City Science: Philadelphia Science Festival picks

Break out the binoculars, field notebooks, and explorer’s vests. There are opportunities to learn about science citywide during the Philadelphia Science Festival, starting Friday, April 25. Here are seven picks for discovering science in the city:

Friday, April 25: Astronomy Night,

Various Locations. 7:30-10:30pm. Tour the night sky using telescopes and star maps at 26 locations across the city. Check out the map of sites. Free.

Sunday, April 27: Birding Smackdown at The Woodlands vs. Bartram’s Garden

The Woodlands, 4000 Woodland Ave and Bartram’s Garden, 54th and Lindbergh Blvd. 7am.  Which location has more feathered friends: The Woodlands or Bartram’s Garden? Help count at one of the two sites. Free.

Sunday, April 27, Clothes of the Future, Wearable Technology

Drexel, ExCITE Center, 3401 Market Street. 10:30am. Explore how Drexel researchers are rethinking wearable technology, developing smart textiles. Free.

Sunday, April 27, HighWaterLine: A Walking Art Experience

Meets at Target, 2701 Castor Ave/ Ends at Penn Treaty Park. Noon. Artist Eve Mosher will join Philadelphians to draw a chalk line along areas prone to flooding. This HighWaterLine is part art, part conversation about climate change. Walk is followed by activities at the Big Green Block (1800 Blair St) from 3-5pm. Free.

Sunday, April 27, 2pm, Science of Skateboarding

Paine’s Park, MLK Drive and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, 2pm. Discover physics through the example of skateboarding demos. Think centripetal force, gravity, and ollies. Free.

Tuesday, April 29, History of Philly’s Scientific Men and Women at Laurel Hill

Laurel Hill Cemetery, 3822 Ridge Avenue. 10am. Explore local science history through stories about the residents of Laurel Hill: from a civil engineer who designed the first wire cable suspension bridge in America to the doctor who removed the bullet from Andrew Jackson’s shoulder. $10. Call  215.228.8200 to reserve.

Saturday, May 3, Carnival on the Parkway

Benjamin Franklin Parkway, 10am. The Science Festival ends with a bang on the Parkway for a family-friendly event featuring 150 exhibitors, a broad array of experiments, games, entertainment, and food trucks. Free.