How Does Evolution Affect Me? (Ages 6-14)

Saturday 18th October 2025

Part of The Stirling Science Festival 2025!

Overview

The University of Stirling team, lead by Dr Rebecca Boulton, will deliver a drop-in style, interactive stall. There will be visual aids, props, and take-home materials (e.g. stickers) to reinforce key messages.

Participants will engage with two interactive, hands-on games designed to demonstrate real-world evolutionary processes:

Microbe Marbles: A fast-paced game where players select marbles of different sizes from a set of pots, representing how bacterial populations evolve when antibiotics are overused. This game helps explain antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in an accessible and visual way.

Hook-a-Bug: A colourful challenge where participants try to find ‘bugs’ (tokens or models) in a ball pit filled with different coloured balls. This demonstrates how camouflage evolves in prey species. We then extend the activity to show how pesticide resistance evolves through similar processes.

Predator Challenge Extension: Participants can role-play as natural enemies (like ladybirds or parasitic wasps), trying different ‘modes of attack’ to control pests. This interactive challenge highlights the importance of biodiversity and nature-based solutions in reducing pesticide resistance.

These are free drop in activities from 12pm-4pm at the Albert Halls

These activities highly participatory! All games are hands-on and designed for active engagement. Participation involves:

Playing games that simulate evolutionary principles
Competing in challenges
Discussing their observations with each other and researchers
Reflect on how their actions in the games mimic real-world evolutionary outcomes

Aimed primarily at ages 6-14, but designed to be engaging for family audiences and adults as well.

TOLBOOTH