My husband is a science junkie, the planetarium is one of his favorite field trips, and Myth Busters is one of his favorite shows. So, this month when we were provided with the opportunity to review Geo Safari products from Educational Insights, I asked him what he wanted – being our resident Science junkie and all.
He hovered over the lap top with me and took a look at everything the Geo Safari line had to offer.. be your family’s interests bugs, dinosaurs, geography, astronomy, myrmecology – they have something for you!
One of their newest arrivals is the talking bug net. Although it is adorable, we didn’t feel everyone in the home would be able to enjoy it…
The next item we looked at was the Motorized Solar System, my husband was fascinated by this one. After I saw how excited he was over this, I knew a telescope would really get his attention. After some quick discussion, we decided a telescope was the way to go.
We were blessed to receive the Geo Safari Vega 600 Telescope to review from Educational Insights. Upon receipt I wouldn’t allow my children to touch it. I waited until my husband was off from work to be able to put it together as it was sort-of HIS Father’s Day gift.
On his day off, he took his time, read through the instructions, and gently put it together. (It was borderline comical to see how gentle he was with it. I’ve never seen him read instructions on anything before!) He was constantly amazed.. “Did you know it had a Finder Scope?…. dew shield…that’s cool….erecting eyepiece… awesome!”
Sadly, we haven’t been able to use it yet at night. The weather has been VERY uncooperative with rain, rain, and more rain. The kids and I were able to pull it out during the day for some bird watching yesterday afternoon. We have a large family of turkey and two blue heron who love to eat in our field. We also have a hawk who loves to hunt along our back fence line. We can never get close enough to them, but with the Vega 600 we could see everything!…
Because we took it out without my husband at home, I had to read the instructions for myself. I couldn’t understand why everything was upside-down; I thought he put something together incorrectly (smile). Number one of the FAQ’s states:
“Why is the image in my telescope eyepiece upside-down and/or backwards?
If you have inserted your eyepiece directly into the telescope’s focusing tube, you will see an image that is upside-down and backwards. If you have inserted the diagonal mirror into the focusing tub and then placed the eyepiece into the diagonal mirror, your image will be right-side up, but it will still appear backwards or reversed. This is normal for an astronomical telescope. After all, there’s no up or down in space so it doesn’t matter how the field is oriented. For terrestrial viewing, when you want images to be oriented properly (as seen with the naked eye), insert the erecting eyepiece…”
At least I am not the only one who felt a little lost. It is probably the top question asked considering it was given the number one spot on their FAQ’s.
After my little outdoor adventure alone with the kids I decided the instruction manual was very important and decided that it, along with any pieces that are not being used, need to be placed somewhere easily accessible to the instrument at all times. Thus, I placed everything in a ziploc bag, and hung it from the tripod using a small rubber band.
I am amazed at the quality of this telescope for the price. I was a little concerned because the price was so low in comparison to the features offered. We are still learning how to use the instrument properly, but so far we are pleased. I can’t wait to see how much my husband and children are going to find together in the night sky!
*Disclaimer: I was given a complimentary GeoSafari Vega 600 Telescope from Educational Insights for the purpose of facilitating my review. No monetary compensation was given. All opinions expressed herein are unbiased and not influenced by the developing company or its affiliates in any way.*
I like the Duovision and the talking globe.
Thanks for the chance to win!!
I bought my mom a telescope a few years ago and she’s not a science person but she loves it!
We would love the chance to try this out, the Geosafari® Sonic Sleuth. Great post.
I always wanted a telescope as a child. Great “toy” that is so easily turned educational.
GeoSafari® Jr. Talking Globe™ Jr. would be fantastic for my daughters homeschool!
GeoSafari® Motorized Solar System–would be great for my kids since it seems grades we are still talking about the solar system
This is a small item but I can see it being used every single day … GeoSafari® Jr. Bug Viewer
GeoSafari® Omega Reflector Telescope
I really like the bug viewer! We are very into bugs around here lately!!
We had a motorized solar system for years. Loved it! I remember having a telescope as a kid, and it was amazing. Unfortunately, one of the lenses cracked, and water got inside the tube.
There was no way to fix it. This a fantastic giveaway!
I like the GeoSafari Omega Reflector Telescope
We love this! The talking globe is awesome too!
Is this open to Canada?
I just confirmed that YES it is open to all 50 States & Canada! =)
GeoSafari® Omega Reflector Telescope
That sounds so cool! I’ve always wanted a telescope since I was a young child.
Thanks so much for the chance to enter.
we love the telescopes; it would go perfect with this year’s summer reading program theme…STARS and Space!
I love the GeoSafari Omega Reflector Telescope.
I like the GeoSafari® Jr. Talking Telescope.
ksceviour at hotmail dot com
Our favorite Geo Safari product on the Educational Insights website is the Vega 600 Telescope; we would really love to win it!
my favorite would be the vega 600 telescope
We love the Educational Insights Hot Dots® Phonics Activity Cards, Word Families.
Our son would love the Hot Dots
This is so fun! I have a little bit of science geek in me, too! I think this is a fabulous item for any child (and adult) to have.
This seems like something my boys would love!
A telescope would be so much fun for my family!
I like the GeoSafari® DuoVision.
We like the Light Writer
http://www.educationalinsights.com/product/light+writer.do?sortby=ourPicks&sortby=&
Light Writer
Omega Reflector Telescope
I like the GeoSafari® DuoVision™
we like the GeoSafari talking globe
I would love to have the Talking Globe.
I really love the laptop jr from GeoSafari…..it makes my son feel so grown up.
Pingback: Comets, Meteors and Shooting Stars