Scientists in Australia studying octopuses have found that one species, called gloomy octopuses, sometimes throw objects at each other! Here they are in action:
Octopus wars!
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Free Solar System Craft for Kids: Make a Model of the Planets
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!
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!
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!
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.
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Learn to juggle!
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?
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.
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Fold a static-powdered boat
In issue 90: SUPERCHARGED SCIENCE, you can cut out and fold a floating boat and then make it move using a static charge!
Here’s a video showing you how to fold the boat:
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.
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COMPETITION CLOSED: WIN a Build Your Own Marble Labyrinth!
Put your maze navigation skills to the ultimate test with Build Your Own’s new eco-friendly, STEM-inspired Marble Labyrinth!
We’ve got SIX build your own Marble Labyrinths from Build Your Own to give away to lucky winners! Two games in one and double the fun, this innovative Marble Labyrinth provides hours of entertainment.
Each kit comes with everything you need to build a fully functioning Marble Labyrinth with two games to play.
To be in with a chance of winning one of six Build Your Own Marble Labyrinth kits, simply answer this question in the comments:
In Greek mythology, which mythical creature lived in a labyrinth:
A) Mermaid
B) Unicorn
C) Minotaur
Good luck!
This competition closes at midnight on Tuesday 31st January 2023. Whizz Pop Bang competition terms and conditions are here.
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FREE science activity – make a stunt plane!
Whizz Pop Bang is the awesomely amazing (and award-winning!) science magazine for kids aged between 6 – 12. We want to inspire the scientists of the future with our monthly magazine! We know that sometimes you just want a bit more science to get your teeth into, so here’s a FREE activity that your scientists-in-training will love to cut, fold and launch!
Our experiments are designed for children aged 6 to 12, but this one is especially appropriate for year 5, P6 (Scotland), and children aged 9 and 10, as it relates to the subject of the forces that will be covered in this school year’s National Curriculum.
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!
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.
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How to use Whizz Pop Bang lesson packs in your medium-term plans.
It is nearly that time of year again, where a term is ending and a new one is approaching. It is time to start thinking about next term’s science planning. We have some brilliant lesson plans that will save you time on planning. They are easy to resource, as we only use items that are inexpensive or that we know you will have in school or can source easily.
I have a scheme to follow, how will these fit into my progression of lessons?
With every new issue of Whizz Pop Bang, we produce lesson packs that are linked to the Science National Curriculum. These are not meant to be one-off lessons; they will fit into your sequence of learning. Each lesson plan states what the children should already know before starting the lesson, as well as a ‘future learning’ box at the end, helping you to slide it into your medium-term plan at the right point.
Our aim is to help teachers teach memorable science lessons that add value to pupils’ learning. Our lesson packs include everything downloadable you will need to teach the lesson, saving you time preparing PowerPoints or creating worksheets. We try to keep worksheets to a minimum; our lessons are practical or games.
“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
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.
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 have an individual membership option so teachers and home educators can access all of our amazing downloadable resources for just £20 for the whole year.
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COMPETITION CLOSED: Win a brilliant bundle of crafty STEM prizes!
We’re getting crafty with Build Your Own for December’s online competition! Enter our competition to be in for a chance of winning one of THREE bundles! Build Your Own’s new eco-friendly, STEM-inspired Periscope and a Whizz Pop Bang Snip-Out Science Book filled with 30 projects to cut, fold and stick!
Build a fully functioning periscope with this incredibly clever kit from Build Your Own. Simply press out the parts then slot them together to construct a fun, lightweight and ergonomically designed periscope with a wide viewing area and extendable telescopic tube.
Everything you need to create the periscope is inside the box, including easy-grip handles which make the Periscope super easy to use and two high-quality mirrors ensure a bright, sharp image; also comes with a safety cap to protect the mirrors.
Even better, it’s made from sustainable cardboard using minimal plastics, the Periscope is stealth black with metallic silver detail with a sleek in design and will look great on the shelf when not in use.
The awesome Whizz Pop Bang Snip-Out Science book is stuffed with 30 projects to cut, stick and fold, all with a science twist! Test fantastic flying machines, engineer brilliant bridges, make a moveable skeleton, craft some super sea creatures and much more!
It’s printed on high-quality uncoated paper, designed to be snipped out and experimented with! The book is slightly larger than A4 in size and contains 64 action-packed pages, based on the paper activities from the Pullout sections of Whizz Pop Bang. With so many projects to get stuck into, it’s sure to keep your child busy for hours and hours!
Will you be a lucky winner?
We are running this competition on Instagram and Facebook only! Head over to our socials to find out how to be in for a chance of winning one of three of these awesome bundles.
T&C’s: This giveaway closes at midnight on Saturday 31st December 2022. Three winners will be selected at random from all entries via Facebook and Instagram and will be contacted in the first week of January 2023. This competition is open to UK residents only. Winner will be informed via the original comment you made on the appropriate platform and will be from @whizzpopbangmag – please be wary of scams, do not give personal details or follow any links from other accounts. For full terms and conditions visit http://buff.ly/3ij98Q3?fbclid=IwAR0eEqSY-V9JtUvvaYsKhjvmSRBURmapUOmYBaR7hl5XESRIS3hdqsWTqHI. This competition is in no way affiliated, endorsed, sponsored or administered by Instagram or Facebook.
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Snot very polite!
Some studies have suggested that eating snot is good for your immune system! Watch Madagascan aye-aye Kali picking her nose with her 8-cm-long finger here:
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