Opportunities for eclipse-related, hands-on science experiments, data collection and other activities needn't be limited to school children or to the day of the eclipse.
Here's some information on at-home experiments and other ways to scientifically engage with the eclipse.
Remember before any experiment to note what the expected results will be, to see if the evidence gathered supports that hypothesis.
Observations of plants and animals
The University of Missouri suggested finding a day-blooming flower like tropical hibiscus or flowering purslane to watch during the eclipse.
Observe whether the 2 1/2 minutes of totality will be enough to trigger these plants' dusk signal to close their flowers. If the signal is triggered, an observation could also be made as to whether the moon moving away from the sun triggers the dawn signal to bloom again.
Night-blooming plants like moonflowers, some species of tropical water lilies and night-blooming jasmine are typically more difficult to find, according to MU, but the same mechanism could happen in reverse of the day-blooming plants. If triggered, night-blooming jasmine will release a sweet fragrance.
MU also offers two ideas for observing the behavior of insects.
To see whether bees will reduce their foraging activity during the darkness, find a flower patch that is often visited by them. The experiment should begin today, the day before the eclipse, so you can gauge normal behavior.
For five minutes today, count the number of bees seen feeding on nectar in the flowers, starting at least an hour before the time of totality. That means make the first bee count would be at about 12:13 p.m. this afternoon.
Continue making these five-minute observations every 15 minutes, until at least an hour past the occurrence of totality, meaning the last count today should be no sooner than about 2:15 p.m.
Record these observations Monday in the same window of time, then again on the following day or two. Note variable conditions like the temperature, wind, rain and cloud cover.
The same experiment can be done with other insect species: the frequency of dragonfly movement; the frequency of mosquitoes trying to land on someone's arm in a swampy area; or, like the bees, note the frequency of butterflies in a patch of garden or prairie flowers.
The second experiment has the same time constraints as the first, but is about audio observations as opposed to visual.
Grab a decibel meter device or download a sound or decibel meter app on a smartphone. Follow the same steps as above, but measure the sound of crickets or cicadas in trees.
Another smartphone-driven option is the free iNaturalist app. According to the Washington Post, the app normally allows a user to identify animal, plant, fungi and protozoan species in photographs. The app will have a special menu on Monday to record behavioral observations before, during and after the eclipse.
Other ideas and activities
There's always the option of making an eclipse at home. All that's needed is a flashlight, an orange, a ball of clay about a quarter of the size of the orange, and a ruler. Put the orange and clay on a table in a line, about 8 inches apart. Stand 2 feet away from the table, hold the flashlight at the same level as the clay and orange, and shine the light from behind the clay ball.
This idea is from teachervision.com. The clay represents the moon, the flashlight the sun and the orange the Earth.
To see if the real eclipse will affect wind speeds, those who don't have an anemometer handy can make their own wind gauge, using instructions available at education.com/science-fair/article/make-anemometer/.
A partnership between the National Park Service and The Planetary Society has provided a printable Junior Ranger Eclipse Explorer activities booklet, available at planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/pdfs/Junior-Ranger-Eclipse-Explorer.pdf.
Bethany Stone recommended the iNaturalist app, National Park Service activity booklet and at-home eclipse activity. Stone is a teaching professor at MU's Division of Biological Sciences.
Jeff Wood recommended the homemade anemometer. Wood is an assistant research professor at MU's School of Natural Resources.