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!
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!
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.
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.
Team Whizz Pop Bang spent a wild weekend meeting hundreds of scientists-in-training at Just So Festival 2023. Thank you so much to Just So Festival for having us back again – we absolutely love being a part of this incredible event.
This year, we brought Jonathan Scott from the European Space Agency (ESA) along to share his amazing knowledge of staying fit and healthy in space. Jon works in the Space Medicine Team at ESA and he used his expert skills to run an Astronaut Training Camp.
Jon brought a replica space suit along for Whizz Pop Bang fans to try on!
We were overwhelmed with the turn out for Jon’s talk and it was fantastic to see so many budding astronauts! A HUGE thank you to Jon, and to all of you who came and joined in the fun. We hope you picked up a thing or two about how astronauts stay fit and healthy on board the International Space Station.
We also ran The Whizz Pop Bang Discovery Den, where young scientists could explore their five senses in some super-fun hands-on experiments.
Children were invited to visit us in ‘The Future’ area in the woodland at Just So Festival and try five different activities linked to the senses.
They learned some amazing facts, including:
We hope to see lots of you at Just So Festival in future!
It’s not long until the fantastic Just So Festival kicks off – it’s running at Rode Hall, Cheshire on 18th – 20th August 2023. It’s an incredible outdoor adventure for families from bumps to great grandparents, and Whizz Pop Bang are so excited to be a part of the fun that’s in store!
The Whizz Pop Bang team are huge fans of this magical festival, and once again, we’re bringing a sprinkle of science to the programme!
Ever dreamed of becoming an astronaut when you grow up? Roll up for an action-packed talk by Jonathan Scott from the European Space Agency to discover the skills and techniques needed to stay healthy on board the International Space Station. Test out some astronaut training exercises, feel how gravity affects us here on Earth and check out a replica spacesuit!
Perfect for children aged 6 to 12.
Come along to an exploration of your senses at this hands-on discovery session run by the makers of the most awesomely science magazine for kids, Whizz Pop Bang! You won’t believe your eyes, ears, noses, fingers or tongues in this interactive session full of weird and wonderful sensations!
Perfect for children aged 6 to 12.
Find out more about the festival at justsofestival.org.uk, where the line up has been announced! Discover a celestial celebration of the planets in The Observatory, step out of 2023 and into the future at The Future stage, hear stories galore in the Spellbound Forest, and so much enchanted adventure throughout the site. There’s something for every member of the family!
Whizz Pop Bang is an awesomely amazing monthly science magazine that brings science to life for children aged six to twelve (and their parents too)! There’s lab-loads of hands-on experiments, mind-boggling facts, puzzles, news and fun packed into each month’s magazine. Whizz Pop Bang sparks imaginations and inspires the scientists of the future from the moment it comes bursting through their letterbox. Subscribe today at whizzpopbang.com!
If you’re not lucky enough to be going to Just So Festival this year, but want to have heaps of fun with science, browse back issues in our shop now!
Have you ever wondered how to play mancala? It’s an ancient game with lots of variations, but this brilliant video explains how to play one version of it.
If you’d like to try playing mancala, why not start by making your own upcycled set from planet-friendly materials?
Find out how to turn an egg box into an awesome African mancala game in Whizz Pop Bag: Safari!
Get ready to journey through the African savannah inside this wild edition of Whizz Pop Bang! Look out for thundering wildebeest, circling vultures and mischievous meerkats whilst you find out about the incredible adaptations that allow animals to survive in scorching African habitats.
You’ll be able to print leopard-print paper and craft a safari diorama, complete with its own watering hole and real live grass! Discover ten awesomely amazing safari animals, find out how walkie talkies work and get up close with one of the largest and most ferocious predators around – the glorious lion! Meet an elephant keeper at a very special Kenyan animal sanctuary, find out about Thomas Odhiambo who used science to find Earth-friendly ways to control pests on crops and see if you can spot the camouflaged creatures hiding in our photo gallery!
PVA glue is often used in crafts but it’s made from petrochemicals, the production of which is bad for the environment. Here’s a recipe for glue made from natural materials that works just as well!
You will need:
45 g plain flour
15 g sugar
5 ml (1 teaspoon) vinegar
100 ml warm water
Bowls
Spoon
Jug
Jar or tub with lid
What you do: