Radio Messengers
Send messages across a field — and around obstacles — using tiny mesh radios that work with no cell service or internet. A hands-on intro to how messages hop from radio to radio.
Choose a session date / time:
One ticket covers one child plus an accompanying grown-up. Registering siblings? Add a ticket per child at checkout. Questions? Email hello@waterbearworkshop.org.
What we'll do
How does a message get from one person to another with no phone signal and no wifi? In this session, families use small mesh radios — pocket-sized devices that pass messages from one radio to the next until they reach their destination.
Kids and grown-ups spread out across a field, hide behind obstacles, and try to get messages through — discovering firsthand how a "mesh" network reaches farther than any single radio could alone.
We'll explore
- How radios talk to each other without towers or the internet
- What a "mesh" is, and how messages hop from radio to radio
- Why antennas, distance, and hills matter
- Sending real messages across a live network you help build
You'll leave with
- A clear picture of how off-grid communication works
- Experience sending messages across a real mesh
- Better questions about range, signals, and how the internet usually works
Who it's for
Kids ages 8–12 and one grown-up per child. No technical background needed.
This is a family-friendly version of our Mesh Radio workshop at Waterbear Field School.
Send messages across a field — and around obstacles — using tiny mesh radios that work with no cell service or internet. A hands-on intro to how messages hop from radio to radio.
Choose a session date / time:
One ticket covers one child plus an accompanying grown-up. Registering siblings? Add a ticket per child at checkout. Questions? Email hello@waterbearworkshop.org.