Hamza thinks finding his way around is easy .... until his smart phone breaks. Uh oh. Now he needs to use maps to get where he’s going. Along the way, Hamza forms a marching band and gets travel tips from a gargoyle. There’s even a pirate with a treasure map.

INVESTIGATION/HANDS-ON: Han Ru and Stefano find different types of maps, as well as signs and symbols that orient us in our neighbourhood. The Investigators also meet Yu Chen and Steven, two teens who developed an app that finds water fountains and bathrooms wherever you are. Together, they find the best (“optimized”) route to the park using a subway map.

CHALLENGE: Ever wonder how a marching band knows where to go and what moves to make? They use a map! Hamza challenges two kazoo-wielding teams to use a grid to create their own marching band formations on a playing field.

BRAIN BENDER: A maze is the trickiest type of map. Charles and William test their spatial skills in a competition to see who will find the right path first.

EDUCATIONAL TAKE AWAY: A map is a 2D representation of a 3D space. Kids learn how to find a path from one point to another using a map. We also touch upon grids, and the concepts of optimization and scale.