Whizz Pop Bang Blog – Page 13 – Awesomely amazing science magazine for kids

COMPETITION CLOSED: WIN a Master Detective Toolkit!

Posted on 1st March 2023 | by Kirsty Williams | 60 Comments

Enter to be in for a chance of winning one of four awesome Master Detective Toolkits from Thames and Kosmos!

Learn about how real detectives use forensic science to answer questions, gather evidence, and solve crimes. You’ll begin by setting up your detective’s office, then hone your observation skills with exercises. Move on to secure a crime scene and gather and document evidence such as fingerprints, footprints, and tyre tracks. Afterwards, head to the lab to analyse the evidence and learn about deciphering codes, writing with invisible ink, and communicating with secret symbols. Finally, you can apply all your skills and knowledge to solve a mock crime presented in the accompanying manual.

This 32-page book is full of illustrations and step-by-step instructions to guide you through your investigation. Start your adventure today and become a master detective!

For your chance to win, simply answer this question in the comments:

What animal helps the police solve crimes?

a) Cats
b) Dogs
c) Penguins

This competition closes at midnight on 31st March 2023. For full terms and conditions visit https://www.whizzpopbang.com/terms-and-conditions/

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Colin Butcher, a pet detective, with his highly-trained spaniel, Molly.

A pet detective’s amazing tales!

Posted on 22nd February 2023 | by Jo at Whizz Pop Bang | Leave a Comment

Colin Butcher and his detective dog use their skills (and some science) to solve animal crimes. He’s told us some incredible stories in Whizz Pop Bang: DARING DETECTIVES, but we wanted to share even more with you!

You can find Whizz Pop Bang 92: DARING DETECTIVES in our shop from 1st March 2023!

Molly: the Pet Detective Dog by Colin Butcher is the true story of one amazing dog who reunites missing cats with their families. Find out more about Colin’s book here.

Colin has written a book about his clever cocker spaniel, Molly.

With the help of Molly, the Pet Detective Dog, and the team at The Pet Detectives, Colin has great success in recovering missing or stolen cats, dogs and other animals throughout the UK.

Molly, hard at work. Photo: © Colin Butcher The Pet Detectives Ltd

Read some of their success stories here:

Looking for Lucy

We once had a client who lived in the USA, who had donated $50,000 to help save unwanted dogs from the streets of Turkey. The story was, a lady who was running a rescue centre in Turkey would ship these dogs to America where they would be given new homes. Unfortunately, the woman who was running the rescue centre started to spend the money on herself and neglected the dogs. One of the dogs, Lucy, was going to be adopted by our client – but she disappeared from the rescue centre just before the police arrived.

We were asked to conduct an investigation and find Lucy. We discovered that the day before the police had arrived at the rescue centre in Turkey, a delivery van had collected one of the dogs and left for eastern Europe. We found out that the van belonged to a company in Romania who occasionally delivered goods to England. We suspected that Lucy may have been smuggled out of Turkey, taken to Romania, and was now heading for England under a false name. We managed to find all the locations the van had delivered to in England, one of which was very close to a small dog rescue in Cumbria. We researched the rescue centre and discovered that the owner was a friend of the woman who lived in Turkey.

A week later, we went to the rescue centre in Cumbria and pretended to be looking for a new pet. We discovered Lucy (also known as Lady) tucked away in a small compound at the back of the rescue centre. We managed to convince the owner of the centre to let us adopt Lady and a few days later she was on her way to America to start a new life with our client.

Van-ished cat

Lulu, a Silver British Short-Hair climbed into the back of a delivery van in Wimbledon and jumped out when the driver arrived back at his depot. We worked out where Lulu had gone and introduced camera traps and feed stations to encourage her to remain in one spot. We then introduced a den for her and after five days we recovered her from the exact same spot where she had last been seen. She had sustained quite a bad injury whilst missing but, after receiving the appropriate care, made a full recovery.

Return to owner

Derrick abandoned his home in Willesden after being forced out of his territory by an older, more dominant tom cat. Working closely with Derrick’s owner, we removed the threat from the more dominant cat and then introduced a displacement strategy to encourage Derrick to return home. He was recovered one day later and is now safely back with his owner.

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Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day!

Posted on 22nd February 2023 | by Kirsty Williams | Leave a Comment

To celebrate Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day on the 25th February 2023, here are some fun and inspiring activities and interviews to share with the girls in your life. You never know, one might grow up to be an engineer!

Reading comprehension: Electrical Engineer

Find out what it’s like to be an electrical engineering whizz with this inspirational interview with Nikita Hari. Includes the feature to print or to read on a tablet, as well as comprehension question and answer sheet.

Download

Engineering activity: Design your own bridge

Get busy designing and building your own bridge and experiment to see how much weight it can hold!

Download

Reading comprehension: Explosions Engineer

Find out why Kate Biberdorf loves to blow things up to inspire her students! Includes the feature to print or to read on a tablet, as well as comprehension question and answer sheets.

Download

Engineering activity: Water wheel lifter

Can you lift a weight using the power of water? Try this fun science activity to find out!

Download

Engineering activity: Make a model wind turbine activity

Print, cut and craft a model wind turbine to try out in windy weather!

Download

Want more engineering activities?

Subscribers to Whizz Pop Bang are automatically enrolled to the Y’s Wonder Club and can complete science challenges to earn collectible enamel badges!

Not a subscriber? Sign up here!

Epic Engineer Badge
Think like an engineer to earn an Epic Engineer badge! Identify a problem, design a solution, get building, then test and improve your design.

Click here to find out more…

Epic Engineer Badge

Fill your child with science wonder with a subscription to Whizz Pop Bang, the award-winning magazine for 6 to 12-year-olds. Watch their face light up with glee when their very own magazine zooms through the letterbox! Packed full of hands-on science awesomeness, it’s the gift that keeps of delighting, month after month.

Not a subscriber? Sign up here!

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Teaching Ancient Greece

Posted on 7th February 2023 | by Kirsty Williams | Leave a Comment

Are you looking for inspiring planning resources for teaching ancient Greece in upper key stage 2? Here’s how you can use our new downloadable ancient Greece teaching resources to easily create a memorable lesson …

Where to start?

Before you use the lesson pack, pupils should already know when the ancient Greek period was and they should be aware of the term engineering. This lesson pack links with history, design and technology and science. Therefore, it is a STEAM lesson.

Pupils will carry out a simple experiment to see why the ancient Greeks chose to build with columns. They will test different shapes and see which is the strongest.

The downloadable pack includes:

A differentiated lesson plan
A PowerPoint presentation
A printable Greek theatre
A text explaining some ancient Greeks’ wild ideas!

Download our lesson pack here

Quality reading texts related to the ancient Greeks

We have a whole issue dedicated to the ancient Greeks, which is full of fun facts and information suitable for primary-aged children. Our teachers have created three reading comprehensions with questions linked to the National Curriculum and Curriculum for Excellence:

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, Art, Design and Technology and PSHE.

Prices from as little as £197.99 per year for a copy of Whizz Pop Bang magazine through the post each month and whole-school access to our ever-growing library of downloadable teaching resources, with unlimited teacher logins.

We’ve also launched a new individual membership option so teachers and home educators can access all of our amazing downloadable resources for just £20 for the whole year.

Subscribe for your school

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COMPETITION CLOSED: WIN a glow-in-the-dark GEOMAG magnetic construction set!

Posted on 1st February 2023 | by Kirsty Williams | 66 Comments

We’ve got three epic construction sets to give away from Geomag!

Enter our competition to be in for a chance to win a bumper 60-piece magnetic construction set from Geomag! This kit is sure to get mini-engineers excited about building 3D models because not only are they magnetic, but they also glow in the dark!

Use the strength and energy of the Geomag magnets and spheres to build crazy spinning tops and suspended models that will spin for ages. Put your building and spinning skills to the test with this Geomag Glow Magnetic Construction Set! Plus, they are environmentally friendly as all Geomag toys are made from recycled plastic!

For your chance to win, simply answer this question in the comments:

How tall is the Eiffel tower?

a) 30 metres
b) 300 metres
c) 3,000 metres

This competition closes at midnight on 28th February 2023. For full terms and conditions visit whizzpopbang.com/terms

Not a subscriber? Sign up here!

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Octopus wars!

Posted on 28th January 2023 | by Kirsty Williams | 4 Comments

Scientists in Australia studying octopuses have found that one species, called gloomy octopuses, sometimes throw objects at each other! Here they are in action:

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Free Solar System Craft for Kids: Make a Model of the Planets

Posted on 9th January 2023 | by Kirsty Williams | 1 Comment

Updated July 2026

Looking for a fun and easy way to help children learn about the planets? Download our free solar system printable and make your own model of the solar system at home or in the classroom.

This hands-on solar system craft for kids is a brilliant way to learn the names and order of the eight planets while practising cutting, sticking and following instructions.

Simply download the printable, grab some scissors and glue, and get ready for an out-of-this-world science activity!

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!

Download

How to make your solar system model

You will need:

Our free solar system printable
Scissors
Glue

Download and print the activity sheet, then follow the instructions to cut out and assemble your model.

As children make their solar system, encourage them to identify each planet and put them in the correct order from the Sun.

The eight planets in our solar system are:

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

Can your young scientist remember them all?

What will children learn from this solar system activity?

Making a model of the solar system helps children explore space science through a fun, hands-on activity.

Children can:

Learn the names of the eight planets
Discover the order of the planets from the Sun
Compare the different planets in our solar system
Practise cutting, sticking and following instructions
Build confidence with science vocabulary

It’s a simple activity for families, home educators and primary school teachers looking for an engaging way to introduce or reinforce learning about Earth and space.

What age is this solar system craft suitable for?

This activity is designed for children aged approximately 6 to 12.

Younger children may need some help with cutting and assembling their model, while older children can use the activity as a starting point for further investigations.

Try asking:
Which planet is closest to the Sun?
Which is the largest planet?
Which planets have rings?
Why is Earth the only planet known to support life?

Does this activity support the primary science curriculum?

Yes. This activity is particularly useful for children studying Earth and space in Year 5 science in England and P6 science in Scotland. 9 and 10 year olds till be taught about the solar system according the the National Curriculum for this year group.

The national curriculum includes learning about the movement of the Earth and other planets relative to the Sun and describing the Sun, Earth and Moon as approximately spherical bodies.

Making a solar system model gives children a memorable, hands-on way to practise identifying the planets and their order.

What is the order of the planets?

Starting with the planet closest to the Sun, the eight planets are:

Mercury → Venus → Earth → Mars → Jupiter → Saturn → Uranus → Neptune

Here’s a challenge for your young scientist: can they invent their own silly sentence to help remember the planets.

More space activities for kids

Did your young scientist enjoy making their solar system?

This activity comes from the Whizz Pop Bang Snip-Out Science Book, which is packed with paper-based science activities for curious kids.

You can also explore more free space activities, experiments and fascinating astronomy articles on the Whizz Pop Bang blog.

Discover Whizz Pop Bang magazine

Whizz Pop Bang is the award-winning science magazine for curious children aged 6–12.

Every month, young scientists can try hands-on experiments, discover fascinating facts, meet real scientists and explore everything from dinosaurs and space to the human body, animals and engineering.

Packed with screen-free activities, puzzles and competitions, Whizz Pop Bang makes science exciting and fun.

Subscribe to Whizz Pop Bang and give your child a new science adventure every month!

Find loads more science activities, puzzles and games in our award-winning monthly kids science magazine, Whizz Pop Bang!

Did your mini-scientist enjoy this activity? This is just one of the many fun paper craft activities from the Whizz Pop Bang Snip-Out Science Book. Click the image below to discover how much more fun your budding scientist can have with this book!

Not a subscriber? Sign up here!

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Learn to juggle!

Posted on 6th January 2023 | by Jo at Whizz Pop Bang | Leave a Comment

Find out how to make balloon juggling balls in Whizz Pop Bang: Supercharged Science, then learn to juggle in this brilliant video!

Learning to juggle is a great way to improve your coordination. Find out how to make your own amazing upcycled juggling balls from balloons in Whizz Pop Bang: Supercharged Science!

Feel the force of static electricity in Whizz Pop Bang: Supercharged Science!

Static electricity powers thunderstorms, makes clingfilm clingy and sets our hair on end when we take off woolly clothing. Find out how it works and then harness its power to charm a paper snake, roll a can, spin an umbrella, sail a boat, bend a stream of water and make a jellyfish fly!

You’ll also get to discover ten shockingly electric animals, find out how LEDs light up our homes, learn how electric eels stun their prey, read all about Benjamin Franklin and meet a scientist who chases electric storms as part of her job. We show you how to make a set of juggling balls from balloons in Emmi’s Eco Club, you’ll get to race around a thunderous board game avoiding the lightning in Silly Science, you can also find out how plasma balls work and even create miniature lightning streaks inside your mouth!

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Can spiders fly?

Posted on 6th January 2023 | by Jo at Whizz Pop Bang | Leave a Comment

Did you know that some spiders can fly? On sensing atmospheric electricity, they release many
strands of silk which repel each other (in the same way that static makes your hair stands on
end), creating a balloon-shaped sail which rises and floats on the breeze.