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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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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Whizz Pop bang Dinosaur head

Colossal coprolites

Have you been reading about DINO GIANTS in Whizz Pop Bang magazine? Then you probably want to watch a video of the biggest dinosaur poos ever discovered!

Fossilised animal poos are known as coprolites. They are full of clues about what dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures liked to eat. The largest coprolite ever found was a Tyrannosaurus rex poo. It is full of crunched-up bones.

The largest collection of coprolites is owned by George Frandsen in the USA. In 2017, he had 1,277 fossilised dino poos, including the largest ever found! See him showing off the record-breaking dino poo here:

Dinosaur cover
Find out more in Whizz Pop Bang # 65: DINO GIANTS!


In this mega edition of Whizz Pop Bang, we’re looking at some of the most awesome creatures ever to have set foot on this planet – discover gigantic dinosaurs that were taller than houses, humungous flying reptiles that ruled the skies and petrifying prehistoric predators that patrolled the seas!

There are loads of dino activities for you to try at home – craft a balancing stegosaurus, create your own eco-friendly fossil dig kits and cast a replica dinosaur tooth!

You can also cut out and make roar-some paper dinosaurs that walk down slopes and discover the biggest dinosaur ever known, Argentinosaurus, which laid eggs as big as coconuts! Find out how animatronic dinosaurs work, meet a palaeontologist who solves the mysteries of how dinosaurs lived and read about William Buckland and Mary Morland, who studied the first dinosaur fossils. You can even take our Silly Science quiz, ‘Which dinosaur are you?!’ to discover what your life could have been like in the Cretaceous period!

It’s a truly colossal edition of Whizz Pop Bang!


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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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Moon poem winners!

In Whizz Pop Bag 62: Zoom to the Moon, we asked readers to write a poem inspired by the Moon.

Image: Shutterstock

The fantastic entries were out of this world! It was so hard to pick just three winners, but we eventually settled on Amelie, aged 8, Isabella, aged 9 and Isa, aged 8. Keep scrolling to read their Moon poems.

Each prize-winning poet won a Geosafari Vega 360 telescope from Learning Resources.

My moon by Isa aged 8

Silver sparkles, a bright light
the moon shimmers every night
If only I could go and see
I wonder what there would be?

I lay in bed in my dark room
When all of a sudden, a loud sonic boom!
I looked outside and couldn’t believe my eyes
A rocket in my garden! What a surprise.

Off I went, zoom zoom zoom,
Before I knew it, I was on the moon!
Could this be real? I rubbed my eyes
Chocolate-filled craters and mountains of pies

What more could there be, I started to think
Some delicious moon nectar for me to drink
I leaned in close, to fill up my mug
When all of a sudden I felt a warm hug

Oh no I thought, who could it be?
An alien or monster? I just couldn’t see!
‘Wake up sleepy-head’, I heard her say
I guess I’ll have to finish my adventure some other day.


Who holds the moon? by Amelie aged 8

Neither closer nor further in the night sky
The alluring moon hangs there so high
Landscapes of craters, mountains and seas
Luminous, it’s beauty bathes the trees

Have you wondered what force holds it there
For all to see, to dream and stare
Is it a wire, a rope or some string
No, there must be some invisible thing

Magnetism, is that what it could be
The reason the moon can’t break free
I struggle and ponder to find the theory
Although it takes time, it’s never dreary

I ponder and think, I jump up and come down
This is beyond me I say with a frown
Who knows not I, let’s wait and see
Ahh, maybe it’s the force of gravity


A Day Trip to the Moon by Isabella, aged 9

Gakk, Riley and Emmi, decided to go to the moon!
Y tried to warn them, that it could all end in doom!
Riley told them all, they should build a rocket,
Ready for this moment, he pulled a blueprint from his pocket,
Emmi tried to think, what else they needed to bring?
Gakk ran off and returned, with spades and a rubber ring!
“What on earth is that for?” Y shouted with glee,
Gakk smiled and said loudly “We are going to the sea!”
Riley laughed and shouted “ There aren’t any seas on the moon!”
“Yes there is!”, Gakk replied “you’ll see very soon!”
Emmi say to Y “We are going to need a ride”
Y says “Don’t worry, I have my moon buggy outside!”
Everything was assembled, Emmi climbed onto the first stair,
Y then shouted suddenly “Wait!, we can’t go anywhere”
“We haven’t got any rocket fuel and no money to pay!”
Emmi said “Never mind, we can go another day!”


These runners up each won a wonderful Y’s Wonder Club badge!

All About the Moon by Ada, aged 9.

The moon is dusty and far away.
It can be seen at night and sometimes day.
Wolves howl at the moon,
Bats swoop past the moon.
Moths navigate by the light of the moon.
Astronauts have stood on the moon.
Dropping a hammer, dropping a feather.
Testing the gravity.
Checking the weather.
The moon is bright on a dark night,
But it’s just reflecting the sun’s light.
With all that said, I bet it’s true,
We still don’t know all about the moon.


Team Moon by Layton, aged 6

Man has walked on the Moon,
NASA is going back really soon,
I wish I could be part of their team,
Being an Astronaut is my dream.

I love to stargaze with my mum,
When we have said goodnight to the Sun,
The stars all twinkle really bright,
But nothing is better than the Moon at night.


The Moon by Anna, aged 10

The moon is a silver coin tossed up high,
Glinting always in the dark black sky.
Will it land on heads or tails?
Will the moon landings succeed or fail?

The moon is a diamond, clear and bright,
Sparkling and shining all through the night.
Always staying in that same place,
In the deep black mines of mysterious space.

The moon is a guardian circling forever,
It and the Earth have always been together.
The moon watches over all that we see,
It watches you and it watches me.

The moon is a shapeshifter, changing shape and size,
Each night something different appears before our eyes.
Changing shape like cards shuffling, King, Queen, Ace,
Full, quarter, crescent, new, all the way up in space.

But whatever the moon is, it’s there every night,
Silver and glowing, clear and bright.
The moon is with us until the end,
And that’s why I say that the  moon is my friend.


The Rhyming Moon by Louis, aged 6

Bright white
Night light
In space 
I see a face
Made of cheese, if you believe

Wolves howl a tune
At the silvery moon.
Hey! Would you like to play on the moon tonight?


The Moon by Elijah, aged 11 

Somewhere up in the clouds above,
Where no creature or human lies,
When the sun goes down and darkness thrives,
Look! It’s the moon! Standing bright and alive.
Where the stars eyes gaze onwards,
All those miles away,
up in the great black skies,
the moon is there,
to guide our way.
Always watching onwards,
Always one step ahead,
The moon sits,
Just waiting,
Waiting for the sun to go down,
For it is then that the moon can stand,
Bright and alive.


Moon Poem by Nicholas, aged 11

Moon, Moon glowing bright,
you are the queen of the night.
You shine from dusk till dawn,
but are faint when we wake in the morn.

Moon, Moon glowing bright,
you are the queen of the night.

Moon, Moon glowing bright,
centrepiece of our night.
Your cycles wax and wane,
you’re greater than the sun with its fiery mane.

Moon, Moon glowing bright,
centrepiece of our night.

Moon, Moon glowing bright,
you take the troubles from our night.
You shine within our darkest hour,
and give us your glory and power.

Moon, Moon glowing bright,
you take the troubles from our night.

Moon, Moon can you hear me?
You save ships tossed at sea,
you guide sailors who have lost their way
and when they’re safe they say:

Moon, Moon who gives us light,
our beaming saviour of this night.



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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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Whizz Pop Bang: Sweet Dreams issue is all about the science of sleep

The dreams of astronaut Helen Sharman

Listen to Britain’s first ever astronaut, Helen Sharman, talking about dreaming in and about space!

This video animation, What do astronauts dream of?, was made by the Royal Institution as part of a fantastic series called A Place Called Space.

The RI say: “In 1991, Helen Sharman became the first Briton in space; in this animation she shares a dream she has about returning to space, and talks about what it’s like to gaze down on the earth from above.”

Find out more about the science of sleep in SWEET DREAMS – it’s in our shop now!

Whizz Pop Bang: Sweet Dreams issue is all about the science of sleep
Whizz Pop Bang: Sweet Dreams issue is all about the science of sleep

Did you know that you’ll spend up to a third of your life happily dozing? It sounds pretty relaxing, but actually, sleep isn’t as uneventful as you might imagine. Inside this dreamy edition of Whizz Pop Bang, you’ll find out what goes on inside your sleeping brain, discover ten animals with weird and wonderful ways to sleep and learn all about snoring. You can also build a hibernation station for sleepy wildlife, race around the clock in a pull-out board game and experience the chilling body temperature of a hibernating hamster!

Meet a turtle expert who tells us how these hibernating reptiles breathe through their bottoms, create your own sleep diary, snuggle up with hibernating bears, find out how sleep scientist Eugene Aserinsky discovered some dreamy sleep secrets and reduce Halloween waste by making an upcycled bat garland.

That’s a lot to pack in before bedtime!

Click here to read everything you need to know about Whizz Pop Bang – the awesome science magazine for kids!

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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Kit list for Whizz Pop Bang 61: ON THE MOVE

Find out about some of the most amazing animal migrations on Earth in the brand-new edition of Whizz Pop Bang: ON THE MOVE!

Come on an epic journey to investigate the science of migrations and travel. This issue, we’ll…
🐦 Build a welcoming bird bath
🧭 Make a compass in a jar
🌊 Investigate the impact of oil pollution
🐯 Learn how animal tracking devices work
🦜 Craft a brilliant balancing bird

Plus experiments, jokes, riddles, quizzes, competitions and more! Sign up by 4th August 2020 to receive this issue. 

Here’s a list of the extra bits you’ll need to complete every activity this month. As ever, there is loads of science fun to be had, even if you don’t have every single thing on the list. Let’s get going! 

Here’s a printable version of this month’s kit list 👇


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