We’re on the lookout for households with enthusiastic young scientists to join our team as brand ambassadors for our amazing kids’ science magazine – Whizz Pop Bang! đđÂ
Share your passion for discovery, inspire others, and ignite a love for learning in the next generation of explorers.Â
Being a brand ambassador for us will mean demonstrating your passion for Whizz Pop Bang through your social media accounts â send us an email at hello@whizzpopbang.com to find out more.
Want to know more about Whizz Pop Bang â the awesomely amazing science magazine for kids?
Whizz Pop Bang is an award-winning science magazine that brings science to life for children aged six to twelve (and their parents too)!
Each monthly issue is packed with experiments, puzzles, science news, crafts, jokes, inspiring scientists, competitions and more!
Our aim is simple â to help children develop a love of science. We love to imagine what they might discover or invent one day!
With Easter just around the corner, we’ve put on our thinking bonnets and come up with the best Easter science experiments, bouncing bunny crafts and fun egg activities to share with you. These simple, exciting science experiments are a brilliant way to keep young brains whirring all year round!
1. Take Whizz Pop Bang’s Awesomely Amazing Science Quiz!
Round up the family, find some pens and paper and pop open a packet of chocolate eggs â it’s time to get quizz-ical with this Easter quiz! Suitable for children and adults alike, this quiz will get you wondering about the world’s largest eggs, rabbit anatomy, the science of chocolate and so much more.
This kitchen chemistry activity uses bicarbonate of soda (called baking soda on this site) and vinegar to create a fizzing reaction that is guaranteed to excite young scientists. Pop a small toy into an egg mould, fill with coloured water and a little bicarbonate of soda then put it in the freezer. Once frozen, use warm water and vinegar to set the toy free! Head this way for the full instructions.
Turn two paper ups, an elastic band and some craft supplies into an Easter bunny that really bounces. Explore elasticity and forces with this fun Easter science activity! Find out everything you need to know here.
Do you know your celandine from your aconite? This printable treasure hunt is the perfect Easter holiday activity for all ages. Find this nature quiz here.
5. Pick up Whizz Pop Bang’s Easter science booklet – for FREE!
Whizz Pop Bang’s Easter Eggs-periments booklet is packed with brilliant science activities, including… đŁ Make dragon eggs đŁ Grow egg geodes đŁ Make a bunny bookmark đŁ Puzzles đŁ Crafts đŁ Quiz questions đŁ Jokes And more! Best of all? It’s FREE!*
* Offer valid until midnight on 01.04.23 on Whizz Pop Bang products purchased using the coupon code EASTER23. Not valid in conjunction with any other offer. Orders will be dispatched by Royal Mail within two working days. We recommend ordering by 28.03.23 for delivery in time for Easter but cannot be responsible for any delays to delivery.
We can’t get enough of fizzy eggs at Easter! This blog post includes a brilliant foaming variation using washing up liquid. Find out how to give it a try here.
Warmer days are on the way so it’s the ideal time to plant some seeds, start growing some food and see some amazing science in action!
10. Make a bendy carrot
Make like a rabbit and experiment with carrots! Investigate osmosis from your kitchen table using two simple ingredients: carrots and salt.
Want to explain osmosis to kids? Here goes… Water moves from an area of low salt to an area of high salt â balancing the water on both sides.
In this experiment, when a carrot is placed in very salty water, it will be less salty than the area around it. This causes the water in the carrot to move out of the carrot and into the cup. The result is that the carrot becomes limp and tastes saltier than before.
PS We agree with the end of this video â don’t eat the salty carrots!
The Taurid meteor shower has begun and is due to peak in the UK in the very early hours of Sunday 13th November 2022. Although the Taurids arenât known for an impressive, dramatic display they do provide a regular sprinkle of meteors throughout October and November so lots of opportunities to spot a shooting star! đŤ
When the Earth moves through debris left from passing comets, those particles burn up from the friction with the air when they pass into our atmosphere and create beautiful shooting stars. In the case of the Taurids, the debris is left by the Comet Encke.
âď¸Find a dark site with an unobstructed view of the sky. âď¸The best time to see the shower is in the early morning of the peak day, which this year is the morning of the 13th November (the night of the 12th November). âď¸Fill your view with the sky and wait! Lying on the ground is a great way to see as much as possible. âď¸The Taurids are not particularly dramatic but they are wide spread so keep your eyes peeled. âď¸Blanket optional but highly recommended. Reclining deckchairs make an even more comfortable way to view the sky. âď¸Remember to wrap up warm!
Are you wondering how on earth to manage home education now that schools are closed again? We want to help you to bring science to life on your kitchen table and have made loads of resources available for you right here. They include:
𧪠Activities from Whizz Pop Bang’s Awesomely Amazing Science ClubThese simple, fun, home science ideas using household objects were designed for school science clubs and youth groups, but work brilliantly for home school too! 𧪠Curriculum-linked science activities and reading comprehensions These hands-on science experiments and science reading comprehensions are linked to the National Curriculum for children in years 2 to 6. They’re ideal for use at home and each one includes a straightforward explanation of the science involved. 𧪠Virtual science quiz for kids More quizzes coming soon! 𧪠Collectible science badges to earn Your child can earn their Wildlife Watcher, Eco Hero and Super Scientist awards! 𧪠Super science-themed colouring pages and posters!
Keep reading to find out how our experts make home educating work…
The first attempt at home-educating was a culture shock for our editor Tammy back in March 2020. Tammy had a picture in her head of how home-schooling would be â a structured daily routine with children sitting neatly at the kitchen table, completing the work sheâd set them, whilst she herself was working away on her laptop beside them. Needless to say, it didnât work out that way! It didnât help that Tammy had builders in repairing her roof that week, resulting in a ceiling collapsing! The whole family was in tears before the first morning was out.
And here we are again â schools have suddenly closed and many parents’ brains are exploding at the prospect of keeping their children engaged in education while juggling their own jobs and responsibilities. While many of us have already had one stint of homeschooling, things are different this time around â schools’ expectations have changed, and many of us haven’t quite shaken off the lazy Christmas holiday routine yet â so, we thought weâd ask for some advice from our lovely home-educating Whizz Pop Bang readers and gather some top tips. We hope you find them usefulâŚ
1. Learn through everyday activities Donât underestimate the amount of learning there is in just being. As you chat, children will learn from the language you use. Look at the clock and notice which hands move faster. Get busy in the kitchen â cooking is an exciting new subject when children reach secondary school but can be done from a very young age at home and includes lots of learning potential of the maths of weights, measures, volumes and ratios, and also the science of chemistry and reactions. Do the laundry and feed animals together, and discuss what youâre doing. Itâs all useful learning.
2. You donât need to sit at the kitchen table for hours Practically none of the school day is 1-on-1 attention. Lots of it is crowd management, such as dealing with undesirable behaviour, changing for PE, queuing to leave the classroom, going to assemblies, etc. If you manage four half hour 1-on-1 bursts, thatâs probably more than they do in primary school, so donât stress. You really donât need to sit them down at a desk for hours on end.
3. Let them build their own schedule In school all children follow the whole class timetable. Take this rare opportunity to let them set one or two things they would like to achieve for themselves in their day (tidy a shelf, read something, make something). And then see how they scheduled their day to achieve it. Failing is a useful learning experience. Was it too ambitious or did it need better time management?
4. Try not asking them to do anything Just leave interesting, educational things about and wait for your child to be inspired to want to learn more about something that interests them. Instead of setting work that you choose for them, experiment with exploring something that they find interesting that day, whether thatâs a ladybird theyâve found on the windowsill or something they saw on TV that morning, and ask them to investigate that some more. They can find information from the internet, books or magazines and create a project by drawing, clay modelling, writing, acting or however they want to present their findings.
5. Go easy on yourselves Itâs going to take time to find a system that works for you and your kids. The whole family will need lots of time to adapt, so try to ease yourselves into a style that works for you all. You might find it easier to wait a few days until they get bored of having nothing to do and are feeling more receptive to learning. Whatever you do, go easy on yourselves. Avoid setting yourselves up for failure. Go with the flow and remember not to worry if you feel you havenât achieved anything that day â thereâs learning in just playing in the garden!
After their disastrous first morning, our editor Tammyâs 8-year-old son said, âIt’s a bit like the first pancake that never works very well.â And we think thatâs a lovely philosophy that can get you through almost any less-than-ideal start. Keep flipping pancakes and youâll soon be rewarded with success!
If youâre looking for a more structured approach, Whizz Pop Bangâs in-house teacher recommends getting some CGP books. Simply select your childâs year group and perhaps start with a maths, a reading and a SPAG book.
Finally, the home educating community would like to point out that self-isolating is not how they normally do things! The adults in the household aren’t working full-time jobs on top of attempting to teach. They play in the park, in the woods, at the beach, have other home ed kids over, and go to all kinds of clubs and activities. Being cooped up in the house is hard for them too.
And at the end of the day, if all else fails, take heart in the proposed schedule thatâs currently doing the rounds on social mediaâŚ
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 â 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 â they will probably guess âstinging nettleâ. 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!
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!
Come on an epic journey to investigate the science of migrations and travel. This issue, we’ll… đŚ Build a welcoming bird bath đ§ Make a compass in a jar đ Investigate the impact of oil pollution đŻ Learn how animal tracking devices work đŚÂ Craft a brilliant balancing bird
Plus experiments, jokes, riddles, quizzes, competitions and more! Sign up by 4th August 2020 to receive this issue.Â
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!Â
Here’s a printable version of this month’s kit list đ
September is almost here which can only mean one thing: it’s back to school time! But preparing for the new term is a little more complicated in 2020. As well as shelling out on school shoes and packing pencil cases, there’s also the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to consider.
The latest government advice states that “all pupils, in all year groups, will return to school full-time from the beginning of the autumn term”, so many of us are wondering how to prepare our children for going back to school during a worldwide pandemic.
Itâs natural for us all, parents and children, to feel a range of emotions about the start of a new term during this unusual time. We might be excited about our children seeing their friends and returning to learning in the classroom, but also worried about health risks and changes to normal school life.
We asked childhood mental health expert Dr Naira Wilson for her advice on how to help your child feel ready to walk back through the school gates.
1: Talk about how school will be different
Thereâs a fine balance between preparing your child and depressing them with all the things they canât do. Talk calmly and factually about what it will be like when they return. Changes are different, not bad.
Naira suggests you can help your child be curious about the changes. âLet them wonder what things will be like rather than thinking it will be good or bad.â They can tell you whether their predictions came true after their first day.
Read school communications together and note important information. Itâs okay to feel in the dark or not remember all the changes. This shows them that everyone is learning a new way of schooling â even the teachers.
2: Focus on what will stay the same
Whilst there will be plenty of changes, many things continue as usual. They will still complete activities and games, see their friends and be taught by a teacher. Reminding your child of the normal features of school will reassure them they are returning to a familiar place.
Naira recommends talking about how long it took for lockdown to feel familiar. âWe all went through a process of adjusting to the change,â she explains. âOur bodies slowly get used to something new until we feel comfortable again. Going back to school is another change we will get used to.â
3: Help them talk about their feelings
Children donât share feelings on demand. Look for opportunities to talk when they feel comfortable. This could be over a meal, at bedtime, cuddled up watching TV or when out walking. Listen to their worries, even if they seem insignificant. Minor things, like which toilets to use, can feel huge to them.
Guessing and wondering how they’re feeling are great ways to begin a conversation. Sometimes children canât articulate their emotions. Be confident with your guesses. If youâre right, they will feel you understand them. If youâre wrong, theyâll want to explain why. It shows them that parents can misunderstand sometimes â and help you find out what the real problem is.
Whilst youâll want to show that youâre positive about their return, you donât need to pretend everything is normal. Naira says, âParents need to be honest. They can say, âIâm worried too because I donât know whatâs going to happen.â Itâs normal to feel worried sometimes.â
5: Involve them in preparing for school
Children enjoy helping to get things ready. Check your schoolâs latest guidance and make a list for them to tick off. Let them pack their bag (with your help) so they know where everything is when theyâre at school.
Naira suggests looking for ways to give them a sense of more control over the situation. Could they make a âhow toâ help sheet for students who will return after them? Encourage them to see themselves as leading the way for other children.
Are you feeling anxious? Children are quick to pick up on our emotions. At school drop off, smile and be positive. Help them have a great start to their first day back.
6: Stay calm and positive
âThis isnât a whole new approach to parenting,â Naira explains. âWe are always preparing our children for change. Be confidently uncertain about not knowing all the details.â
Once your child has returned to school, youâll be surprised how quickly they adapt. The strange changes will seem normal before long. However, if your child feels anxious about returning to school, discuss any issues with their teachers and see if they can help. If your childâs feelings donât subside, or if they get worse, contact your GP to discuss your worries.
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!
Dr Naira Wilson is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist who specialises in childhood mental health.
As a team made up almost exclusively of parents of primary-aged children, we are very used to working flexibly and juggling home working with childcare, so weâre lucky that weâve been able to easily ramp this up a notch or three now that our kids are at home full time. Of course, it hasnât all been plain sailing, with our editor Tammy having a particularly tough baptism of fire when a ceiling collapsed during her first morning of home schooling! You can read more about that in our blog post on home schooling tips.
Our printers and mailing house are practising social distancing in the workplace and working in shifts to minimise contact between employees. Each month, Whizz Pop Bang magazines are packed into envelopes by machine, ready for delivery by Royal Mail, and this will continue as long as itâs safe to do so.
Orders of back issues, books and lab coats from our online shop are sent out by Royal Mail directly from our own warehouse, where we now have only a single person, Sophie or Hennie, working at any one time. With the warehouse shutter doors flung open to the Cotswold sunshine, and the radio blaring, itâs not quite as desolate as it sounds! The government is encouraging home delivery services to continue as normal where possible to keep the country running. Please be mindful that there may be delays in the postal service due to staff shortages, but the Royal Mail are committed to ensuring that households still receive mail.
As a small, independent business, we feel weâre doing an important job in helping families educate and entertain their children at home. If the situation changes and for any reason weâre not able to send out physical magazines, weâll make sure that we provide all subscribers with access to a digital version of Whizz Pop Bang instead.
If you have any questions, please email or phone us on 0330 2233 790. Though we may not always be able to respond straightaway, weâll do our best to get back to you as quickly as we can.
Tell us about your lockdown science fun!
Weâd love to hear what our readers are up to at home â please share your photos, experiments, ideas and indeed all your adventures in science with us! Simply email Y@whizzpopbang.com and weâll publish a selection in the magazine and online. Don’t forget, we’ve shared loads of FREE science activities and experiments for you all to enjoy right here!
Now that schools are closed, have you become a home educator overnight? Whizz Pop Bang is the worldâs most awesomely amazing kidsâ science magazine, bursting with hands-on experiments, facts and fun, and we want to help you and your children with the huge transition that many of us face.
Here are some FREE science activities and experiments to help you entertain, excite and educate your year 5 child! Youâll find out how to make a water wheel lifter, a balloon rocket, a model of our solar system, flying machines and paper planes, plus reading comprehensions about astronaut Tim Peake and sensational scientists The Wright Brothers!
Our experiments are designed for children from 6 to 12, but this list of experiments is particularly perfect for year 5, P6 (Scotland) and 9-year-olds and 10-year-olds as they tie in with the relevant National Curriculum objectives and topics.
The reading comprehensions included here were designed to be read at A3 size, so text may appear too small when printed at A4. They work really well on a tablet or monitor, or you may need to print them on two pages of A4 if your printer allows.
If you have any comments or questions about our free year 5 science experiments and reading comprehensions, please leave a comment for us. Or do you have any science homeschool ideas or general home educating ideas for 9- and 10-year-olds? Weâd love to hear from you!
Interview with astronaut Tim Peake reading comprehension
This interview delves into what it is really like to travel in space. Tim Peake describes what it feels like to take off in a rocket and to feel weightless, as well as his scariest moments. A must-read for your aspiring astronauts.
This downloadable reading pack includes: – An interview with Tim Peake for you to print or for your child to read on a tablet. – Reading comprehension question sheet and answer sheet.
A biography text on the remarkable story of the team behind the worldâs first powered flight. In December 1903 Wilbur piloted a plane with a petrol engine for 59 seconds and travelled 260 metres. The Wright brothers had unlocked the secret of mechanical flight!
This downloadable reading pack includes: – A feature about sensational scientists, The Wright Brothers, for you to print or for your child to read on a tablet. – Reading comprehension question sheet and answer sheet.
Learn the order of the planets by making a model solar system. Just download, print, add scissors and glue, and your astronauts-in-training will do the rest. Itâs out of this world!
Now that schools are closed, have you become a home educator overnight? Whizz Pop Bang is the worldâs most awesomely amazing kidsâ science magazine, bursting with hands-on experiments, facts and fun, and we want to help you and your children with the huge transition that many of us face.
Here are some FREE science activities and experiments to help you entertain, excite and educate your year 6 child! Meet an electrical engineer, discover invisible germs in a bacteria investigation, read about the father of electricity, Michael Faraday, play two bacteria games and design a bridge!
Our experiments are designed for children from 6 to 12, but this list of experiments is particularly perfect for year 6, P7 (Scotland) and 10 year olds and 11 year olds as they tie in with the relevant National Curriculum objectives and topics.
Some of these activities, including all reading comprehensions, were originally designed as A3 magazine spreads, so text may appear too small when printed at A4. They work really well on a tablet or monitor, or you may need to print them on two pages of A4 if your printer allows.
If you have any comments or questions about our free year x science experiments and reading comprehensions, please leave a comment for us. Or do you have any science homeschool ideas or general home educating ideas for 10 and 11 year olds? Weâd love to hear from you!
Interview with an electrical engineer reading comprehension
Building electrical circuits is loads of fun and Nikita Hari gets to do that every day, as sheâs an electrical engineer. She explains why she become an electrical engineer, all the obstacles she overcame and gives advice to young scientists.
This downloadable reading pack includes: – A reading spread about electrical engineer Nikita Hari for you to print or for your child to read on a tablet. – Reading comprehension question sheet and answer sheet.
Investigate and observe how much mould and bacteria develops when happens when slices of bread are rubbed with clean hands and dirty hands. Children can set up their own investigation and make sure it is a fair test.
Topic links: Year 6 Living things and habitats, P7 Body systems and cells
Interview with Michael Faraday reading comprehension
Discover why we would all be in the dark if it wasn’t for ‘Father of electricity’, Michael Faraday. Find out how he got a job in the Royal Institution as Humphrey Davyâs assistant and how his fascination for electromagnetism led to the invention of the worldâs first electric motor and the dynamo.
This downloadable reading pack includes: – A reading spread about sensational scientist Michael Faraday for you to print or for your child to read on a tablet. – Reading comprehension question sheet and answer sheet.
