← Back to course
Inside the Machine G3 to G5 / Week 08 / Crew Quest
6/6
Week 08 · Networks and the internet

Crew Quest

Crew Quest: The packet relay
// How a message leaves the device and finds its way
⏱ about 15 min

Crew Quest: The packet relay

Beacon Station is quiet this weekend. Raven spreads paper strips across the table. "Today we are the internet," she says. Rocket grabs a pencil. "I will be the router!"

Nova hovers. "Remember, routers read the address and pass the packet along. They never open it." Rocket salutes. "Mail room, ready!"

  1. A network is devices connected to share information. The internet is a network of networks.
  2. Wi-Fi uses radio waves. Walls and distance make the signal weaker.
  3. The router connects the home network to the internet and passes packets along.
  4. A message is cut into numbered packets. Each has an address.
  5. The receiver sorts packets by number and asks again for any that are missing.
◇ PLAY THE PACKET RELAY
You need paper, scissors, a pencil and two or more players.
One player writes a short message and cuts it into four or five strips.
Number each strip on the back and write the name of the receiver.
Shuffle the strips. Hand them one at a time to the router player.
The router reads the name and passes each strip to the right receiver. No peeking at the message.
The receiver sorts the strips by number and reads the message aloud.
Hide one strip to see what happens. The receiver should ask for the missing number.
Safety first
A grown-up handles the scissors or cuts the strips for you.
This game is screen-free. No device is needed.
For a grown-up
Ask your child what the router player did and did not do. Routers pass packets by address.
Talk about what happened when a strip was missing. Real networks ask for lost packets again.
RELAY CHECK
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
In the game, what does the router player read?
The receiver has strips 1, 2, 4 and 5. What should they do?
Why does each strip have a number on the back?
In the relay, what real device did the player in the middle act as?
WHY THIS EXERCISERouters pass packets by address. Acting it out shows how simple each step is.
On paper, draw your packet relay as a map. Show the sender, the router and the receiver with arrows.

You were the internet for a day! Next week the crew learns a method to fix any device problem.

← Friday