Take the ‘Seven Days of Science’ challenge!

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!

Download a full colour printable tick list here:

Download a low-ink, black and white printable tick list here:


Let’s get started!

Saturday 13th February: Do some kitchen science

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.

Watch a video tutorial of this activity…

Make your own plastic
Explore making casein plastic from milk in this exciting activity.
You will need: milk, white vinegar, sieve, paper towels.

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


Sunday 14th February: Make a human heart card

Celebrate Valentine’s Day by making a card featuring a human heart!
You will need: the heart card printout below, scissors, glue stick, pen.


Monday 15th February: Take a science quiz

Give one of our Whizz Pop Bang science quizzes a try!

Already done them both? Why not make up your own!


Tuesday 16th February: Eat science-themed pancakes

Add a sprinkle of science to Shrove Tuesday to be in with a chance of winning a Stay-at-home science bundle! Find out more about this competition here.

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:


Wednesday 17th February: Learn about nature

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:


Friday 19th February: Say hello to Y!

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!


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Whizz Pop Bang’s top science books for children

Putting together a super-exciting science magazine for children (and with some of us being parents of some scientists-in-training ourselves) means that Team Whizz Pop Bang read rather a lot of science books. Looking for science gift ideas for children, science books for kids or Christmas present ideas for young scientists? You’ve come to the right place!

Here’s our list of our top curiosity-awakening, fact-packed, inspiring science reads…

Moth: An Evolution Story by Isabel Thomas

“This is a story of light and dark…
Against a lush backdrop of lichen-covered trees, the peppered moth lies hidden.
Until the world begins to change.
Along come people with their magnificent machines which stain the land with soot.
In a beautiful landscape changed by humans, how will the little moth survive?”

Moth: An Evolution Story by Isabel Thomas

OK, so we’re a little bit biased, but Isabel Thomas (writer of many of Whizz Pop Bang’s features) is just brilliant at communicating complicated ideas to children. Moth is a beautifully-illustrated picture book that explains evolution through the story of the peppered moth. It has recently been shortlisted on the Children’s Science Picture Book Award and included on the New York Public Library’s Best Books of 2019 list!


The Professor Astro Cat series

Meet Professor Astro Cat: “the world’s smartest and bravest feline scientific explorer and he wants to recruit you! Together with Felicity (also a cat) and Astro Mouse, they are always ready to take you on mind bogglingly brilliant adventures into the incredible world of science.” With books covering Space, the Human Body, Physics and more, our Editor Tammy says “We love them!”


The Whizz Pop Bang Science Joke Book by Tara Pardo

Did you hear the joke about the germ?
Never mind, I don’t want to spread it around!

How does the Moon cut his hair?
E-clipse it!

What’s a scientist’s favourite dog?
A lab!

The Whizz Pop Bang Science Joke Book by Tara Pardo

Packed with super-silly science giggles and fantastic facts, the Whizz Pop Bang Science Joke Book is not only a team favourite – Assistant Editor, Tara, wrote it! We can honestly say that every single one of our children love it, too.


Owling: Enter the World of the Mysterious Birds of the Night by Mark Wilson

“My daughter is a very big owl lover so she absolutely adores it,” says Editor-in-chief, Jenny. “It contains loads of information about an assortment of owls, as well as general owl info – pellets, behaviour, abilities and so on. It’s a shame that it’s based on the common owls in North America, rather than in the UK (no tawny owls), but that still includes barn owls and it also includes Emily’s favourite, snowy owls!”


On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne

This is another of Editor Tammy’s family’s favourite science stories. “A boy rides a bicycle down a dusty road. But in his mind, he envisions himself traveling at a speed beyond imagining, on a beam of light. This brilliant mind will one day offer up some of the most revolutionary ideas ever conceived. From a boy endlessly fascinated by the wonders around him, Albert Einstein ultimately grows into a man of genius recognized the world over for profoundly illuminating our understanding of the universe,” says Chronicle Books, publisher of this beautiful book.


Audrey the Amazing Inventor by Rachel Valentine

“Audrey was the most inquisitive girl you could hope to meet…”

Audrey the Amazing Inventor by Rachel Valentine

begins this tale of questions, fiddling and fixing, suitable for curious children aged 3+ “My daughter adores this book and often reaches for it at bedtime,” says Whizz Pop Bang’s Schools co-ordinator, Libby.


Women in Science by Rachel Ignotofsky

Celebrate some incredible women in STEM with this beautiful book. Rachel Ignotofsky’s gorgeous illustrations bring the stories of 50 inspirational women in science to life. It’s another one that our Editor, Tammy, recommends for people looking for great science books for kids.


The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day by Christopher Edge

Editor-in-Chief, Jenny, says that this is one of her daughter’s favourites: “It’s about a girl genius who is studying science and maths and whose world gets turned upside down when she wakes on her birthday to find herself in a weird and scary world. It’s full of intriguing and challenging scientific concepts, like infinity, relativity and entropy, and it gets you thinking about the possibility of parallel universes. Probably best for ages 9+”


You Are Stardust by Elin Kelsey

“If you were a planet, you’d be a lot like the Earth. Rainforests on land and ale in the oceans are the Earth’s lungs,”

You Are Stardust by Elin Kelsey

This intriguing book draws connections between people and the natural world – and it’s another of Editor Tammy’s top science books.


Look Inside How Things Work by Rob Lloyd Jones

“This was very popular with my boys!” says our Customer Service Advisor, Hennie.

“Have you ever wondered how cars roar along roads, or planes soar into the sky? Discover how all sorts of amazing things work, from fire engines and submarines to dishwashers and vacuum cleaners, in this exciting introduction to engineering for young children, with over 70 flaps to lift.”


Explanatorium of Nature by DK

Editor Tammy’s son loves the Explanatorium books (which includes an edition about Science by Robert Winston) and the DK Knowledge Encyclopedias, but the Explanatorium of Nature is his favourite.


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