How do our brains remember stuff and how fast can lava flow? The kids’ quiz

1. Isla, 8, asks: how do we remember stuff?

   1. Our brain is secretly taking tiny photos of everything we see

   2. Hair stores memories, so you forget things if it’s cut

   3. Our brain has special cells that store information

   4. Tiny memory elves whisper to remind us

2. Hamish, 7, asks: what’s the first bird that’s believed to have existed?

   1. Chickenosaurus, the oldest of all the chickens

   2. A tiny robin with the world’s most beautiful song

   3. Archaeopteryx, a feathered dinosaur that could glide

   4. A great pink flamingo

3. Niall, 7, asks: how fast can lava flow?

   1. As fast as a Formula One car at top speed

   2. As fast as an eagle

   3. As fast as you can run

   4. Sometimes slower than you walk, sometimes faster than you can run!

4. Eliza, 8, asks: how many muscles are there in your face?

   1. Six – one for each emotion

   2. 43 muscles, helping you smile, blink and more

   3. 26, just like the alphabet

   4. One huge one that moves in different directions depending on how you feel

5. Josie, 7, asks: when were wooden spoons invented?

   1. We can’t tell as they all rotted away

   2. 1,000 years ago, when people got sick of using their hands to eat

   3. More than 5,000 years ago – they’re ancient

   4. In the middle ages, for stirring royal porridge

Solutions

1:C - Your brain has cells called neurons that help you remember things. When you learn something new, they send messages to each other and make connections – like building a path. The more you use that path (by repeating something, like your times tables or a song), the stronger it gets, and the easier it is to remember., 2:C - The first bird scientists believe existed is called archaeopteryx (say it like: ark-ee-OP-ter-ix). It lived about 150 million years ago, had feathers and wings like a bird, but also claws and teeth like a dinosaur., 3:D - Lava can flow slowly or quickly. Thick, sticky lava might only move one metre an hour – so slow you could walk away while eating an ice-cream! But fast, runny lava can zoom downhill at speeds of 55km an hour., 4:B - You have about 43 muscles in your face, depending on how they are counted, and they help you do things like smile, frown and wiggle your eyebrows., 5:C - People have been carving spoons from wood since prehistoric times! Wooden spoons have been found in Ancient Egyptian and Roman kitchens.

Scores

1. 5 and above.

2. 4 and above.

3. 3 and above.

4. 2 and above.

5. 0 and above.

6. 1 and above.

Molly Oldfield hosts Everything Under the Sun, a podcast answering children’s questions. Do check out her books, Everything Under the Sun and the new Everything Under the Sun: Quiz Book.