So are people keeping kids indoors during the eclipse?
If you're in NY, a lot of people can share 1 pair of glasses. Nobody needs to stare at the sun for hours. The eclipse happens gradually. And you're not going to notice much difference if you look at 75% magnitude and I look at 76%. If you have a pair of glasses, make all the kids line up for them so hat everyone gets a chance to satisfy their curiosity.
Also, make some pinhole projectors.
If you think the warnings are vague, let me try to clarify. There is nothing more or less dangerous about looking at the sun during an eclipse compared to any other day. If you have the right glasses, you can look at it today or any other day of the week. If you don't have the right glasses, you can never safely look at the sun. The only exception to this is that during the few seconds or minutes that the eclipse is
total (which will not happen in NY this time) you can look without the glasses.