Are You Ready To Be an ECO HERO This Summer?

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.


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Mask mess

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.

Find out how to make reusable masks here

Read the latest science news in every issue of Whizz Pop Bang magazine!


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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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Dreaming of a green Christmas…

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 modelling kits

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

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!)⠀


Wyatt and Jack Junior

Parrot mini tote, £19, wyattandjackjunior.com

Wyatt and Jack create accessories from donated and abandoned inflatables on the Isle of Wight, and they’ve just launched a junior range!


Books!

They’re made of paper (find out more about FSC standards for paper production here) and they can inspire a love of learning, and sometimes some knowledge of the natural world, too. We’ve put together a list of our top science reads for kids here, if you fancy popping some science under the tree this year.


Origami animals kit

Origami animals kit, £6.99, ecovibe.co.uk

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!


Seedbom

Tiger Seedbom, £3.50, www.kidly.co.uk

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 sleepover

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 an animal

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.


Image: Shutterstock

Words: Nell O’Neill


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COMPETITION CLOSED: WIN We Are All Greta book

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

Words: Nell O’Neill


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EASY SCIENCE FOR KIDS: Decomposing experiment + competition to win PATCH bamboo plasters!

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

  1. Set up the experiment as shown. Each jar should contain the same depth of compost.
  2. Sprinkle a few drops of water over the fruit and plastic.
  3. 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.

If you’re a teacher or home educator looking for more teaching ideas and STEM activities covering the topic living things and habitats, check out the Rotting Rubbish investigation and an Investigation into Bacteria from the Whizz Pop Bang science and reading learning lab whizzpopbang.com/teaching-resources

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 fibre with 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….

  1. The slowest-growing plant on the planet
  2. The most expensive plant on the planet
  3. 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.


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10 Awesomely Amazing recycling heroes!

Whizz Pop Bang magazine recycling heroes

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! 👍🏽


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Whizz Pop Bang eco policy

Whizz Pop Bang magazine Eco hero icon

As an educational magazine focusing on science, we take our environmental responsibility very seriously. We’re a small independent publisher, which means we have control at each stage of the process – from design to production, through to distribution. We don’t sell to newsstands, high street shops or supermarkets, so we never sell on a sale or return basis (where often, only the cover would be returned and the rest of the magazine is destroyed). Extra copies are held in stock here at WPB HQ, to be sold as back issues. We sometimes receive magazines from the printers which have been slightly damaged in transit, so we donate these to breakfast clubs in deprived areas and hospices for children who are too poorly to go to school.

Every month we report on environmental issues in the news, highlighting eco heroes and how children and their families can help reduce their environmental impact. We have a regular feature called Emmi’s Eco Club, exploring environmental issues in a fun and creative way, encouraging our young readers to be proactive in reducing, re-using and recycling. We are also very careful about the items required for our experiments, which will be inexpensive, household items. For example, we suggest using alternatives to plastic straws and encourage people to buy eco balloons.

Whizz Pop Bang magazines are printed in the UK, using only paper from FSC/PEFC certified suppliers. Our magazines are delivered in paper envelopes, which can be recycled.

Are you looking for ways to help your children learn more about how they can be more environmentally friendly? Read on!

We’re huge fans of Kids Against Plastic, a campaign set-up by sisters Amy and Ella Meek, aged 15 and 13. These two are amazing, their drive and determination to change people’s behaviour is so inspiring!

“Not long ago we came across the UN’s Global Goals and got inspired to do our bit for the planet, and after finding out about the negative effect single-use plastic is having on the environment, we launched the Kids Against Plastic campaign.”

They have three key aims to help people avoid single-use plastics through EDUCATION (learning) and ACTION (doing):

  • Raise awareness and understanding of the problems caused by plastic misuse
  • Encourage and support others to become ‘Plastic Clever’ and reduce single-use plastics
  • Empower children and young people to believe they can make a difference

Follow Amy and Ella and find out what they’re doing to help us reduce our reliance on single-use plastics.


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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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