We all know what a magnifying glass is, but without the having one handy, we may tend to forget how nifty these little tools are. I recently picked up a lighted magnifying glass and was amazed at the difference in quality between this one and the regular magnifier I used to use.

I personally use mine for hobbies and just general interest. They are great to have araound to help kids explore and to give adults a new perspective on everyday things. When is the last time you looked through a magnifier?

I can remember as a child playing with a magnifying glass. There were so many things to do with a simple magnifying glass. The most fun was burning leaves. We would hold the glass with the sun hitting it just right and watch as a leaf would begin to burn. My son did this one time and started a fire in the front yard. He also liked to burn bugs, which was fine with me because I don't like bugs. My grand-daughter uses her magnifying glass to look at everything. She especially likes looking at food through the glass. At this point in life, a magnifying glass is simply the easiest way quickly see little things (like the ingredients on a food package, since when do they make that stuff so small?).

My lighted magnifying glass has proven to be very useful to me as I get older. I especially need it if I look up a phone number in the phonebook. The print is so little I find I am straining the vision that I do have to decipher the phone number. I place the magnifying glass over the phonebook pages to find what I am looking for. I consider this to be a miracle.

I keep a couple lighted magnifiers around, I mean reading glasses do the same trick, but sometimes it is just easier to hold up the magnifier than to put on a pair of readers. Especially while cooking. And the added benefit of the light makes all the difference. Especailly when cooking dinner because the lighting in our kithcen is not all that great.