Educators from all over Northeast Ohio recently had the chance to learn from the best about all the different ways to involve students in a once-in-a-lifetime event in April.
"There's a lot of excitement about the eclipse. It's gonna be an exciting day in NEO," said Cathy Graves, STEM integration manager.
Nasa's Glenn Research Center brought together 50 Ohio teachers Monday to prep for what's to be a historic moment.
"We've gathered teachers from all over NEO for a training workshop where they're gonna learn about hands-on activities they can do with their students," Graves said.
Educators had the opportunity to learn about the science behind the upcoming solar eclipse, how best to involve students in the event and even the experiments NASA will conduct.
"Any time you're looking at the sun, you need to either be using glasses or a pinhole projector like we're making today," Graves said.
Cleveland Botanical Garden Education Manager Lexi Carter said the garden gets dozens of students through its facility daily.
Carter was one of the educators invited to Monday's workshop.
She said that Cleveland Botanical Garden sees students from pre-school through college.
"We're really just making sure we have the correct info so we can help support classroom teachers when they bring their kids to us on field trips," Carter said.
Teachers also learned what will occur during the total solar eclipse, when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, and the moon completely blocks the sun.
"During that time, birds that chirp during the day may get quiet; some animals active at night time, they may get active during the day," Graves said.
"I think being here will equip me with the knowledge I need with making good decisions moving forward," Carter said.
The Glenn Research Center also hopes the eclipse will inspire the next generation to stay curious and work with them at NASA someday.
