Gift Guides For Children Aged 6-12

Whether your child is an aspiring scientist, a creative thinker, or an outdoor adventurer, this gift guide is filled with engaging, educational, and fun ideas that inspire curiosity, creativity, and exploration. These gifts are perfect for hands-on play, learning, investigating and creativity.

If you’re interested in eco-friendly gifts, you’re covered – you’ll find plenty of presents here that are printed using only paper from FSC/PEFC certified suppliers. That’s Christmas, sorted!

For Scientists-in-Training (Aged 6-12)

Nurture their love of discovery with these hands-on science gifts that are both fun and educational. They’re perfect for children who love to explore new ideas, solve puzzles, and embark on imaginative journeys.

Letterbox Lab – The Explore Box
Suitable for explorers aged 6-12, each box is filled with exciting experiments that make science fun and accessible. All consumables needed for each experiment are included!

Letterbox Lab – The Investigate Box
More advanced experiments for kids aged 8-12 who are ready to dive deeper into science, delivered to your door every month.

Subscription to Whizz Pop Bang Magazine
A monthly magazine packed with experiments, facts, and activities for science enthusiasts.
Check out this amazing Christmas offer on subscriptions – get a FREE riddle book worth £6.99! Order by 19/12/24. 

Hoopla: Daring Dinosaurs
Peer into the distant past to take a look at awesome dinosaurs! Find out how to hunt for fossils, and if you don’t spot any, you can make your own fossil replica! Craft a terrific pterosaur and bake some delicious dino cookies. Plus there are puzzles, jokes and a roar-some dine personality quiz to take!

Whizz Pop Bang Snip-Out Science Book
Craft paper volcanoes, flying machines and more with this book of hands-on projects that blend science, creativity, and fun.

Whizz Pop Bang Science Scrapbook
A creative space for young scientists to plan investigations and record results of experiments.

Space magazines
Explore the Sun, Moon, Mars and the stars in this epic collection of space-themed science magazines.

Lab coat
This science essential keeps clothes in tip-top condition during even the messiest experiments!


More Gifts We Love!

Dinosaur magazines
From prehistoric flying beasts to the story of extinction, Whizz Pop Bang’s back issue collection is full of fact-packed reads for any wannabe palaeontologist.

Whizz Pop Bang Joke Book
Get ready for some super science-y giggles, with over 200 hilarious jokes to get the whole family laughing out loud!

Subscription to Hoopla Magazine
A wonderful magazine for curious kids aged 4-9, filled with science, positivity, creativity, and wellbeing. A gift that keeps on giving with new inspiration every issue!
Check out this amazing Christmas offer on subscriptions – get a FREE magazine! Order by 19/12/24. 

Hoopla: Secrets and Spies
Tiptoe into the world of secrets, spies and codes! Design a fantastic face mask to hide your identity, make your own cipher wheel, cook treats with hidden messages inside and solve some safe-cracking puzzles. Head outside to look for nature clues as you make a beautiful wristband, plus there are riddles, jokes and a colouring page to enjoy.

Whizz Pop Bang Riddle Book
Test their wit and problem-solving skills with this fun and engaging collection of over 150 tricky teasers.

Whizz Pop Bang Puzzle Book
Jam-packed with more than 150 brilliant brain-bending puzzles, all with a science twist! With so many puzzles to get stuck into, it’s sure to keep your child busy for hours and hours!

Hoopla: Treasure Hunt
Shine a light on glittering treasure! Grow your own edible crystals, craft a shining star and go on a treasure hunt! You can find out about shimmering goldfish and bake some delicious treats to give as a gift. Plus there are puzzles, jokes and a treasure-themed quiz.

Looking for gifts for curious explorers aged 4-9? Find a gift guide here!


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Make a record-breaking paper aeroplane!

Here’s a record you CAN try to beat at home. The farthest flight by a paper aeroplane made from a single sheet of A4 paper is 88.31 metres! Find out how to make another record-breaking plane here:

Have you ever wondered if it’s possible to skydive without a parachute?! Head this way for the answer (and to watch a jaw-dropping video all about it!)

Find out about more amazing record-breaking journeys in Whizz Pop Bang 113: FESTIVE SCIENCE FUN!


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Enter the Young Wildlife Photographer Of The Year Competition!

Have you heard of the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition? It’s a brilliant chance for young nature-lovers like you to show off your photography skills. Best of all? Kids can enter free!

This competition is all about celebrating the beauty and wonder of the natural world. When you take part, you’ll join people from all over the world who love capturing moments in nature, whether it’s animals playing, birds flying or tiny bugs doing their thing.

When you enter, your photos could be chosen to be part of an amazing exhibition at the Natural History Museum that people from all over the world come to see. Imagine your photo on display, inspiring others to care more about wildlife and the environment!

Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas won the Young Wildlife Photographer Of The Year – Grand Title 2024 award.

This photo is of fruiting bodies of slime mould and a tiny springtail. It was taken by Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas in Germany, and he was awarded Young Wildlife Photographer Of The Year – Grand Title 2024. Find out more about this incredible photograph here.

Taking pictures of our wonderful planet isn’t just fun – it also can also remind everyone of the beauty of nature, and why protecting it is so important.

The winners of 2024’s Wildlife Photographer Of The Year Competition are currently on display at the Natural History Museum in London. Click here to find out about visiting the exhibition and have a look at some of the winning and highly commended images here.

So, if you love taking pictures and want to share what’s special about the world around you, grab a camera or phone, head outside, and capture something amazing. You might be the next young wildlife photography star!

It’s completely free for anyone under 26 to submit up to ten photos!

Full terms and conditions are available on the Natural History Museums website.


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COMPETITION CLOSED – WIN The Science Museum Puzzle Book: Journey Into Space!

Here’s your chance to win one of ten copies of The Science Museum Puzzle Book: Journey Into Space. Keep reading to tackle some of the intergalactic puzzles featured inside!

Plan a mission, train to be an astronaut, launch a rocket and discover what it’s like to live in space as you tackle the teasers in this brilliant puzzle book!

As well as over 100 space-themed puzzles, this book is stuffed with essential space facts and profiles of significant people and moments linked to space exploration.

Put your brain to the test with these puzzles, taken from Journey Into Space: A Science Museum Puzzle Book. You’ll find the competition below these puzzles.

Click here to find the answer.

Click here to find the answer.

Click here to find the answer.

We’ve got ten copies of this book to give away! Simply answer the question in the comments to be in with a chance.

Which person has travelled into space?

A Helen Sharman
B Galileo Galilei
C Arthur C. Clarke

The Science Museum Puzzle Book: Journey Into Space by The Science Museum is published by Seven Dials available in trade paperback and eBook on 7th November 2024. RRP £14.99.

This competition closes at midnight on 30th November 2024 and is open to UK residents only. Whizz Pop Bang competition terms and conditions are here.


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Introducing our brand-new project: Hoopla Magazine!

Hoopla is a new magazine to help support the emotional wellbeing of children aged 5 to 10, full of fun activities, jokes and good news!

In a world where our children are growing up faster than ever before, where they face the pull of screen time, societal pressures to excel at school, to fit in with their peers, to be a certain body shape and to look a certain way, it’s easy to see how kids can sometimes feel overwhelmed. 

It’s no wonder an ever-growing proportion of young children are facing mental health problems from an early age.

A magazine to help keep children carefree, playful and happy…

Hoopla magazine gives kids aged 5 to 10 a breathing space. A space to be who they want to be, to explore new ideas, to challenge their brains, and to try fun activities that foster happiness and wellbeing.

Hoopla magazine supports children’s wellbeing and mental health… Help us to launch this happy magazine for awesome kids everywhere! 

We know there is a need for a magazine like Hoopla, so we have launched a crowdfunding campaign to get it written, design, printed and into the hands of children like yours. Head to our Kickstarter page now to find out which amazing rewards are still available. The early bird discounted subscriptions are going fast!

Hoopla Issue 1 cover – Have Some Fun

Hoopla is a 36-page magazine, packed full of fun ideas for off-screen activities to try at home, along with exciting articles to stimulate children’s expanding brains. Hoopla helps to keep kids happy, playful and curious. It’s a real physical magazine that arrives especially for them through the letterbox each month – a dose of happiness delivered straight into their hands each month!

Hoopla is the happy magazine for all children who want to have fun! 😁


What’s inside Hoopla magazine?

There’ll be a new topic each month and each edition will feature sections on art, nature, science and cooking, as well as emotions and critical thinking. 

The first edition of Hoopla is all about having fun! It will get kids thinking… What does it mean to have fun? Would it be enjoyable to have fun all the time? How do you and your family have fun? Plus, there’ll be loads of fun activities to try at home!

Think about fun spread

Future editions will cover a wide range of topics, from dinosaurs and detectives to ancient Egypt.

Swimming spread
Ideas for fresh-air adventures that encourage kids to get outside 

The 36 pages will be packed full of ideas to keep kids happily engaged, such as outdoor activitiesart projects and fun science experiments

Jackson Pollock splatter art wrapping paper spread
Kids will discover famous artists and get to try a related art project each month 

There’ll be a good news section as well as journalling pages to encourage boys and girls to write or draw their thoughts, feelings and experiences. There’ll also be storiespuzzlesjokes and riddles to keep young minds challenged and active. 

'Being Me' journaling spread
Children are encouraged to express their thoughts and feelings

Each magazine is lovingly illustrated by awesome illustrator Clive Goodyer with fun-loving characters that help to bring the magazine to life.

Illustrated characters of boy, girl, alien and cat bouncing on a trampoline
Magazine characters, clockwise from top left: Jem, Callie, Tanj and Whirl

Happy, healthy minds

Dr Naira Wilson, a clinical psychologist specialising in childhood mental health and author of children’s books supporting emotional wellbeing, will be Hoopla’s expert adviser. Hoopla will promote ideas that engage children in activities that support their wellbeing, without being prescriptive or pushy.

Beam a ray of happiness to your child each month with Hoopla magazine!


Helping others

We’re committed to helping as many children as possible, which is why we’ll be supporting children’s charity ‘Place2Be’. This well-established charity partners with schools all over the country to supply trained councillors for one-to-one and group counselling so that children of all ages have someone to turn to.

So a subscription to Hoopla doesn’t just support your child’s happiness, it also supports the wellbeing of thousands more children.


Who are we?

I’m Jenny Inglis, a mother of three and for a time I was fostered as a child. I have also had experience of being a foster parent too. I am therefore personally very aware of the experiences of childhood mental health struggles and the importance of children’s wellbeing and happiness. It is for those reasons that I’m hoping to launch a new happy magazine for children. ‘Hoopla’ will help to promote self-acceptance, positive mental attitudes and enjoyment of all aspects of childhood life.

For the last nine years I’ve been running an equally awesome magazine for kids called Whizz Pop Bang – it’s an award-winning magazine that brings science to life for girls and boys aged 6 to 12. I started Whizz Pop Bang from a Kickstarter campaign in 2015 and it’s been a roaring success ever since!

Team photo

With the help of my fabulous team of Whizz Pop Bang writers, illustrators, designers and customer service super stars, we’re ridiculously excited to be bringing this second magazine to life!

Thank you so much for your support in helping to make Hoopla magazine a reality!


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Win Build Your Own Insect kits and a Whizz Pop Bang subscription

COMPETITION CLOSED! WIN a Bundle of Build Your Own Insect Kits AND a Subscription to Whizz Pop Bang Magazine!

To celebrate Insect Week 2024, we have teamed up with the wonderful people at Build Your Own to give away a bundle of all four of their insect mini-build kits and a subscription to Whizz Pop Bang magazine!

Build Your Own’s range of super-cool, eco-friendly kits are a fantastic way to bring STEM learning to life in a way that kids can get stuck into. Budding engineers can build a honey bee, ladybird, stag beetle and dragonfly with these inspiring mini kits.

Whizz Pop Bang is the awesomely amazing science magazine for kids, and our lucky winner will receive a three month subscription! Every edition is packed with experiments, activities, jokes, inspiring stories and more. It’s guaranteed to be a hit with every small dinosaur expert, keen kitchen chemist or generally curious child. 

To enter, simply answer this question correctly in a comment

How many legs does a spider have?
🕸 2
🕸 5
🕸 8

Good luck!

This competition closes at midnight on Sunday 30th June 2024 and is open to UK residents only. Whizz Pop Bang competition terms and conditions are here.


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COMPETITION CLOSED – WIN A Year’s Magazine Subscription and Epic Science Books

Woohoo! We are so proud to have reached our 100th edition of Whizz Pop Bang! To celebrate this milestone edition, we are giving away an entire year’s subscription to Whizz Pop Bang and some of our awesome science books. Will you be our lucky winner?

The winner of this epic bundle of science goodies will look forward to a brand new edition of Whizz Pop Bang rocketing through their letterbox every month plus a Whizz Pop Bang Science Puzzle Book and Scrap Book (with stickers!).

To be in for a chance of winning, simply answer this question in the comments:

What’s the closest planet to the Sun in our solar system?

A) Earth

B) Venus

C) Mercury

This competition closes at midnight on 30th November 2023 and is open to UK residents only. For full terms and conditions visit whizzpopbang.com/terms-and-conditions


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COMPETITION CLOSED – WIN Humungous Fungus by Lynne Boddy

Professor Lynne Boddy is a woodland fungi expert at Cardiff University and she told us all about her amazing career in Whizz Pop Bang 99: Fantastic Fungi.

Lynne has written a beautiful book, Humungous Fungus, an exploration of all things fungi which will amaze young readers, and open their eyes to the fungi thriving all around them and we’ve got four copies to give away!

Simply answer this question in the comments for your chance to win a book.

Which one is a part of a mushroom?
a) Gill
b) Hill
c) Spill

Good luck!

This competition closes at midnight on 31st October 2023 and is open for UK residents only. For full terms and conditions visit whizzpopbang.com/terms

Humongous Fungus, written by Lynne Boddy and illustrated by Wenjia Tang. DK, £12.99. Out Now. 


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How to store a magazine collection

Do you or your children have magazine subscriptions that you would like to store neatly? The Whizz Pop Bang magazine binder has been carefully developed to make looking after your precious magazine collection simple!

Our brief was straightforward: to find a way for our readers to make sure that their magazines would stay as good as new for a long time. Lots of binders use metal rings, which means punching holes in treasured editions, and that just didn’t feel right. Instead, our colourful binders use a traditional, non-damaging cord system.

This awesome magazine binder is perfect for storing a whole year’s worth of Whizz Pop Bang magazines. Inside the binder, you’ll find 12 Cordex strings (lengths of super-strong cord). Open your magazine to the middle pages, then slide it under one of the 12 strings. In a couple of minutes, you can slot 12 magazines into the binder in the order of your choice. Once secured, you can flick through your collection with ease – as if it was one giant book!

Storing your Whizz Pop Bang subscription in one of our robust binders is the ideal way to preserve it for many years, allowing readers to refer back to older issues when they suddenly become relevant again as new school topics are introduced and new personal interests are discovered.


Whizz Pop Bang is the award-winning science magazine that brings science to life for girls and boys aged six to twelve (and their parents too)!

Discover how easy it is to enjoy science at home with Whizz Pop Bang magazine. Spark your child’s imagination with lab-loads of hands-on experiments, the latest science news, tantalising puzzles and amazing facts.

Subscribe today to start your child’s adventures in discovery and to inspire the scientists of the future!


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Carl Sagan’s Golden Record

Carl Sagan was an astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, professor and science communicator who was fascinated by extra-terrestrial life. You can read about him in Whizz Pop Bang 98: Aliens!

Carl was involved in American space exploration since it began in the 1950s. He put together messages that were sent into outer space in the 1970s on the Voyager Golden Record.

Read more about space in these out-of-this-world issues of Whizz Pop Bang!

By NASA – Great Images in NASA Description, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6455682

Copies of the Golden Record were carried by Voyager I and Voyager II. They contained:

  • Messages in 55 ancient and modern languages
  • Sounds from Earth
  • Images of humans and Earth
By NASA/JPL – The Sounds of Earth Record Cover, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=137443

The discs contained diagrams that explain where Earth is and how to play the record. Scientists spent a long time working out how to communicate these messages to aliens!

Here are some examples of things that were included on Carl Sagan’s Golden Record. You can find a full list of everything that was included here.

Greetings in ancient and modern languages

English (this was recorded by Nick Sagan, Carl’s son, when he was six!)
Akkadian (an ancient language used in Mesopotamia about 6,000 years ago)
“May all be very well.”
Arabic
“Greetings to our friends in the stars. We wish that we will meet you someday.”
Cantonese
“Hi. How are you? Wish you peace, health and happiness.”
Hebrew
“Peace”
Korean
“How are you?”
Nguni
“We greet you, great ones. We wish you longevity”
Polish
“Welcome, creatures from beyond the outer world.”
Rajastani
“Hello to everyone. We are happy here and you be happy there.”
Spanish
“Hello and greetings to all.”
Welsh
“Good health to you now and forever.”

Music

Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F. First Movement, Munich Bach Orchestra, Karl Richter, conductor
New Guinea, men’s house song, recorded by Robert MacLennan
Mexico, “El Cascabel,” performed by Lorenzo Barcelata and the Mariachi México
“Johnny B. Goode,” written and performed by Chuck Berry
Georgian S.S.R., chorus, “Tchakrulo” collected by Radio Moscow
Peru, wedding song, recorded by John Cohen

Images

We can’t include the photographs and diagrams included on the Golden Record because of copyright but you can see some of them here. These show some of the same subjects that featured on it.

If you want to find out more about fantastic scientists like Carl Sagan, subscribe to Whizz Pop Bang, the awesomely amazing science magazine for kids! Learn about inspirational scientists of the past and present every issue – our readers are the in credible scientists of the future!


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