Educational Insights Nancy B's Science Club MoonScope Kids Telescope, STEM Toy, Gift for Boys & Girls, Ages 8+

This Moonscope is pretty cool ! At first it was really difficult to get the hang of it, but after I finally got the moon in the scope and was able to get the clear shot it was AMAZING ! My daughter likes it so much she wants to take it out every night ! It is so neat to be able to see the moon so clearly and look at all the craters and bumps and just to know that it is an amazing creation that we get to enjoy, AHHH! So, like I said, it was REALLY hard to get it to focus and get the moon in the scope at first, but after much trial and error we did it, at first I was ready to give up and give a bad review, but once I got the moon centered and focused, OH MY GOODNESS ! This is definitely not a super duper see everything scope, but it is well worth the price to allow your child to see the night sky and experience the moon in all of its phases in focus and not just a blurry light in the sky. It definitely helps to take it outside at least a half an hour before viewing in order to get it acclimated to the outside air temperature like the instructions indicate. We live in a rural area and thought we could get a great view of the stars as well, but that has proven to be more difficult, although we will not stop trying ! We also took it out in the daytime to check out the trees and some nature sites up close and to get some practice in focusing ! Overall, I would definitely purchase this item again and am so glad to have had the opportunity in the first place. Now, we are just waiting on the full moon so we can see it in all of its splendor ! That said, I recommend this item to anyone looking to give their elementary aged child a closer look at the moon, you WILL NOT be disappointed !

I am extremely disappointment with this telescope. This telescope is practically unusable because of the flimsy tripod that it comes with. The optics are OK, I have no complaints about the optics. But the tripod is so cheaply built, that it is impossible to adjust. You can never successfully aim it at the moon (and the moon is the only thing you can see with, there is NO chance of seeing anything else other than the moon), and if you manage to somehow do so, even if your child's eyelashes touch the viewing lens, the whole things moves out of place. I am experienced with telescopes, and I know that because of the earth's rotation celestial objects seem to move out of sight, but this is not what I'm talking about. The problem is that the tripod is extremely unsteady and non-adjustable. Also, you can only view the moon when it is very low in the sky, since this tripod doesn't allow you to raise the telescope (what you see in the picture here on the site is as high as it goes). This is a complete waste of money and I would strongly recommend buying a telescope with a better tripod.

I always read reviews before purchasing anything and look at the rating. Typically, I won't buy anything under 4 stars. I saw one review that convinced me to purchase this item for my daughter's bday. I am so happy I did. For a $32 telescope, this is a great buy. If your expecting a professional telescope, this is not it. But if your look for a great beginner telescope, this one fits the bill. It has a little light on the bottoms that you can turn on/off (will need batteries that are not included). It comes with a moon filter and you do need to use it if looking at the moon. My husband set it up and we all looked at the moon with this scope. He first looked at the moon without the moonscope and he said it blinded him lol. It was very clear and could see the color variation in the scope. I would recommend having an adult that does know a little bit about setting the scope up for children especially younger children. Of course, I think most could learn how to set it up and stargazing/moongazing. And the tripod is not very tall so you will probably want to set it on a table or something to give you some height. I browsed through the journal and it has tips, activities, and information.

The moonscope comes with 2 different lens and a moon filtering len. There is also an activity book. Both our four and eight year old enjoyed using it to look at the sky during the day and night. We have also used it to look at objects and buildings in the distant and to make various observations as suggested in the activity book. The tripod is easy to open and there is a light feature on the bottom. All the lens come with caps to prevent damage or scatches.We think the moonscope was fun and educational but it could be improved.1) Better instruction on what the various parts do2) Tripod height is a bit a struggle. Its short so you have to put it on a table. But if you put on a regular table the it can become too tall for kids to look through3) It needs a bag to hold the lens so they don’t get lost4) Price point it’s a bit high for what we consider more of a toy than actual precise scientific instrument.

This is very easy to put together, however beware of the Amazon "open box".....mine came with missing pieces and was broken and was listed as "very good". Return window closed by the time I was able to inspect it. The item itself is very cute for little girls and I am planning to buy the other toys that are offered by them but will probably be a little more careful around the open box items again.My daughter not only loves to look at the moon and stars but also likes to play pretend with it too.