Squishy Circuits

In the activity, Squishy Circuits, we as a group had to initially create a parallel circuit using playdoh, battery and light bulbs.  After that activity we had to create a parallel and series circuit using the same materials.  The short side of the bulb had to be on the side of the black wire and the playdoh couldn't touch to avoid shorting out the circuit.

The main struggle was to initially get over the mental block of not understanding how to complete the task since we used the provided image as our guide.  The provided image took us down the wrong path, so there was some frustration.  I know that I felt pretty dumb trying to figure it out, but luckily the group mentally helped us problem solve together.

Once I understood the basic premise of the conduction path that is required to allow the energy to flow, it helped with the second challenge with the multiple types of circuits to be created in one energy flow.

The questions that I still have relate to demonstrating this with my teachers as a model of a
form of assessment to take people through the steps.  How can I make this an effective model for my teachers to utilize?  How can I make it palatable and not overwhelming?