Growing up, it was fairly common to see lots of people outside during an eclipse. As a student, there was usually the opportunity to get extra credit in everything from writing to math. Apparently, things have changed.
Since it will be nearly three years before the next total lunar eclipse, we decided to let the kids stay up and see it. While it was too cold to sit outside for the full event, I set things up so the we could be outside during the total eclipse. That worked out well, as I doubt either of the kids (or me, for that matter) would have the attention span to watch the entire show.
When I stepped outside to set up chairs and blankets, I was surprised to find myself alone. None of the kids from the neighborhood were out, and my children are the youngest of the bunch. Shock aside, I made sure my son was dressed warmly and grabbed the binoculars. Before we headed out the door, I asked him about the color of the moon. He very confidently stated it was white, the answer for which I hoped.
He had no idea why he had been allowed to stay up so late, much less why we were going outside "to play" so long after dark. As we left the garage, I had him look at the moon. His reaction was pretty cool, and he wanted to know why it was red.
We discussed the eclipse a little, and I let him try the binoculars. In the past, he has struggled with them, and this time he was able to find the moon. It was priceless watching him find it for the first time. His eyes were probably as big as the moon. Though he is too young to really understand, I hope our little adventure will stick with him as he gets older.
He stayed outside for a good 25 minutes, and kept switching between the naked eye and the binoculars. He asked a few good questions, and was excited when he went back inside to "tell mom about the moon." Our daughter was less excited, though she did eventually go outside for a few minutes.
And one neighbor girl did find her way outside to watch some of the eclipse. She was equally as excited to look at the moon through the binoculars. Part of me really wants to pick up an entry level telescope and stand so we can see other features more clearly. It's tough to see the rings of Saturn when looking through binoculars. Steady as I might be on aerobars, I can't keep binoculars that motionless.
While staying up late one night when he is four probably won't lead our son to become a great scientist, it gave one more little push to help him understand how interesting learning can be. And interest in learning is always a good thing.
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