PVA glue is often used in crafts but it’s made from petrochemicals, the production of which is bad for the environment. Here’s a recipe for glue made from natural materials that works just as well!
You will need:
45 g plain flour 15 g sugar 5 ml (1 teaspoon) vinegar 100 ml warm water Bowls Spoon Jug Jar or tub with lid
What you do:
Put 50 ml of warm water into a jug and add the sugar. Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved.
Add the vinegar.
Put the flour into a bowl and slowly add the liquid, stirring all the time, until it is combined together. Keep stirring until there are no lumps.
Add the rest of the water and stir thoroughly.
Store the mixture in a jar or tub with the lid closed in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Helen Scales is a marine biologist, writer, broadcaster, teacher and scuba diver who stars as our Science Hero in Whizz Pop Bang 96: Coasts. Read more about her in this issue, now available in our shop. She tells us all about her exciting job, including some of the books she has written, and we’re so excited to have five sets of two of these books to give away to mini marine biologists!
Scientists in the Wild: Galápagos by Helen Scalesfollows a group of marine biologists as they set sail to study the amazing wildlife and habitats of the Galápagos. To get the job done they will climb volcanoes, get sneezed on by marine iguanas, watch dancing birds, launch a deep-diving submersible and explore the dazzling underwater wonders of Galápagos.
Great Barrier Reef by Helen Scales (released 6th July 2023) introduces this incredible, intricate Australian ecosystem to young readers. Discover the plant and animal inhabitants of the Great Barrier Reef in this beautifully illustrated book, then find out what we can all do to ensure its survival.
To enter the competition, simply answer the following question in the comments:
Our very knowledgeable robot, Y, has another challenge for you this week. Y’s Wonder Club club is for budding scientists to share their adventures in science with our robot, Y, and other Whizz Pop Bang readers. All Whizz Pop Bang subscribers are automatically joined to Y’s Wonder Club and for a limited time this summer we’re opening up the club for everyone!
We have two weeks left so get ready for your scientist in training to put their capes on and become an Eco Hero! If you missed our previous weeks, go back and have a look at the Wildlife Watcher and Super Scientist badges to collect them all! We’ve got some great summer holiday activities that not only keep the kids entertained but do good for the planet too!
Complete these three challenges to earn your Whizz Pop Bang Eco Hero badge…
1) Upcycle something
Choose an item that’s reaching the end of its life or is destined for the bin and transform it into something useful. For example, you could make a pencil case from an old bag, tie-die a stained t-shirt or freshen up an old wooden stool with bright paints.
2) Make an environmentally friendly change
Make a lifestyle change that enables you or your family to cause less harm to the environment. Perhaps you could ask your parents if you could walk, cycle or scoot into school or to the park, instead of driving. Maybe you could reduce the amount of single-use plastics you use at home, eat less meat, or help your family to reduce your food waste.
3) Help to raise awareness
Spread the word about an environmental issue that you feel strongly about. You could design and put up a poster about an environmental issue, e.g. reminding your school friends to bring in reusable water bottles or encouraging awareness in your neighbourhood of toads or hedgehogs on the roads. You could write to your MP or your local shops or cafes to ask them to make environmentally friendly changes. Or maybe you could join an environmental campaign or protest.
Here’s how to apply for your badge:
1. Download the Eco Hero application form. Print it out and complete the first page of the application form to tell us about how you’ve helped the environment. Attach any photos or drawings that you’d like to send to us. If you don’t have a printer, you can type your answers into an email or write your answers on a plain piece of paper and send us a photograph of it.
2. Ask your parent or guardian to pay the £1-per-badge postage and packing fee, which can be done online at whizzpopbang.com/shop/719619/badge-postage-and-packing/. Add the order confirmation number to the second page of the application form.
3. Ask your parent or guardian to fill in the second page of the form.
4. Photograph or scan your completed form and any other documents and email them to Y@whizzpopbang.com with the subject line as ‘Eco Hero Badge’. Alternatively, post your completed application to Eco Hero Badge, Whizz Pop Bang, Unit 7, Global Business Park, 14 Wilkinson Road, Cirencester, GL7 1YZ. Please note that it can take up to 12 weeks for delivery of the badges.
To help stop the spread of Covid-19, face coverings are now required in many countries. However, this is coming at a cost to the environment; a recent study estimated that the world is using a staggering 129 billion disposable masks each month during the pandemic.
Environmental charity Greenpeace is urging people to instead choose reusable masks wherever possible. Throwaway masks contain plastics, which clog up habitats and pose a threat to animals and nature. The World Health Organisation recommends that the public should wear suitable cloth coverings that can be washed and re-worn.
Add a sprinkle of science to your child’s bookshelf this autumn with these three inspiring titles from Wren and Rook.
Launch yourself into the great unknown with Space Explorers by Libby Jackson. Marvel at 25 extraordinary true stories of humankind’s thrilling journey to the stars which have been brought to life by Léonard Dupon’s beautiful illustrations.
In An Engineer Like Me by Dr Shini Somara and illustrated by Nadja Sarell, Zara’s journey around the city sparks some serious curiosity: How do roller coasters do loop-the-loops? How do planes stay up? As she marvels about how they work, Zara learns about some of the brilliant engineers who have shaped the world around her. This inventive book is packed with engineering explanations and challenges get future scientists thinking.
A Climate in Chaosby Neal Laytontackles the huge issue of our warming planet by explaining what it is, what’s causing it and – most importantly – how we can all help to keep Planet Earth happy.
Want to win all three books for your family? We’ve got five bundles of three to give away to Whizz Pop Bang fans!
To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer this question in the comments:
Whizz Pop Bang is a top-quality, gender-neutral, advert-free science magazine for families everywhere. Each issue is packed with experiments, activities, amazing facts, puzzles, jokes, riddles and more. Find out more here!
Are mountains of festive plastic tat making your Christmas feel a little less than magical? Being an eco-warrior, a super-parent AND Father Christmas can be exhausting stuff, so we’ve sought out some present ideas that bring more cheer and less guilt.
Looking for plastic-free gifts, ethical present ideas, green gifts and other ways to have a green Christmas and make a difference at his time of year? Keep scrolling…
Junko junk modelling kits, from £9.99, www.planetjunko.com
Make junk into toys with this super-creative, eco-friendly toy! Each kit contains a variety of accessories (including wheels, paddle wheels, floats, rubber band drives and more) along with plenty of clip-on and magnetic fixings that can be combined to turn household junk into almost anything you can imagine.
Invented by a dad who wanted to avoid throwaway plastic toys, Junko is fully reusable and made from recycled plastic in England. Its system of clips, magnetic fixings and accessories take junk modelling up a notch, encouraging imaginative play, problem solving and serious FUN!
Whizz Pop Bang subscription, from £20.99, www.whizzpopbang.com
Want to give the gift of science wonder every month of the year? A subscription to Whizz Pop Bang magazine sends science learning and fun rocketing through your letterbox, every single month, with no plastic tat in sight! ⠀
And as if that’s not enough…⠀ 🌳 Printed with vegetable inks on paper from FSC/PEFC suppliers 🌳 Delivered in paper envelopes⠀ 🌳 Advert-free⠀ 🌳 Activities and experiments often reuse household items (like the content of your recycling box and shed!)⠀
First up is an amazing shop dedicated to plastic-free gifts: EcoVibe. From craft kits to lunch bags, building blocks to origami kits, this website promises an easy conscience for all of Santa’s elves. It’s worth having a peek at their adult self-care range too – you might need some TLC after all that shopping!
Throw it and grow it with these easy-gardening seedboms (packed with native wildflower and herb seeds in peat-free compost). There’s even an accompanying books, There’s a Tiger in the Garden, if you’re buying for a younger child (age 4-7). We also love the Make a Pizza for the Birds kit – tasty treats for little tweeters!
Dino Snores for Kids sleepover, £65 per person, www.nhm.ac.uk
Prefer dinosaurs to reindeer? If you’re looking for something that most definitely won’t get lost under the bed, the Natural History Museum’s dino-snores sleepovers offers a thrilling experience to wander the corridors of the pre-historic after dark. Explore a torch-lit trail, make a dinosaur t-shirt and watch a science show. That’s a present they certainly won’t forget!
Adopt a polar bear, from £3 per month, www.wwf.org.uk
Have your kids asked for a puppy for Christmas? How about a polar bear instead? The WWF offers a huge range of animals to ‘adopt’ for Christmas, without the extra hassle of walkies, litter trays and vet bills! From £3 a month, (or from a £36 one-off payment), your little animals will receive a fact pack and regular updates on how their animal is faring in the wild. Upgrade to £5 per month and they’ll get a soft toy of your chosen animal, too! Best of all, your well-earned money will be spent directly on helping the species.
It’s DAY FOUR of WHIZZ POP BANG’s SEVEN DAYS OF PRIZES!
This month’s Whizz Pop Bang magazine is all about SCIENCE SUPERPOWERS, so we’ve arranged a competition that is all about a real-life superhero who wants to save the Earth: Greta Thunberg!
We’ve got six copies of We Are All Greta by Valentina Gianella to give away! This beautifully illustrated book will take you on a journey of hope, resilience and curiosity as we take a a look inside Greta’s life. From drinking water to fossil fuels, from hashtags to education, the book is packed with scientific facts and ideas of things we can all do to help protect our planet.
Just answer this question in the comments to be in with a chance of winning one of six copies!
How many trees are cut down every year?*
1. 15 2. Around 15 million 3. Up to 15 billion
*According to figures reported by WWF
This competition closes on 31st December 2019. For full terms and conditions visit whizzpopbang.com/terms
Are you looking for free experiments for kids? Here’s an easy science experiment that doesn’t need any special materials or skills, just bags of curiosity…
This decomposing experiment is a great way to show composting in action. If you’re looking for STEM activities for primary school or home school science lessons about living things and habitats, this investigation is a winner!
Keep scrolling to be in with a chance of winning some awesome, earth-friendly prizes, too!
Decomposing experiment for kids
Rotting Rubbish decomposing experiment from Whizz Pop Bang science magazine for kids
For this experiment you will need:
Two jam jars of the same size
Two pieces of old fabric
Two elastic bands
Compost or soil
Finely chopped banana or other fruit
Small pieces of plastic or polystyrene
The decomposing experiment
Set up the experiment as shown. Each jar should contain the same depth of compost.
Sprinkle a few drops of water over the fruit and plastic.
Leave the experiment for at least five days, noting any changes in the jars.
You should find the fruit will have started to rot but the plastic will be unaltered. Bacteria and fungi eat food waste, helping it to rot, but they don’t usually eat plastic. The plastic won’t start to rot for another 450 years, so don’t wait around! After the experiment, you can reuse the jars and recycle the plastic.
COMPETITION TIME! WIN A SET OF PATCH BAMBOO PLASTERS FOR YOUR FAMILY…
PATCH plasters are made from 100% organic bamboo
PATCH adhesive bandages are crafted with 100% organic bamboo fibrewith the added natural goodness of activated charcoal, aloe vera and coconut oil.
Did you know that most plasters contain plastic and so take a very long time to degrade? PATCH adhesive strips are wound coverings made from organic bamboo which break down in just a few weeks after they’ve been used.
Watch how PATCH plasters biodegrade…
Independently tested, PATCH Bamboo Plasters will break down naturally into the soil in a matter of weeks, making it the world’s first natural, organic bamboo plaster that is 100% compostable
We’ve got two sets of PATCH Bamboo Plasters to give away to two lucky Whizz Pop Bang readers! Each winner will get 25 Light Bamboo Patches (to help repair minor cuts), 25 Coconut Oil Patches (to soothe grazes), 25 Aloe Vera Patches (ideal for minor burns and blisters) and 25 Black Bamboo with Activated Charcoal Patches (for bites and splinters).
Grazed knees have never looked so good (or been so kind to the
planet!)
PATCH, the natural alternative to wound care that just loves your skin! LATEX FREE – PARABEN FREE-THIMEROSAL FREE – CRUELTY FREE
To enter this competition, answer this bamboo-zling question in the comments box below:
Bamboo is….
The slowest-growing
plant on the planet
The most
expensive plant on the planet
The
fastest-growing plant on the planet
This competition closes at midnight on 31st July 2019. For full terms and conditions visit whizzpopbang.com/terms
PATCH is available to buy from www.patchstrips.eu and from mid-July, you will be able to buy PATCH in most Holland & Barrett and Superdrug stores across the UK.
We’ve got 5 of these Nick Baker wiggly Worm World kits to give away in our RUBBISH SCIENCE issue! Enter the competition on page 33 and get your entries in by 10th Feb. Good luck!
Big shout out to our 10 Awesomely Amazing recycling heroes in our RUBBISH SCIENCE issue!
♻️♻️♻️♻️♻️♻️♻️♻️♻️♻️
1. Melati and Isabel Wijsen who set up Bye Bye Plastic Bags
2. Sammie Vance with her recycled plastic buddy benches
3. Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu who set up soleRebels designing shoes from old tyres
4. Ryan Hickman, age 9 runs his own recycling company
5. Aaron Westbrook 3D prints prosthetic limbs from recycled plastic
6. Anna Bullus who set up Gumdrop ltd making shoes with pink soles from recycled gum
7. Esther Bird campaigned to stop single-use plastics being used at her school
8. Julia Bray, Ashton Cofer and Luke and Natalie Clay converted styrofoam cups into activated carbon
9. Zymal Umer set up Zee Bags to make gift bags from recycled newspaper
10. Amy and Ella Meek from Kids Against Plastic campaign to help families, cafes and councils to be ‘Plastic Clever’
So inspiring to see so many kids taking the initiative, the future’s looking greener everyone! 👍🏽
