What is the Explore Your World backpack?

The weather is getting cool! Its the perfect time to go out in your neighborhood or nature and look for birds… they are everywhere!

The Explore Your World backpack kit is one of three backpacks designed by UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County in partnership with Sarasota County Libraries. It is designed to help explorers of all ages get outside and explore their world.

Each Explore Your World kit packs all you’ll need to get started, including items, books, and activities designed to inspire exploration for all ages… from your neighborhood to nature! Available for free check-out at all Sarasota County Libraries locations, this kit is a fun and educational option for families with children or relatives with visiting children. Includes activity guide in Spanish.

The Binoculars

Binoculars help you see things that are far away as if they were closer to you. This is a great way to observe wildlife and details that you couldn’t observe without binoculars. Binoculars also allow you to view wildlife from a safer distance and not scare the animals away.

How to Use the Binoculars in the Explore Your World backpack:

• Always put the strap around your neck, when you take out the binoculars to use. Binoculars have glass lenses inside them which may break if you drop them.
• Never touch the glass lenses (the eye pieces or the objective lenses) as the oils and dirt on your fingers will ruin the lenses.
• Hold the eyepieces up to your eyes and gently bend the binoculars to fit your eyes (you should see one circle of vision, not two)
• Focus on something far away, or on the object you want to look at, and move the center focusing wheel to bring it into focus.
• When you decide to look at something else, you may need to refocus.
• Always put the binoculars back carefully when done.

Learn more about binoculars and birding by watching the video below.

Birding with the Binoculars

• Find a bird to focus on. Sometimes they fly away so be patient.
• Observe the bird and ask yourself about it.

  

  • Is it big or small?
  • What color is it?
  • What is it doing?
• Then look further at the details on the bird.
  • Does it have any patterns, or bars, of color on its wings.
  • What does its beak look like and what color is it?
  • What does its legs and feet look like?
  • How about its tail feathers?
  • Does it have any other special colors or markings?

    

• You can make some educated guesses about your bird now.
  • What do you think it eats? (Look at its beak)
  • Does it spend more time in the trees, on the ground, or in the water? (Look at it’s legs and feet)
  • Do you think your bird is a female (girl) or a male (boy)? Sometimes male birds are more colorful, but not always! Sometimes female birds are bigger, but not always!
• Try to identify your bird using the Florida Field Guide to Birds in the Explore Your World backpack. Or research your bird at The Cornell Lab All About Birds.

HAVE FUN! and try out the other scientific tools in the backpack.

Take our survey for a chance to win a free prize!

Once you explore all the fun items inside, take the survey on the back of the Explore Your World activity guide to enter a drawing for a chance to win a prize!

An Equal Opportunity Institution. UF/IFAS Extension, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Nick T. Place, dean for UF/IFAS Extension. Sarasota County prohibits discrimination in all services, programs or activities. View the complete policy at www.scgov.net/ADA.

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