If it's close to the horizon then there's a definite "up" - towards the zenith. Many telescopes invert the incoming image, hence why the kids would've thought i

If it's close to the horizon then there's a definite "up" - towards the zenith. Many telescopes invert the incoming image, hence why the kids would've thought it was upside-down. (I am assuming the object in question was visible with the naked eye, probably the moon, although it's also possible that the children noticed that when the telescope moved, the image appeared to move in the "wrong" direction relative to their expectations.)