Why do stinging nettles sting and how big are shooting stars? The kids’ quiz

nettles Illustration: Hennie Haworth/The Guardian

1. Cooper, 7, asks: why do stinging nettles sting?

   1. The more they sting, the more they grow

   2. To protect themselves

   3. They’re just mean plants

   4. To say hello! They don’t mean to hurt anyone

2. Viva, 9, and Marnie, 11, ask: how do meteors move through space?

   1. They have tiny wings that they flap to fly

   2. They have little propellers, like planes

   3. They drift along in the wind, like bubbles

   4. They speed through space pulled by gravity

3. Justin, 5, asks: how big are shooting stars?

   1. The size of an elephant

   2. As big as your teacher’s head

   3. The same size as a star

   4. As small as a grain of sand

4. Scarlett, 7, asks: why does air feel hot when you blow with a big O, and cold when you blow with a small O?

   1. Your breath changes temperature depending on your mouth shape

   2. Small Os make faster air that cools things down

   3. That is the strangest thing, and nobody knows!

   4. Breath is magic and when you make it big, it makes things hot

5. Danny, 9, asks: why does glass get more fragile when it’s cold?

   1. Glass hates feeling cold, so sometimes it breaks because it’s grumpy

   2. Cold air makes glass softer

   3. Cold makes glass shrink a bit and it’s easier to crack if it experiences a sudden temperature change

   4. Frost gets inside and breaks it

Solutions

1:B - To protect themselves from being gobbled up! Nettles have tiny hollow hairs, like little needles, that inject chemicals into your skin if you brush against them. Ouch! That’s what causes the stinging feeling., 2:D - They zoom through space pulled by the gravity of stars, planets and moons! They’re known as meteoroids when they’re still in space, but become meteors when they enter Earth’s atmosphere …, 3:D - When meteoroids move through space, they burn up, making the bright streak in the sky we call a shooting star – but it's really a tiny meteoroid!, 4:B - Small Os make faster air that cools things down! If you blow through a small O shape, the air rushes out and spreads over your skin, making moisture evaporate and creating a cooling feeling – like wind on a hot day. But if you blow with a big O, the air moves more slowly and doesn’t spread out or cool down much before it hits you., 5:C - When glass gets cold, tiny molecules inside it slow down and pull together; when it gets hot, they pull apart. If you pour in hot water, some bits get hot and some don’t, and them pulling against each other can make glass shatter.

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.