Binoculars are used for a lot of things. The word means "two eyes." Although, really, when we use binoculars, we're kind of a four-eyes, aren't we? Bird-watchers, hunters and amateur astronomers are just a few of the people who use binoculars. Kids use them as toys and as learning devices. People are always finding ways to improve on our five senses. We do a pretty good job of it, too. We can improve just about everything. We move faster in cars and airplanes. We hear better with headsets and hearing aids. We see better with glasses and binoculars. When we're trying to see tiny objects far away or even huge objects, like planets, that are really far away, binoculars help. Birdwatchers use binoculars to find those fast flying rare birds as they hum through the sky. You have to look quick or you miss them! Binoculars bring the tiny colored creatures into better focus. Using binoculars, the avid birdwatcher can be sure he really saw the rare Bonaparte's Nightjar or Pink-Headed Fruit Dove, not just another sparrow or bluebird. (Not to knock sparrows or bluebirds. They're cool, too.) Hunters use binoculars, too. Since they can be slung around the neck on a cord, it's easy to spot the prey and drop the binoculars to pick up the rifle. Next thing you know, you've shot your dinner. Deer and other wild animals move fast. You've got to be able to catch them on the run or you can end up very hungry. Amateur astronomers of all ages like to use binoculars to watch the night sky. Mars and Venus on the horizon are a whole different picture when you can magnify your own vision. Many of us have looked at the moon through binoculars. It's beautiful with the naked eye, and even more grand when we can see it enlarged. Same thing with the stars themselves. From little twinkles to bigger twinkles in the sky, the effects of using binoculars makes a big difference. Treat your kids to a pair of inexpensive binoculars to explore the natural world around them. You can use them after they go to bed to look at the night sky with your sweetie! |
