children ready for the solar eclipse begins by having conversations with them about what the event means.
“We know that word is probably new for them,” said Anne Gritt, a clinical assistant professor at Purdue University’s Department of Speech Language and Hearing Sciences. “As children learn new vocabulary words, we want to talk about them, define them, and explain them in a way they can understand.”
Indianapolis will go dark for 3 minutes and 44 seconds around 3 PM ET on April 8, 2024, as the moon fully blocks the sun. This will be the first total solar eclipse visible in Indianapolis in 819 years, and the next one will happen in August 2044.
“One thing you can do is explore museums or sculptures related to the solar system,” said Gritt. “Here at Purdue, we have the VOSS Model in Discovery Park, which is free and open for children to run around and look at the planets and the sun.”
Purdue University is hosting a solar eclipse watch party at Stadium Mall on its West Lafayette campus. The university will provide 1,000 free eclipse glasses to help attendees view the spectacular show safely.
“If you are going to go outside and look at the eclipse, of course, you want to take safety precautions into consideration, use the proper eyewear, and stay with your child,” added Gritt. “Make it fun, but keep it safe.”
