Celebrate Mother’s Day with a high-tech family mission that turns the garden into a living laboratory!
Mother’s Day “Digital Scout” Workshop: A GIS & Geocaching Adventure
Celebrate Mother’s Day with a high-tech family mission that turns the garden into a living laboratory! Hosted by Wildflower Data and Learning, this workshop bridges the gap between digital navigation and environmental science.
When: Sunday, May 10th (Mother’s Day)
Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: SEEDS, 706 Gilbert St, Durham, NC.
Tickets: $35 per child. Parents come for free!
Kid’s Age Range: 5 to 14 (It’s flexible! This a fun family event)
Part 1: How the Earth “Talks” to Space (30 Mins)
- Satellite Math: Learn the science of trilateration—how your phone “hears” four satellites to solve for your exact position ($x, y, z$, and time).
- Coordinate Decoding: Master the language of maps, from Decimal Degrees to the “Degrees, Minutes, Seconds” used by professional surveyors.
- The GIS Layer Cake: Discover how mappers stack layers of topography, hydrology, and human structures to understand our environment.
Part 2: The “Hidden Axes” Field Mission (60 Mins)
- Survey Teams: Families are divided into “Survey Teams” equipped with Geocaching and GIS apps.
- Data Caching: Use GPS coordinates to track down “Micro-Caches” hidden throughout the SEEDS garden. Inside each cache is a scientific mission:
Part 3: Mapping the Results (30 Mins)
- The Big Map: Head to the SEEDS classroom to contribute your findings to a large-scale paper map.
- Data Visualization: Mark your discoveries with colored pins to reveal hidden patterns.
- The “Aha!” Moment: See the data come to life—identifying why “Hot” spots cluster near the street while “Clean Water” data flows through the garden.