Agnes Arber photo in Whizz Pop Bang science magazine

Scientists from history

Each month we celebrate a sensational scientist from history; an eminent figure in the creation, invention or discovery of a scientific breakthrough. How many famous scientists can you name? How many of those are women? Female scientists were often forgotten or unknown, simply because they were women. And yet their work was instrumental in discovering hugely important scientific breakthroughs.

Inside Whizz Pop Bang magazine your kids will discover the historic world of science; who invented computers, who discovered the milky way and who is responsible for how we forecast the weather. We tell the story of these fascinating scientists, both male and female, and how they came to discover incredible things.

A few examples of the less well-known women we’ve featured: Lise Meitner, whose work led to the discovery of nuclear fission, astronomer Caroline Herschel and Agnes Arber, botanist and early ambassador in helping the world to recognize the amazing talent of women in science. Read the full list of sensational scientists below.

The story of Agnes Arber in Whizz Pop Bang science magazine

List of the sensational scientists featured in Whizz Pop Bang magazine:

Issue 1: Mary Anning

Issue 2: Charles Darwin

Issue 3: Maria Telkes

Issue 4: Leonardo da Vinci

Issue 5: Lise Meitner

Issue 6: Louis Pasteur

Issue 7: Rosalind Franklin

Issue 8: Antoine Lavoisier

Issue 9: Mary Somerville

Issue 10: Charles Lyell

Issue 11: Caroline Herschel

Issue 12: Jacques Cousteau

Issue 13: Grace Hopper

Issue 14: Roy Chapman Andrews

Issue 15: William Henry Perkin

Issue 16: Isambard Kingdom Brunel

Issue 17: Florence Nightingale

Issue 18: Albert Einstein

Issue 19: Gregor Mendel

Issue 20: Rachel Carson

Issue 21: Ibn al Haytham

Issue 22: Richard Feynman

Issue 23: Agnes Arber

Issue 24: Alfred Wegener

Issue 25: Jeanne Villepreux-Power

Issue 26: George de Mestral, velcro

Issue 27: Marie Curie

Issue 28: Nicolaus Copernicus

Issue 29: Hedy Lamarr

Issue 30: Archimedes

Issue 31: Anselmus De Boot

Issue 32: Joseph Bazalgette

Issue 33: Charles Darwin

Issue 34: Michael Faraday

Issue 35: Gerty Cori

To buy a back issue for just £3.75 (with free UK delivery!) visit our shop.


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British Science Week 2018

How to celebrate British Science Week 2018!

British Science Week is a ten-day celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths for kids, families and schools everywhere. Get inspired and join millions of mini scientists experimenting and having fun learning about the awesome world of science.

This year British Science week is 9th to 18th March, so it’s time to get organized with your science activities!

We’ve got loads of ideas to bring science week to life in your school, so let’s get started. You will need your Whizz Pop Bang magazines (not a subscriber? Order back issues here at £3.75 per mag including delivery) and access to a colour photocopier.

Whizz Pop Bang scrapbook

Whizz Pop Bang share homework sheet

This idea came from primary science teachers Kathryn Horan and Toby Tyler. Every week a couple of the children in the class take home a Whizz Pop Bang magazine to share with their families.

For this you will need a scrapbook and a plastic wallet for each magazine. Prepare an instruction sheet to go with each one:

Welcome to our Whizz Pop Bang scrapbook!

There are no specific rules about what you should do with the magazine, you could…

  • Write about what you found particularly interesting
  • Draw or stick in photos of any experiments you did
  • Write in any additional research you have done
  • Write a review of the magazine
  • Read it together with older or younger siblings
  • Try out some of the experiments
  • Enter any competitions
  • Tweet what you have done to the magazine’s Twitter account, @whizzpopbangmag
  • Write and send a letter in to the letters page
  • Carry out some more research around the topics in the magazines

Whatever you do, we’d love to hear about it at school, so be sure to let us know or add something into the scrapbook. Have fun!

 

Inspirational scientists posters

Whizz Pop Bang science magazine for kids Ibn al Haytham

Cover the classroom in posters of inspirational, sensational scientists! In every issue of Whizz Pop Bang there’s a double-page spread focusing on famous scientists who made history with their discoveries and inventions. Photocopy the spreads and pin up to inspire your pupils!

 

Interview with a real scientist…

Whizz Pop Bang interview with a nanotechnologist

Find out what real scientists do in their everyday jobs on our interview pages. We’ve interviewed over 30 scientists ready to inspire girls and boys to be our scientists of the future! To buy a back issue visit our back issues shop.

Issue 1: Becky Smith, Chocolate scientist

Issue 2: Karen Ladenheim, Robotics scientist, Stanford University

Issue 3: Lynn Whitfield, Bat ecologist

Issue 4: Dr Steve Brusatte, Palaeontologist, Edinburgh University

Issue 5: Rob Lambert, Antarctic explorer and polar scientist

Issue 6: Tim Peake, Astronaut

Issue 7: Susan Cheyne, Conservation biologist (orangutans)

Issue 8: Misha Lotto, young scientist, Blackawton Bees Project

Issue 9: Josie Campbell, Vet

Issue 10: Shane Cronin, Volcanologist (New Zealand)

Issue 11: Jennifer Andon, Entomologist

Issue 12: Dr Maddalena Bearsi, Marine biologist

Issue 13: Prof Robert Winston, Medical scientist, Imperial College

Issue 14: Sarah Shelley, Fossil hunter

Issue 15: Helen Czerski, Bubble scientist

Issue 16: Abbie Hutty, Mars Rover engineer

Issue 17: Lara Aknin, Psychology professor (gift-giving)

Issue 18: Emma Burke, Penguin aquarist

Issue 19: Ian Gilby, Primatologist, Tanzania

Issue 20: Caoimhe Doyle, Foley Artist, sound effect engineer

Issue 21: Amy Dejong, Food scientist, University of Wisconsin

Issue 22: Payton Barnwell, Nanotechnologist, Florida Polytechnic Uni

Issue 23: Dave Goulson, Bumblebee biologist

Issue 24: Huw James, Science adventurer

Issue 25: Alex Hildred, Maritime archaeologist

Issue 26: Cierra Martin, Seed guardian

Issue 27: Toby Gemmill, Orthopaedic vet

Issue 28: Dr Sheyna, Martian (sort of)

Issue 29: Richard Stammers, Visual effects artist

Issue 30: Andres Ruzo, Geothermal Scientist

Issue 31: Lisa Elser, Gem cutter

To buy a back issue (for just £3.75 inc delivery) visit our back issues shop.

10 Awesomely Amazing…

Whizz Pop Bang 10 Awesomely Amazing Unusual Harvests

Every issue of Whizz Pop Bang science magazine looks at 10 awesomely amazing things on that month’s topic. Looking at engineering as part of the year of engineering? Take a look at ENGINEERING EXTRAVAGANZA (issue 16) with 10 Awesomely Amazing bizarre buildings, including a toilet-shaped building in Korea! Studying the human body? Check out SPECTACULAR SKELETONS (issue 27) and the 10 Awesomely Amazing bionic body parts, from 3D printed prosthetic hands to ancient Egyptian artificial toes. Is your topic plants this term? Kids love reading about the 10 Awesomely Amazing harvests from around the world in our SUPER SEEDS (issue 26), did you know there are chillies that melt latex gloves?

 

Quiz Pop Bang

Whizz Pop Bang science quiz

All Whizz Pop Bang magazines are packed full of science puzzles and a quiz to test your pupil’s science knowledge. There are also word searches, jokes, riddles and brain teasers for every age and ability. Turn wet play into a festival of science fun and games!

Experiments!

There are hundreds of simple hands-on science experiments and activities in Whizz Pop Bang magazine, and for each one we outline what you need, what to do, and you will find making it ideal for primary school teachers who may not have a science background. Perfect for curious kids and teachers looking for simple science ideas! Check out our bulk discounts for schools here and celebrate British Science Week 2018 with a Whizz, Pop and a Bang!

 

GSS-logo-final-04

What is The Great Science Share?

Following on from British Science Week there are several events going on around the UK. Use these ideas for your Great Science Share; a national campaign to engage young people in sharing science with new audiences. 

PIONEERED IN MANCHESTER – MAKING A DIFFERENCE UK-WIDE

You can get involved as a School, STEM Educator, STEM Organisation and Business.

Features include:

The Great Science Teachmeet

The Business of Science Conference

The Great Science Share for Schools Campaign


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Whizz Pop Bang science magazine for kids day of the dead skulls

The Whizz Pop Bang Halloween issue is out!

SPECTACULAR SKELETONS

The brilliant science of bones. Did you know that, weight for weight, bone is stronger than steel? Yes, your skeleton is made up of some spookily awesome stuff! Get stuck straight into the bare bones of this issue by crafting a scary skull mask, experimenting with some brilliant bendy bones and building your own model skeleton.

Buy this issue here and get crafting some seriously spooky stuff ready for Halloween ?

Activities included in this issue: make a ball and socket joint, bend a real bone, make a bendy back bone, make a moveable skeleton, craft an x-ray machine and make a Halloween skull mask. Loads of awesome science fun for kids!


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Whizz Pop Bang dandelion test flight

All you need to know about SEEDS

Follow the ingenious journeys of seeds with our SUPER SEEDS issue! Learn about seed dispersal with our simple experiments and activities, like this dandelion model test to show just how far seeds can travel.

Whizz Pop Bang dandelion test flight

Dandelion test flight

You will need:

  • Sheet of A4 paper
  • Ruler
  • Scissors
  • Pencil
  • Tape

What you do:

  1. Fold the paper into quarters and cut along the lines
  2. Take one of the quarters and rule a line as shown
  3. Cut lots of slits along the longer section, trying to make them less than 0.5 cm apart
  4. Roll the uncut area of the paper around your pencil as tightly as you can and secure with sticky tape
  5. Pull out the pencil and gently push down the paper strands so that they fan out in all directions

You should find:

You’ve made a model dandelion seed! Try dropping it from a height as a test flight. Throw it upwards into a strong wind and see how far it will go.

How do seeds travel?

To buy a copy of this issue, SUPER SEEDS, visit our back issue shop here. Back issues are £3.75 with FREE delivery to UK mainland, international delivery £1.50.


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conker in shell

September issue: Super seeds

In this issue we go mad for conkers and pine cones with fun hands-on science activities to learn all about how seeds spread. Everyone wants a bit of distance from their parents from time to time, but since seeds can’t move, they instead rely on cunning techniques to find their own patch of ground. Imagine being fired away from your parent in a green slimy liquid! Yes, this issue we’re looking at seed dispersal – you can try modelling dandelion seeds, making your own pinecone bird feeders and experimenting with a sycamore seed heli-spinner. Find out about the history of the invention of Velcro, which was inspired by nature’s own burs and take a peek inside a top-secret seed bank buried deep inside an arctic mountain. Happy experimenting kids!

Whizz Pop Bang science magazine for kids issue 26 SUPER SEEDS
Whizz Pop Bang science magazine for kids SUPER SEEDS (issue 26)

Not a subscriber? Click here to start a monthly subscription from just £2.92 a month with FREE Uk delivery. 

Buy this SUPER SEEDS single issue in our online shop packed full of all our super science magazines and bundles!


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Kids Against Plastic Activity Pack

We’re supporting this awesome campaign called Kids Against Plastic to help tackle the huge problem of plastic waste. Download this FREE activity pack and learn how to be kids against plastic!

As part of the Great Science Share, we put together this interactive activity pack for teachers to use in class to show kids what we can all do to reduce the amount of plastic we use. Whether you’re a teacher, a Brownie or Scout leader, grandparent or parent, the Kids Against Plastic campaign is for everyone to learn how to help in the fight against our reliance on plastic.

Click on the image below, download the pack and watch Ella and Amy tell you more… and don’t forget to join in with their mission to collect 100,000 pieces of plastic!

Whizz Pop Bang Great Science Share for schools activites

The Great Science Share is a national campaign to engage young people in sharing science with new audiences.

PIONEERED IN MANCHESTER – MAKING A DIFFERENCE UK-WIDE

You can get involved as a School, STEM Educator, STEM Organisation and Business.

Features include:

The Great Science Teachmeet

The Business of Science Conference

The Great Science Share for Schools Campaign


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