Science Festival and STARLAB Visits Arlington 

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Imagination Station Prepares Students for Total Solar Eclipse

A total solar eclipse will occur on April 8, 2024, impacting the Arlington community in many ways. To prepare students for this once-in-a-lifetime event, the AHS Science Department is teaming up with Imagination Station to prepare students with educational, hands-on activities. 

To safely watch the eclipse, viewers need a special type of glasses (which meet international safety standards). Due to high demand, these glasses are not always easy to come by. Thankfully, the AHS science department proactively applied for a grant allowing the district to send two pairs of glasses home with each Arlington student and staff member. These glasses, along with other educational materials, will be sent home by April 5. 

The grant also funded a unique 2-day collaboration with the Imagination Station. On March 22, kindergarten through 8th-grade students will participate in a Science Festival featuring 12, hands-on, STEM-related activity stations including space bingo, moon phases, and eclipse exploration. Second through eighth-grade students will then participate in the STARLAB, a portable planetarium, which allows students to study astronomy without leaving school. This experience will allow students to virtually experience the way the sun, moon, and earth interact during a solar eclipse. 

On April 2, the STARLAB will return for additional viewing. At this time, kindergarteners will participate in 4 eclipse workshops including making a solar cookie. K-6 teachers will also receive classroom activity kits to extend student learning through the use of pinhole viewers, flipbooks, UV bead activities, and more.

Thank you to our science teachers for writing a grant to provide these STEM opportunities for our students to help our district understand the science, significance, and safety associated with the eclipse.

More About the Solar Eclipse

According to NASA Science, there are two types of eclipses: lunar and solar. During a lunar eclipse, Earth's shadow obscures the Moon. During a solar eclipse, the Moon blocks the Sun from view. There are partial, annular, and total eclipses. A total solar eclipse happens when the moon blocks the sun from view. 

On April 8, Hancock County, along with most of Northwest Ohio, will be in the path of totality. Arlington residents will experience a total solar eclipse for approximately 3 minutes and 54 seconds from 3:10:38 PM to 3:14:32 PM. During this time, the sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk. While there are 2-4 solar eclipses per year, the next total solar eclipse that will cross Ohio will be in the year 2099. The last total solar eclipse visible in Ohio was in 1806.