Category: Science competition

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

Posted on | by Rachael Tapping | 103 Comments on 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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WIN! Brilliant Ideas from Wonderful Women

Posted on | by Rachael Tapping | 9 Comments on WIN! Brilliant Ideas from Wonderful Women

It’s International Women’s Day 2019 and to celebrate we’ve got three copies of this super cool book to give away! To enter this competition simply answer this question…

Which famous female scientist discovered that Earth has an inner core, as well as a mantle and outer core? 
1. Inge Lehmann
2. Katherine Johnson
3. Agnes Arber

Answer in the comments box below by midnight on Sunday 10/3/19 👇🏾
(Hint: the answer is in the QUAKE RATTLE AND ROLL issue of Whizz Pop Bang!)


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We’ve got five copies of The Bacteria Book to giveaway!

Posted on | by Rachael Tapping | 2 Comments on We’ve got five copies of The Bacteria Book to giveaway!

Bacteria book competition

The good, the bad and the ugly, bacteria are everywhere! Learn all about gross germs, vile viruses and funky fungi in this fascinating book written by the aptly named Steve Mould, published by Dorling Kindersley.

To be in with a chance of winning one of these books simply answer this question:

Where can bacteria be found?

a) Antarctic ice

b) Clouds

c) Ocean trenches

d) All of the above

Hint: the answer is in the Bug-tastic Bacteria issue of Whizz Pop Bang magazine!

To enter comment below with your answer by midnight on 30th November 2018. By entering this competition you agree to our terms and conditions.


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WIN! Max Einstein The Genius Experiment

Posted on | by Rachael Tapping | 8 Comments on WIN! Max Einstein The Genius Experiment

Max Einstein the genius experiment book

When it comes to brains, there’s one brain in particular that we associate with brilliance… and that’s scientist Albert Einstein’s. To accompany the Brilliant Brains issue of Whizz Pop Bang, we’ve got five copies of this brand new book ‘Max Einstein The Genius Experiment’ to give away!

To enter simply answer this question in the comments box below:

Where are bits of Albert Einstein’s brain?
a) In a secret safe
b) In space
c) In a US museum

Hint: find the answer in the Brilliant Brains, issue 38 of Whizz Pop Bang science magazine for kids! Deadline to enter is 30/9/18

Notes from the publisher:

James Patterson has teamed up with the world’s most famous genius to entertain and inspire a generation of children – with the first and only kids’ book series officially approved by the Albert Einstein Archives.

Twelve-year-old orphan Max Einstein is not your typical genius. Max hacks the computer system at NYU in order to attend college courses (even though she hates tests), builds homemade inventions to help the homeless, and plays speed chess in the park. Her not-so-normal life is crazy but predictable until…

Max is recruited by a mysterious organisation! Their mission: solve some of the world’s toughest problems using science. She’s helped by a diverse group of young geniuses from around the globe as they invent new ways to power the farthest reaches of the planet. But that’s only if the sinister outfit known only as The Corporation doesn’t get to her first…

Recommended age: 9 – 14yrs


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Illustration of a peppered moth

WIN! Moth, An evolution story by Isabel Thomas

Posted on | by Rachael Tapping | 13 Comments on WIN! Moth, An evolution story by Isabel Thomas

Mothnight competition to win Moth by Isabel Thomas

To celebrate #MothNight2018 we’ve got a copy of this beautiful book, MOTH, by Isabel Thomas (one of our Whizz Pop Bang writers). Written for younger children, this is the retelling of the story of the peppered moth. A true tale, and ideal introduction to natural selection and evolution for children.

“This is the story of light and dark…”

Enter by answering this question in the comment box below:

What sort of moth is this story about?

A. Salted moth

B. Sugared moth

C. Peppered moth

Enter by midnight on Sunday 17th June. By entering this competition you agree to the terms and conditions on our website. Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing for this book.


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World Oceans Day book competition!

Posted on | by Rachael Tapping | 8 Comments on World Oceans Day book competition!

World Oceans Day competition

To celebrate World Oceans Day 2018 we’ve teamed up with the lovely team at Ivy Kids publishing with a cool book giveaway; Oceans in 30 Seconds, by Jen Green.
To enter this competition to win a copy simply answer this question in the comment box below:
Which of these is the deepest zone of the ocean?
a) Ladel zone
b) Hadal zone
c) Cradle zone
Enter by midnight on Monday 11th June 2018. Thanks to #IvyKids @QuartoKids for supplying five copies of this children’s book all about our oceans. By entering this competition you agree to the terms and conditions on our website.
Love learning about the sea? Buy this issue of Whizz Pop Bang for just £3.75 and learn all about the Secrets of the Deep!

Whizz Pop Bang Secrets of the Deep


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WIN! A signed copy of The Matilda Effect by Ellie Irving

Posted on | by Rachael Tapping | 72 Comments on WIN! A signed copy of The Matilda Effect by Ellie Irving

The Matilda Effect three copies

We’ve got three signed copies of The Matilda Effect to giveaway!

Matilda loves science and inventing. Her heroes are Marie Curie, Leonardo da Vinci and Thomas Edison, and one day she wants to be a famous inventor herself. So when she doesn’t win the school science fair, she’s devastated – especially as the judges didn’t believe she’d come up with her entry on her own. Because she’s a girl…

To enter this competition tell us what Marie Curie helped to develop, was it…
a) x-ray
b) blu-ray
c) sting ray antivenom

Answer below in the comment box ?? by midnight on 31st March 2018.

 


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January’s book competition

Posted on | by Rachael Tapping | 96 Comments on January’s book competition

The DNA Detectives: Catch a Thief

 

This month we have a slightly different book competition for kids to enter, to help launch a brand new storybook ‘The DNA Detectives: To Catch a Thief’ written by Dr Mandy Hartley. Whilst there are lots of excellent reviews for this book, they are written by parents and Mandy would love to hear what children think too. If your child loves reading and would like to be in with a chance of winning a signed copy of The DNA Detectives: To Catch a Thief enter this competition by simply writing the words “me please” in the comment box below.

Dr Hartley is a new author and is looking for children to review her fun story all about a pet thief and the kids who try to find out who has stolen the missing dogs…

When Annabelle and Harry’s beloved pet dog Milly goes missing they believe the local pet thief has struck again. They have a list of suspects and plenty of evidence but how can they prove who the thief is? Their mum works as a DNA scientist and has a laboratory in the garden. The children realise they can become “DNA Detectives” and secretly use the laboratory to analyse the evidence just like real life forensic scientists. Join them on their thrilling journey where they collect clues, analyse evidence and learn about DNA to solve this case and bring Milly home safely.

“I create stories and communicate them to children in a multi-sensory way including elements to stimulate listening, smell, taste, sight and sounds as well as their as their imagination! Where possible I include scientific experiments in my stories finding entertaining ways to explain difficult scientific concepts such as natural selection, inheritance and evolution to children.”

Dr Mandy Hartley

https://www.thelittlestorytellingcompany.co.uk/the-dna-detectives-to-catch-a-thief 

DNA Detectives book reviews
Dr Mandy Hartley and two of the reviews written by parents on Amazon

This competition to win a signed copy of The DNA Detectives to review is open until midnight on 1st February. Only open to UK residents.


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WIN Optical Illusions book 2!

Posted on | by Rachael Tapping | 54 Comments on WIN Optical Illusions book 2!

Optical illusions 2 single book

Love science books? We do too! And we love helping kids to learn all about science, which is why we’re giving our readers the chance to win brand new, hot-off-the-press science books, cool hey?! We have TEN copies of OPTICAL ILLUSIONS 2 to give away!! To enter simply answer this question:

Q. Optical illusions are tricks of the what?

  1. Nose and mouth
  2. Eyes and brain
  3. Hands and feet

Write your answer in the comment box before midnight GMT on 10th January 2018. Good luck! Winners will be notified by email after 10th January 2018. Only open to UK residents.

Optical illusions 2 competition blog


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StarFinder for Beginners jacket

Star Finder book winners

Posted on | by Rachael Tapping | Leave a Comment on Star Finder book winners

Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE with Star finder for beginners book

In conjunction with our Planetary Adventures edition (issue 28) we ran a competition to win Star Finder for Beginners, signed by Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE! Maggie is a presenter on BBC Four show Sky at Night, and is passionate about inspiring kids, especially girls, into science.

To enter the competition Whizz Pop Bang readers answered the following question:

What are stars made of?

A) Hot gas

B) Shiny aliens

c) Sparling Moon dust

The correct answer is of course hot gas! Well done to everyone who entered ?

Here our the five winners, who will each receive a signed copy of Star Finder for Beginners. Happy star-gazing! Thank you to DK Books for supplying the prizes, and asking Maggie to sign them for our lucky mini scientists.

  1. Isla Mackwell
  2. Benjamin Porter
  3. Thomas Perry
  4. Clair Saunders
  5. Danielle Vipond

We’ve also got some top tips from Maggie for star-gazing, including using a red torch if you need light as this has less effect on your eyes as they get used to the dark.


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