Learn to love nettles!

Nettles are know mainly for one thing, and it doesn’t make them too popular: their stings! In fact, these much-maligned plants play an important role in our natural world.

Image: Shutterstock

They provide a home for insect species, including butterflies and moths, and are a safe place to live as many grazing animals avoid eating them (for one obvious and painful reason!) Over winter, they are a good habitat for aphids, providing an early food source for ladybirds and blue tits. Later in the year, they produce large amounts of seeds which are very useful for seed-eating birds.

They’re also a great source of nutrients for humans, and spring is a great time to go and harvest some nettles. Just remember to wear gloves and pick away from busy roads and above the height of a cocked dog’s leg 😉

Nettle bread
Nettle crisps

Nettle scones

PLUS you can find a recipe for tasty nettle soup in Whizz Pop Bang: ROCK ON!

Did you know that rocks can morph from one type to another? It’s all happening right under your feet! In this rocking edition of Whizz Pop Bang, get busy cooking up a chocolate rock cycle, making your own fossils, starting a rock collection, and cutting out and making a twisty rock cycler toy!

You can also find out about mountain goats, make nettle soup and meet space geologist Katie Joy, who studies rocks from the Moon! Find how pneumatic drills can smash up almost anything, discover ten awesomely amazing rocks with superpowers, meet James Hutton, the first person to realise how the rock cycle works, and chip away at the mystery of the walking stones of Death Valley! Rock on!


Let us know if you give nettles a try! Find out more here


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Take the flying paper challenge!

Looking for some simple science activities to keep children busy during the holidays? Here are three fantastic ways to make paper soar through the air.

Discover new twists on paper planes – just download, print, cut, fold and launch! Try out one design, or challenge your children to make all three and compare how they travel.

If you’re a teacher looking for ideas of primary science ideas, head this way to read about how to use these resources in the classroom and playground throughout primary school.

Make an air-powered rocket:
Whizz-Pop-Bang-air-powered-rocket-2-1


Make a stunt plane that flies in a circle!
https://www.whizzpopbang.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Whizz-Pop-Bang-Stunt-planes-1.pdf


Make straw planes
https://www.whizzpopbang.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Whizz-Pop-Bang-Stunt-planes-1.pdf


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 and flick through a space-themed issue here!


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COMPETITION CLOSED: WIN 30 Easter science booklets!

🐰 We’ve got an EGG-citing Easter competition for you! 🐰

We want to treat a whole class of children to some epic Easter science, so we’re giving away 30 copies of our Easter Eggs-periments booklet! Children deserve a cracking treat to celebrate the end of this very unusual term, so here’s a chance for teachers to win a set for their class, or parents to win a set for their child’s class.

Whizz Pop Bang’s Easter Eggs-periment booklet contains 12 pages of awesome science fun to keep children busy this holiday, including…

🐰 8 Easter Activities
🐰 Quiz Questions
🐰 Riddles
🐰 Jokes
🐰 Eggs-traordinary Egg Facts

To enter, simply answer this question in the comments.

Which of the below is NOT part of an egg?

A. Albumen
B. Bitumen
C. Chalaza

🐣 🐣 🐣 🐣 🐣

Claim your free Easter science experiments booklet!

This booklet is also available with every purchase from our website until 28th March! To claim your free booklet, simply use the code EASTER21 when you purchase any Whizz Pop Bang product or subscription*.

🐣🐣🐣 Find out more about this offer here 🐣🐣🐣

🐰🐰🐰 Visit our shop to browse Whizz Pop Bang goodies 🐰🐰🐰

* Offer valid until midnight on 28th March 2021 on Whizz Pop Bang shop products and new subscriptions only, whilst stocks last. Not valid in conjunction with any other offer.

This competition closes at midnight on 23rd March 2021. The winner will be contacted on 24th March and must provide their details within 24 hours, otherwise another winner will be drawn (we’re really keen to get these booklets to children in time for Easter!) Whizz Pop Bang competition terms and conditions are here.


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A girl flying a homemade paper stunt plane made form Whizz Pop Bang magazine resources

Fly High Friday – FREE ideas for Science Week!

Science Week Day, March 2021

British Science Week (5th-14th March 2021) was always first in my calendar as a Primary Science Co-ordinator and I usually started with very grand ideas! Whilst a whole week of science is brilliant, this year it might be more realistic to consider just planning one day – it will be just as exciting, but manageable both in school and for any pupils isolating at home. Here are some FREE ideas and resources for creating a super exciting Fly High Friday!

Did you know that Whizz Pop Bang magazine also creates curriculum-linked science resources for primary schools? Scroll to the bottom to find a brilliant offer that’s running throughout March 2021!

Here’s everything you need to make planning your science day as simple as possible:

  • A whole-school challenge with suggestions for each year group
  • Science lesson plan with curriculum links
  • Downloadable, printable resources
  • FREE PowerPoint presentations to help teachers run the day

Theme – Flight, linking with the curriculum topic of Forces with a comparative/fair testing enquiry and for EYFS the characteristics of learning.

Challenge the whole school to work together on a flight investigation!
The mission: who can make paper fly the farthest?
Keep reading to find activities and resources for each year group…

We all love to make a paper aeroplane but is that the only way to make paper fly? Here are some different ways:

Make a paper air-powered rocket

Printable stunt planes that fly in a circle!

Make flying paper straws

How to make these suit all year groups:

For all these ideas you will only need paper, straws, sticky tape, glue and sticky tack – and some space, preferably outdoors! Each year group could have a go at making these different paper flying machines.

EYFS – Allow the children the time to explore how they can make paper fly. The teacher could demonstrate the air-powered rocket, then the children could make either the stunt planes or the straw planes. The children will choose the one they think will fly the farthest, try it and then the class teacher should record the result.

KS1 – Again allow the children the time to explore how they can make paper fly. Then the children should make each of the flying devices and choose the one they think flies the best, then test it. The teacher can collate all the results as a class.  

Years 3 and 4 – children can choose their favourite design and then make adaptions to see if they can make it fly farther and record their results.

Years 5 and 6 – children can test each design and then make their own flying machines. They should throw their final design five times and calculate the mean result. This will be their final result.

We also have a reading comprehension about historical scientists the Wright Brothers, the team behind the world’s first powered flight.

The Wright brother Reading comprehension

At the end of the day all classes should share their results. This might be by email or you could hold a virtual assembly! Don’t forget to ask for photographs so you can make a display or share them on your school’s social media platforms. We would love to see what you’ve been doing so please tag us @whizzpopbangmag

Whizz Pop Bang magazine and teaching resources are brilliant ways to enhance your school’s science teaching:

  • We provide downloadable science lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations, hands-on investigations and science reading comprehensions written by primary school teachers.
  • Whizz Pop Bang teaching resources link to the National Curriculum, ensuring correct coverage.
  • All of our resources are year group specific, ensuring progression between the years.
  • We make cross-curricular links to other subjects, such as English, Maths, History, Geography, Design and Technology and PSHE.

Prices from as little as £190 per year for whole-school access to our ever-growing library of downloadable teaching resources, with unlimited teacher logins, as well as a copy of Whizz Pop Bang magazine through the post each month. Plus, we have an amazing offer of a 20% discount until 31st March 2021. Just apply the code SCIWEEK21 at the checkout to receive the discount. (Only available on whole-school subscriptions to the magazines and resources.)


Click here to find out more about Whizz Pop Bang’s hands-on science and reading resources for schools!


We’ve just launched a new individual membership option so teachers and home educators can access all of our amazing resources for just £20 for the whole year

“Using Whizz Pop Bang school resources has enabled investigations to be an integral part of my science planning. I now have investigations and experiments throughout my planning rather than just at the end. The lessons are easy to resource and the pack has everything I need to teach the lesson so it saves me time as well!”
Louise Hampson, Year 3 teacher 


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Take the ‘Seven Days of Science’ challenge!

Half term is almost here and families far and wide are wondering how to fill a lockdown holiday with fun and excitement.

Why not take Whizz Pop Bang’s Seven Days of Science challenge? Every day, we’ll give you all the information and resources you need to complete a simple, satisfying and curiosity-awakening challenge from your home. Enter a science pancakes competition and try some kitchen science experiments, science papercraft, science quizzes for kids, nature activities. It’s also a great way to get children well and truly excited about NASA’s Perseverance planned landing on Mars on Thursday 18th February!

Download a full colour printable tick list here:

Download a low-ink, black and white printable tick list here:


Let’s get started!

Saturday 13th February: Do some kitchen science

Discover some home chemistry experiments that involve things you’ve probably already got in your kitchen! Here are some you might like to try:

Make gloopy slime! Slime-obsessed children will love this gooey activity! They will make their own slime, then decide if it is a solid or a liquid.
You will need: cornflour, water, mixing bowl, food colouring.

Watch a video tutorial of this activity…

Make your own plastic
Explore making casein plastic from milk in this exciting activity.
You will need: milk, white vinegar, sieve, paper towels.

Make a volcano
Print out a volcano template and create your very own miniature volcano using the harmless chemicals you find in your kitchen cupboards!
You will need: the volcano printout below, a small container (e.g. a spice jar), bicarbonate of soda or baking powder, sticky tape, vinegar, red and yellow food colouring, uncoloured soap or washing up liquid, a tray.

Bubbling magma experiment
Explore the difference between runny magma and viscous magma.
You will need: two glasses, water, a viscous substance (like honey or golden syrup), two paper straws, safety goggles or sunglasses


Sunday 14th February: Make a human heart card

Celebrate Valentine’s Day by making a card featuring a human heart!
You will need: the heart card printout below, scissors, glue stick, pen.


Monday 15th February: Take a science quiz

Give one of our Whizz Pop Bang science quizzes a try!

Already done them both? Why not make up your own!


Tuesday 16th February: Eat science-themed pancakes

Add a sprinkle of science to Shrove Tuesday to be in with a chance of winning a Stay-at-home science bundle! Find out more about this competition here.

We love this pancake recipe:
BBC Good Food’s perfect pancakes
but your science pancakes can be American style, vegan, savoury… whatever takes your fancy.

Next, decorate your pancakes with something inspired by space, nature, engineering or anything else linked to science! Here are a few ideas to get you started:


Wednesday 17th February: Learn about nature

Today’s the day to get outside and do something to help nature! You could refill bird feeders and bird baths, plant some wildflower seeds or go on a litter pick. 
To make an upcycled bird feeder, you will need: An empty, clean and dry plastic bottle (e.g. milk bottle), a sharp knife, some sticks, strong glue or glue gun, 30 cm twine

If you want to do something inside instead, give these seed dispersal activities a go – it’s a great way to understand how plants and animals work together.  
To make a super-speed peashooter, you will need: Biro or gel pen, dried pea
To make a model dandelion seed, you will need: A sheet of A4 paper, ruler, scissors, pencil, sticky tape


Thursday 18th February: Take the ‘Seven minutes of terror’ challenge!

Today’s an exciting day – NASA’s Perseverance rover is due to land on Mars! You can watch the landing at 8.55pm here (but you might have to wait until tomorrow morning – that’s pretty late!)

Meanwhile, take the 7 Minutes of Terror Challenge to discover the hair-raising journey a spacecraft takes as it travels through Mars’s atmosphere. Download the activity here:


Friday 19th February: Say hello to Y!

Have you done lots of science activities and experiments this week? Or have you got a burning science question for our all-knowing robot, Y? Send messages, questions and pictures to y@whizzpopbang.co.uk and let us know all about your week of science!


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!


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COMPETITION CLOSED: WIN a Mars Colony kit!

A Build Your Own Mars Colony is an out-of-this-world way to keep astronauts-in-training busy while staying safe at home! This space-age set contains everything an interplanetary explorer needs to make a 20-piece Martian scene. Best of all? We’ve got three to give away!

Thank you to our friends at Laurence King Publishing for this super space-age prize!

To be in with a chance of winning one of three kits, simply answer this question in the comments:

What’s the name of the Mars rover due to touch down on Thursday 18th February?

Good luck!

This competition closes at midnight on 12th February 2021. Whizz Pop Bang competition terms and conditions are here.

Looking for ways to fill half term with science? Sign up midnight on 4th February to receive Whizz Pop Bang: MISSION TO MARS as the first issue of your subscription!


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COMPETITION CLOSED: WIN science puzzle books!

It’s DAY FOUR of WHIZZ POP BANG’S 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS PRIZES! Every day until 12th Dec, we’ll launch a competition to give you and your budding scientists a chance to win awesome prizes. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for another chance to win…

A subscription to Whizz Pop Bang magazine is the perfect gift for curious kids!

Today, you could win a WHIZZ POP BANG SCIENCE PUZZLE BOOK! This best-selling Whizz Pop Bang Science Puzzle Book is jam-packed with more than 150 brilliant brain-bending puzzles, all with a science twist. With so many puzzles to get stuck into, it’s sure to keep your child busy for hours and hours!

It contains:
💫 Word challenges
💫 Spot the differences
💫 Logic puzzles
💫 Maths teasers
💫 Mazes
And much, much more!

Find science gifts for kids in our shop!

To be in with a chance of winning this perfect prize, just answer this question in the comments:

What does an entomologist study?

A Energy
B Space
C Insects

This competition closes at 7am on Saturday 5th December 2020. Whizz Pop Bang competition terms and conditions are here.

Good luck!


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!


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COMPETITION CLOSED: WIN an epic Build Your Own marble run kit!

Get ready to race with this marble of engineering! Slot together the press-out parts to create three twisting neon tracks, just waiting for marbles to shoot, spin and whizz around.

This clever marble run kit from Build Your Own includes an ingenious lift and drop marble elevator and run switches to randomise the courses. It’s Build Your Own’s most challenging creation yet – with a build time of four hours, this kit is bound to keep the whole family busy during long weekends at home.

Designed in the UK and made from high-quality sustainable cardboard, this is one amazing piece of kit and we’ve got THREE to give away to lucky winners!

To be in with a chance of winning one of three Build Your Own marble run kits, simply answer this question in the comments:

Who is Mae Jemison?

A An engineer and NASA astronaut
B A marbles champion
C A botanist

Good luck!

This competition closes at midnight on Monday 30th November 2020. Whizz Pop Bang competition terms and conditions are here.


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!


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COMPETITION CLOSED: WIN three sensational science books!

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 Chaos by Neal Layton tackles 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:

Who was the first human in space?

A Buzz Aldrin
B Yuri Gagarin
C Sally Ride

Good luck!

This competition closes at midnight on Wednesday 30th September 2020. Whizz Pop Bang competition terms and conditions are here.

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!


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On the move cover

The secrets of stinging nettles: natural navigation with Tristan Gooley

The August edition of Whizz Pop Bang: ON THE MOVE is about amazing migrations and is packed with the science behind all sorts of incredible journeys made by animals and humans!

Inside, we chat to Tristan Gooley, a natural navigator who looks for nature’s clues and works out how they can help us to find our way. Learning more about this fascinating skill is a brilliant way to engage children with the natural word – keep reading to learn a nifty tricky you can teach them when you’re outdoors together.

We asked Tristan to explain a little about his unusual job:

“Every single plant, every single animal, even every single cloud is telling us something about what’s going on around us. I’m a nature detective, trying to solve each clue. I don’t look for specific things that are interesting or amazing: instead, I wonder what the signs around me can reveal. Sometimes it’s a plant showing me which way is north, or a stinging nettle telling me I’m near a town. It’s so much fun!”
Tristan Gooley in Whizz Pop Bang: ON THE MOVE

Tristan Gooley, Natural Navigator

If you’re wondering how to keep children entertained on a long walk or how to help your child connect with nature, here’s a tip from Tristan all about the secrets of stinging nettles:

If you teach children a trick that is related to their experience of the wild then you could grab their attention

Find an area with both stinging nettles and white dead-nettles:

White dead-nettle
Stinging nettle

Ask the children what the white dead-nettle is – they will probably guess ‘stinging nettle’. Most kids can identify this before any other wildflower, because it has a big impact on their experience of the outdoors!

Next, show how brave you are by running your hands up and down the white dead-nettle, then dare them to do the same. Once they realise that white dead-nettles are different to stinging nettles, they take an interest. They understand that the white flower is the important clue to which one stings, and that’s something worth remembering!

It also tends to stick as this is a great trick for showing it off to other kids!

Nature appreciation that leads to fewer stings AND the ability to show off? That’s a recipe for getting kids interested!

Find out more in this brilliant blog post about engaging children with nature. Want more tips like this? Head over to Tristan’s website to discover all sorts of intriguing ways to read nature’s clues – they’re guaranteed to liven up a long walk with children!

Read more about Tristan’s fascinating job in Whizz Pop Bang: ON THE MOVE – it’s in our shop now.

On the move cover

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!


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