After a visit with Pop-Pop, we usually feel pretty “caught up” on what’s new in the field of technology.  Pop-Pop’s visit this time was especially educational as he suggested to the girls that we take apart our old computer (considered to be Kate’s main computer).  The girls were intimidated at first but with a little nudge they were up for it.

As it turned out, it was not only educational but we were able to repair the computer’s sometimes wacky behavior which we chalked up to the 8 years plus worth of dust contained inside the box.  Each card was removed (by the girls taking turns) as Pop-Pop described what each card’s function is.  Then comparing which piece of hardware was plugged into the rear of the computer into that card (monitor, power cord, mouse, speakers) the girls were able to see that behind the outer shell, it all boils down to two things … electronics and engineering.  Watching the girls experience this reminded me of Dorothy’s discovery that “the man behind the curtain” was not as great and powerful as she had originally thought … AND that one drop of water could destroy all of that power in an instant.

The second part of this experience was the exposure to the Raspberry Pi computer that Pop-Pop brought for us to test out.  With Pop-Pop’s Raspberry Pi coupled with our existing hardware, we were able to boot up the computer and run Minecraft as well as the Scratch program.  Our next projects include setting up our own purchased Raspberry Pi and teach programming using Scratch (which the girls are already thrilled about learning).

Thankfully the girls have some awesome role models in the area of technology and computer exploration including cousin EJ for introducing the girls to Minecraft and Pop-Pop for introducing them to the world of the Raspberry Pi!!

Raspberry Pi:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi

Scratch Programming:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scratch_(programming_language)

Mincraft:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minecraft

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The Applied Physics Laboratory hosts an annual expo to introduce girls to the possibilities that exist in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) careers.  Although our girls are still a few years away from choosing fields of study, and the event was geared towards middle and high school girls, we decided it was never too early to see what STEM can do for you.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?  So, prior to her last game, we left Grace’s soccer tournament to attend “Girl Power”.  Although initially disappointed in leaving the tournament, Grace quickly overcame her dismay once we arrived at the expo.

The event was packed with girls engaging in STEM activities and we will definitely be coming back each year!

The highlights included:

• A 30 minute, engaging science show
• Building the tallest tower possible using ~30 straws and a few inches of tape (Grace’s tower came to 85″)
• Catching balls from the basketball shooting robot built by the Atholton High School Robotics Team
• Exploring the science of magic
• Learning about a spectrometer
• Wearing a clean suit as if you were working on building a satellite
• Completing math puzzles

The girls so enjoyed the experience that we were one of the last families to leave and we essentially had to pull the girls away from the activities!  We certainly learned that it’s never too early to see the wonders of science and to start planting seeds of awe and wonder at the possibilities that learning, questioning and experimenting open to you.

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As best described by geocaching.com, “GEOCACHING is a free real-world outdoor treasure hunt. Players try to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, using a smart phone or GPS and can then share their experiences online.”

The advent of geocaching is a pretty cool story best described here.

For this experience we used a GPS device to locate 3 different hidden treasures located in the Eldersburg area.  The first cache was magnetized and hidden in a storm drain – yes, as you can see, these caches can be hidden anywhere.   This cache included a simple log book where we signed our team name.

The second cache was hidden on a playground which made for a nice stop along our way, although it also presented 2 obstacles: other kids .  In geocaching terms, non-cachers are called “muggles”.  You don’t want a muggle to see you finding or hiding a cache because they might find it for themselves and, not knowing what it’s for, remove it.  The girls had the wise idea of playing tag so that we appeared to be simply playing when in reality we were looking for the cache.  After locating the cache, we changed our cover story and began to play hide-and-go-seek so that one of us could stealthily spend a few minutes opening the cache.  This cache contained small toys that the girls could exchange for toys of their own.  The “give-a-toy, take-a-toy” type of cache is always fun for the girls because they come home with something new.

Our final cache of the day was located at the local public library.  This cache, hidden in a tree on the library’s property, was a bit more difficult because of the numbers of nearby muggles but we managed to sign the log and finish for the day.

This experience taught the girls about GPS, including how it works and how it helps us in our everyday lives.