Los Angeles students to celebrate solar eclipse with pinhole viewers, activities

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- It's the final scramble to get eclipse glasses as the solar event gets closer, but it isn't good news for some people as many places are sold out.

One Orange county woman called 15 places and came up short. She has until Monday morning to get a safe pair of glasses.

"We are sold out, unfortunately. We ran through 25,000-plus glasses now and demand has completely outstripped supply," said Mike Fowler, owner of Orange County telescope.

At Roosevelt Elementary School in Anaheim, students do not have to buy eclipse glasses because they're building pinhole viewers to watch the celestial event.

"We are definitely having class on Monday. Our teachers have been preparing students all week long, with different activities, art projects, science projects, engineering projects, so they can be outside for the eclipse," Principal Deanna Pelasky said.

But that's not the case for some Los Angeles Unified School District schools. At Carpenter Community Charter in Studio City, glasses were purchased for the students. But for safety reasons they will not be used and students will be kept indoors.

"We cannot guarantee that some child is not going to look at the sun and damage their eyes," Principal Joe Martinez said.

Martinez said his students will take part in eclipse activities in the school auditorium.

Stores that have sold out of glasses are also recommending pinhole viewers. A tiny hole on one side of a cardboard box allows the sun into the box, but you face a white piece of paper on the other side, which safely reflects the sun.

"It hasn't happened in a long time and my parents said they saw it when they were kids," Roosevelt student Sophia Labonte said.

Southern California will see a partial eclipse, where 60 percent of the sun will be covered. The event takes place between 9:05 a.m. and 11:44 a.m.