It seems as if computers are all around us - probably in places we'd never suspect. Computers have become a very important part of our lives. Do you know why? How can you find out? In this activity you will try to find out how many ways a computer affects your life.

     All you need is a "nose for news," a pencil, and some paper. If you can, this would be a fun activity to do with a friend or two.

     You're going to go on a scavenger hunt, but instead of looking for things like feathers or leaves, you will be hunting for information. Your goal is to find as many things as you can that computers do for people, either at home (or a friend's home), at school, or in the community. See how many things you can write in the chart below (a couple of hints are given in the "Home" category.) Use whatever methods you want to get your information (talk to people, look in the phonebook, visit places.) Get together with a few friends or family members and make a contest out of it.

• How did you go about doing your hunt?
• What things did you find that you did not expect to find?
• Was the scavenger hunt harder or easier than you expected? Why?

• Use the information you found to create a short talk or poster on "The Importance of Computers in Our Lives." Present it to your club or class.
• Have your help, parent, or a friend show you some of the things they do with the computer. See if you can learn how to do them, too.