Bright sparks bird quiz

Adults version

Stuff you need

Cardboard sheet (A4), 16 brass paper fasteners, 1.5v battery, thin, plastic-coated wire, 1.5v light bulb in a holder, question sheet (print out the downloadable sheet), wire cutters, pliers or old scissors, crocodile clips (optional), glue, plain paper, sticky tape

Important notes

This is a low-risk activity, suitable for small, supervised groups of children.

Resources for this activity

• Quiz sheet with answers (38Kb)

Steps

Print the question sheet (or copy it out if you haven’t got a printer) and stick it to the card.
Push the paper fasteners through the spots on the question sheet and spread their arms through the other side.

Strip the plastic coating from a centimetre strip of the end of a length of wire, and twist it around the base of the top left paper fastener.
Strip the other end of the wire and wind it around the base of the fourth paper fastener down on the right.

Do the same thing with the others, following this picture.

Follow this picture to attach pieces of wire (with the ends stripped as you did in step 3).
Use sticky tape to attach the wire to the bottom of the battery.
You might need to use a screwdriver to attach the wire to the bulb holder or you might be able to wind the wire in place - ask an adult if you need to.
If you have crocodile clips you can attach them to the wires as shown in the picture.

Test the circuits by first touching the crocodile clips together and seeing if the bulb lights up. If it doesn't, check to make sure you have no breaks in the metal circuit throughout the loop.

Test the rest of the quiz by turning the quiz sheet over and touching the correct questions and answer with one crocodile clip each. When it all works, stick the plain piece of paper over the back. This will help to keep the wires in place and will stop people from cheating by looking at the wires.
Test your friends and family to see how much they know about birds!

Stay safe!

Don’t try this with a more powerful battery, and remember that the bulb may be made of glass so try not to drop it. Be careful when stripping the wire and ask an adult for help if you need to.