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.
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!
🐰 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…
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*.
* 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.
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.
Challengethe 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:
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 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.
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.)
We’ve just launched a new individual membership option so teachers and home educators can access all of our amazing resources forjust £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
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!
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.
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
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:
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:
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!
Find out how to make this freaky fire snake using a fire lighter block, sugar and bicarbonate of soda inside FIRE FIRE (Issue 64 of Whizz Pop Bang magazine). Please remember that fire is extremely dangerous. Make sure you have a bucket of water close by and an adult to light the fire and supervise at all times.
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!
Now that schools are closed, have you become a home educator overnight? Whizz Pop Bang is the world’s most awesomely amazing kids’ 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! You’ll 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? We’d 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 world’s 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. It’s out of this world!
Now that schools are closed, have you become a home educator overnight? Whizz Pop Bang is the world’s most awesomely amazing kids’ 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? We’d 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 she’s 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 Davy’s assistant and how his fascination for electromagnetism led to the invention of the world’s 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.
Now that schools are closed, have you become a home educator overnight? Whizz Pop Bang is the world’s most awesomely amazing kids’ 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 3 child! Meet an orthopaedic vet, be inspired by an amazing female scientist, do a walking water experiment, investigate air pressure and surface tension and make bendy bones!
Our experiments are designed for children from 6 to 12, but this list of experiments is particularly perfect for year 3, P4 (Scotland), 7-year-olds and 8-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 3 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 7- and 8-year-olds? We’d love to hear from you!
Interview with an orthopaedic vet reading comprehension
This is a great one for animal lovers! An interview with Toby Gemmill, whose job is to put broken pets back together after an accident. He explains how long bones take to mend, describes the trickiest operation he’s performed and gives some top tips on how to become a vet. Small snippets of text ideal for reluctant readers.
This downloadable reading pack includes: – An interview with Toby Gemmill for you to print or for your child to read on a tablet. – Reading comprehension question sheet and answer sheet.
Read about sensational scientist Agnes Arber, whose career as a plant scientist started when she was just 13! Her dedication to botany helped the world to realise the amazing talent of women in science.
This downloadable reading pack includes: – A feature about Agnes Arber for you to print or for your child to read on a tablet. – Reading comprehension question sheet and answer sheet.
Topic links: Year 3 Plants and P3 Biodiversity and interdependence
Walking water activity
Ask your child if they think water can ‘walk’? Set up a nifty experiment together to prove that it actually can move and discover how plants transport water using capillary action.
You will need: Water Kitchen towels Food colouring
Bonus activity: upside-down glass experiment
Investigate surface tension and air pressure while learning a neat trick: how to turn a glass of water upside down without spilling a drop!
Now that schools are closed, have you become a home educator overnight? Whizz Pop Bang is the world’s most awesomely amazing kids’ 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 2 child! You’ll find reading comprehensions about harvest mice and crabs, find out how to grow a grass head pet while learning about seed germination, discover how to make plastic from milk and create a working wind turbine!
Our experiments are designed for children from 6 to 12, but this list of experiments is particularly perfect for year 2, P3 (Scotland) and 6-year-olds and 7-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 2 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 6- and 7-year-olds? We’d love to hear from you!
Read all about the smallest rodent in Europe, the tiny harvest mouse! Find out how they are related to other rodents, how much they weigh, what they use their tails for, how they protect themselves from predators, where they build their nests and what their babies are called.
This downloadable reading pack includes: – A reading spread about harvest mice for you to print or for your child to read on a tablet. – Reading comprehension question sheet and answer sheet
Topic links: Year 2 living things and habitats, P3 Biodiversity and interdependence
Seed germination: grow your own plant pet!
Grow grass pets to learn about what seeds need in order to grow. Design and make your own grass head pets, then discover what plants need in order to grow!
You will need: Soil or compost 2 tbsp. grass seed Old nylon tights Plant pot or bowl Elastic bands Googly eyes, felt or beads Needle and thread or glue
Topic links: Year 2 Materials and P3 Properties and uses of substances
Crabs reading comprehension
Read about the ultimate recyclers of the seas, crabs! Discover why these cool crustaceans have an exoskeleton, how they walk and more!
This downloadable reading pack includes: – A reading spread about crabs for you to print or for your child to read on a tablet. – Reading comprehension question sheet and answer sheet.
Topic links: Year 2 living things and habitats, P3 Biodiversity and interdependence
Make a wind turbine
Print, cut and craft a working wind turbine!
You will need: Printable template (below) A paper straw A wooden skewer A stapler and staples A few beads that are large enough to thread onto the skewer Sticky tack
How do you make a triangle fly? Will a square take to the air? Create your own paper straw flying machines and put them to the test with the SKY HIGH SCIENCE issue of Whizz Pop Bang! You’ll find everything you need inside issue 36 of Whizz Pop Bang science magazine, order a copy for just £3.75 with FREE UK delivery here.
Packed full of outdoor science activities for girls and boys over the summer holidays – ditch the screens and find out how planes fly!
