Giant video game
Hungry Birds is a fun, fast-paced game that teaches natural selection. Played on a 12 ft by 7 ft touchscreen wall, it’s a magnet for kids. Recommended by the NSTA.
Hungry Birds is a 60-second video game where players fly through a forest and try to eat (touch) as many moths as possible. There are two types of moths: dark and light. In the first half of the game, the trees are white and it is easier to spot the dark moths so players – pressured by time and the spirit of competition – eat mostly dark moths.
In the second half, pollution turns the trees black and all of a sudden it’s easier to spot the light colored moths. At the end of the game, players see their score by each half and realize that the moths they ate depended on the color of the trees.
This is based on the peppered moths of England, and an avatar provides context in the beginning and at the end of the game.
The size of the video wall is equivalent to 1,725 iPhones and it’s by far kids’ favorite part of the exhibit (even more than the dinosaurs!).
Hungry Birds is recommended by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). You can read their recommendation here.