Year 4 Science Week 2022

Posted on | by Kirsty Williams | Leave a Comment on Year 4 Science Week 2022

This year’s theme is growth, which you can take in lots of different directions. We have two FREE activities based on plants which are suitable for all year groups.

FREE-activities-for-Science-WeekDownload

All animals need to eat to grow. In this pack, pupils will discover that a coral reef is in fact both living and dead. They will make their own edible polyp and learn the importance of the coral polyp in the reef ecosystem. 

To help to keep science going all week, we have several reading comprehensions linked to the theme of growth, including interviews, explanation texts and historical scientists.

  • Interview with a coral biologist
  • Explanation text on scuba diving
  • Ocean explorer Sylvia Earle

Don’t forget to take photographs so you can make a display or share them on your school’s social media platforms. We would love to see what you have been doing too, so please tag us @whizzpopbangmag

Whizz Pop Bang magazine and teaching resources are brilliant ways to enhance your 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, Design and Technology and PSHE.

We have an individual membership option so teachers and home educators can access all of our amazing resources for just £20 for the whole year. 

Sign up for an individual membership now!

If your school is not a subscriber, we have an amazing offer of a 20% discount until 31st March 2022. Just apply the code SCIWEEK22 at the checkout to receive the discount. (Only available on whole-school subscriptions to the magazines and resources.)

Prices from as little as £190 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.

Subscribe for your school now!

“We used the bottle blower investigation to discover how pitch changes. The children loved it and the resources were clear and colourful. The class were fascinated with the reading comprehension on a foley artist as they didn’t know what they did. Great to have the resource differentiated.” Year 4 primary school teacher


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Year 2 Science Week 2022

Posted on | by Kirsty Williams | Leave a Comment on Year 2 Science Week 2022

This year’s theme is growth. You might immediately think ‘let’s get planting’, but we have some different ideas for you. We have two FREE activities based on plants which are suitable for all year groups.

FREE-activities-for-Science-WeekDownload

Children are growing all the time and need to fuel their bodies with the right food to help. Pupils will analyse a recent meal, examine food labels and have fun making tasty, healthy ‘super seed energy balls’. Download this memorable lesson from our website.

To keep science going all week, we have several reading comprehensions linked to the theme. Our year 2 reading comprehension texts are differentiated to make them accessible to more children in your class. 

  • An explanation text on candy floss machines
  • An interview with a sweet scientist
  • A Non-chronological report on ducks

Don’t forget to take photographs so you can make a display or share them on your school’s social media platforms. We would love to see what you have been doing too, so please tag us @whizzpopbangmag

Whizz Pop Bang magazine and teaching resources are brilliant ways to enhance your 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, Design and Technology and PSHE.

We have an individual membership option so teachers and home educators can access all of our amazing resources for just £20 for the whole year. 

Sign up for an individual membership now!

If your school does not subscribe already, we have an amazing offer of a 20% discount until 31st March 2022. Just apply the code SCIWEEK22 at the checkout to receive the discount. (Only available on whole-school subscriptions to the magazines and resources.)

Prices from as little as £190 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.

Subscribe for your school now

“Engaging and interesting resources! It’s useful to have clear curriculum links and cross curricular ideas to help prioritise time for Science.” Year 2 primary school teacher


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Year 3 Science Week 2022

Posted on | by Kirsty Williams | Leave a Comment on Year 3 Science Week 2022

This year’s theme is growth. You might immediately think ‘let’s get planting’, but we have some different ideas for you. We have two FREE activities based on plants which are suitable for all year groups.

FREE-activities-for-Science-WeekDownload

As we grow, we develop muscles. Investigate how muscles work with this investigation.

To keep science going all week, we have several reading comprehensions linked to the theme of growth and the human body, including interviews, explanation texts and historical scientists.

  • Interview with a orthopaedic vet
  • A biography on Marie Curie
  • An explanation text on X-Ray machines

Don’t forget to take photographs so you can make a display or share them on your school’s social media platforms. We would love to see what you have been doing too, so please tag us @whizzpopbangmag

Whizz Pop Bang magazine and teaching resources are brilliant ways to enhance your 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, Design and Technology and PSHE.

We have an individual membership option so teachers and home educators can access all of our amazing resources for just £20 for the whole year. 

Sign up for individual membership now!

If your school is not subscribed, we have an amazing offer of a 20% discount until 31st March 2022. Just apply the code SCIWEEK22 at the checkout to receive the discount. (Only available on whole-school subscriptions to the magazines and resources.)

Prices from as little as £190 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.

Subscribe for your school now

“The reading resources and lesson packs are fantastic; they are easy to resource. Fab work!” Year 3 primary school teacher


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Science Week March 2022 – Growth

Posted on | by Kirsty Williams | Leave a Comment on Science Week March 2022 – Growth

As science coordinator, you will have been trying to work out what to do for science week this year. Whizz Pop Bang has lots of resources available for your teachers to use, which have all the planning already done and link with this year’s theme of ‘growth’.

You may want to come up with a whole-school investigation, but I am sure your colleagues are also looking for ideas for their year groups. We have two FREE activities based on plants which are suitable for all year groups.

Free science lesson activities for primary science, blooming water lily and chromatography flowers.
FREE-activities-for-Science-WeekDownload

Plus, we have teaching resources available for the year groups 2 to 6, including a memorable lesson planned and ready to use and a bank of reading comprehensions.


Year 2 Science – We are growing all the time and need to fuel our bodies with the right food to help. Pupils will analyse a recent meal, examine food labels and have fun making tasty, healthy ‘super seed energy balls’.

Year 2 science lesson about food.

Reading comprehensions

Our year 2 reading comprehension texts are differentiated to make them accessible to more children in your class. 

Reading comprehension about how candy floss machines work for year 2 science lesson.
How candy floss machines work
Interview with a scientists reading comprehension for year 2 science lesson.
An interview with a sweet scientist
A non-chronological report on ducks reading comprehension for year 2 science lesson.
A non-chronological report on ducks

Year 3 Science – As we grow, we develop muscles. Investigate how our muscles work with this investigation.

Science lesson for year 3 about muscles.

Reading comprehensions

Reading comprehension about how your skeleton works for year 3 science lesson.
How your skeleton works
Reading comprehension about X-ray machines for year 3 science lesson.
An explanation text on X-ray machines
Reading comprehension about Marie Curie year 3 science lesson.
Sensational scientist Marie Curie

Year 4 Science – All animals need to eat to grow. In this pack, pupils will discover that a coral reef is in fact both living and dead. They will make their own edible polyp and learn the importance of the coral polyp in the reef ecosystem. 

year 4 science lesson pack on coral reef ecosystems

Reading comprehensions

Interview with a coral biologist reading comprehension for year 4 science lessons
Interview with a coral biologist
Explanation text on scuba diving reading comprehension for year 4 science lessons.
An explanation text on scuba diving
Reading comprehension about Sylvia Earle for year 4 science lessons.
Sensational scientist Sylvia Earle

Year 5 Science – Investigate different life cycles – there are lots of weird and wonderful examples out there! Our lesson pack on life cycles involves pupils making their own 3D model of a life cycle.

Year 5 lesson pack on life cycles.

Reading comprehensions

Maria Sibylla reading comprehension for year 5 science.
Sensational scientist Maria Sibylla
Nile crocodiles non-chronological report for year 5 science lesson.
A non-chronological report on
nile crocodiles
Non-chronological report on narwhals for year 5 science lesson.
A non-chronological report on narwhals

Year 6 Science – Everything which is alive and growing has its own DNA. Get your year 6 science pupils to investigate and make their own double helix model with our lesson pack.

year 6 science lesson pack on DNA

Reading comprehensions

genetics reading comprehension for year 6 science lesson
An explanation text about genetics
Gregor Mendel reading comprehension for year 6 science lesson
Sensational scientiist Gregor Mendel
reading comprehension with biomedical egyptologist for year 6 science lesson
Interview with a biomedical egyptologist

Don’t forget to ask teachers to take photographs so you can make a display or share them on your school’s social media platforms. We would love to see what you have been doing too, so please tag us @whizzpopbangmag

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, Design and Technology and PSHE.

Prices from as little as £190 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.

Subscribe for your school

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

Individual membership

“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 


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National Hedgehog Day – 2nd February

Posted on | by Kirsty Williams | Leave a Comment on National Hedgehog Day – 2nd February

Calling all hedgehog fans, every year on the 2nd February we celebrate National Hedgehog Day! Celebrate these spikey critters by checking how hog-friendly your garden is. Hedgehog populations are sadly declining, therefore it’s critical that we do everything we can to protect them.

Here are some pointers on how to make your garden a hog’s paradise:

🦔 Shrubs or woody plants provide much-needed cover.

🦔 Native fruit trees, as well as hazel and hawthorn, will attract insects an important food source.

🦔 Wildflowers will also attract insects providing additional seasonal food.

🦔 Ditch the pesticides, unfortunately, toxic pesticides can kill hedgehogs, therefore organic gardening is the best option.

🦔 If you’re looking for a project, why not make a hedgehog house or a hedgehog highway (just a hole in your fence will do!).

It’s important that we protect the hedgehogs of Britain because not only are they adorable, but they help maintain the balance in the ecosystem. Conservationists refer to Hedgehogs as indicator species. This is because the numbers and behaviour of hedgehogs can tell us a lot about the health of their surrounding areas. Hedgehogs eat soil invertebrates, so a fall in hedgehog numbers can signify a decline in the quality of the surrounding environment. Their main source of food is insects which helps to keep insect population levels manageable, if hedgehog populations drop, insect numbers may rise posing unknown threats to the delicate balance of the ecosystem.

If your young ecologist is a subscriber to Whizz Pop Bang and would like to do more to help wildlife in your local area why not encourage them to complete our Wildlife Watcher badge.


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Teaching the water cycle in year 4

Posted on | by Kirsty Williams | Leave a Comment on Teaching the water cycle in year 4

Are you looking for planning resources for teaching the water cycle in year 4? Here’s how you can use our new downloadable teaching resources to easily create memorable lessons that produce the sticky knowledge Ofsted will be looking for…

Where to start?

Evaporation is part of the water cycle and it’s important pupils understand what it is before they learn about the water cycle. We have a lesson pack called ‘Evaporation investigation’ which allows pupils to observe what happens to water over a period. All our lesson packs come with a differentiated lesson plan linked to the curriculum and a PowerPoint to help run the lesson.  

Our lesson plans often include boxes titled ‘previous learning’ and ‘future learning’; this is to help you understand where the lesson would fit in your medium-term plan. Sometimes we suggest another lesson pack and that is what we have done here. Once pupils understand evaporation, you are ready to teach the water cycle. In this lesson, pupils will make their mini water cycle using items which are easy to resource and inexpensive.

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Why make a mini water cycle, rather than asking children to create a labelled diagram?
All pupils learn differently, and to create sticky knowledge children need memorable experiences. The visual and kinaesthetic learners are more likely to remember making a mini water cycle than filling in a worksheet.

How to evidence the lesson

If your planning isn’t enough evidence, pupils could use the Keynote app on an iPad and record themselves describing their water cycle and each stage. If you need evidence for their books, you could print a photo of their mini water cycle and during morning work the next day, pupils could label and annotate it. This would mean that they go back over their learning from the day before, helping the knowledge to stick. Using knowledge organisers can be an additional tool that helps remind children of previous learning or to use as a scaffold – not for answers!

How to make the water cycle cross curricular

There are also lots of ways to embed the pupils’ science learning in your school day. Using science texts in guided reading or whole class reading sessions is an easy way for children to delve further into the subject matter and acquire more knowledge. We have two reading comprehension packs for year 4 linking to weather:

  • Interview with a meteorologist
  • Sensational meteorologist Joanne Simpson

We also have a bank of spectacular science images that are perfect for promoting discussion. They feature a striking scientific image, along with a couple of questions. As you click through the PowerPoint presentation, the answers to the questions will be revealed. Pupils should try to answer the questions as you go. The presentation to use for the water cycle is called ‘Hurricane Florence’. It only takes ten minutes so it can slot into those awkward times in the school day; for example, straight after lunch while you are waiting for everyone to come in.

Satellite view. Hurricane Florence over the Atlantics close to the US coast .

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 £190 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.

Sign up for whole school membership

We’ve also just 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.

Sign up for an individual teacher membership

“Engaging colourful resources designed to capture the children’s attention and encourage enquiry and questioning” Year 4  teacher 


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Teaching Forces in year 5

Posted on | by Kirsty Williams | Leave a Comment on Teaching Forces in year 5

Are you looking for planning resources to teach forces in Year 5? Here’s how you can use our new downloadable marble run resource to create a memorable lesson that produces the sticky knowledge Ofsted will be looking for…

Where to start?

It’s hard to teach about forces as children can’t easily see what is happening. Before they start investigating and experimenting, it’s important they are armed with the knowledge and vocabulary they need through watching video clips or reading suitable materials, as stated by Ofsted. Once they have this scientific understanding, it’s so important that pupils still have practical hands-on lessons so they can spot what is happening. Our knowledge organiser is a great aid to help them use the correct terminology in practical lessons.

How should they investigate forces?

Our marble run lesson pack gets children to experiment with slowing down marbles in a marble run by changing the angles and adding friction. Pupils will learn a lot by investigating and applying the knowledge they have already acquired about gravity, friction and air resistance. Pupils will be learning the most when they are altering their marble runs and experimenting with trial and error. During this time, stop groups and ask them questions, encouraging them to use scientific vocabulary in their answers. Verbalising what they are seeing and doing will help to produce sticky knowledge.

How should the lesson be recorded?

Should pupils record every step of a practical lesson? In my experience, no, as this kills the enjoyment and does not reflect what they have learned. However, there are benefits to revising learning to help the knowledge stick. Revisiting the lesson the next day is beneficial. If you need evidence in their books for a looming book scrutiny, then take a photo and ask them to annotate it with expanded captions, explaining what happens to the marble at each point of the run. Or if you don’t need written evidence, get them to video their run and then narrate what is happening over the top.

Download the lesson pack now

Guided reading

To help consolidate pupils’ learning, why not introduce some forces-themed reading into your English sessions? Download our fascinating reading comprehension on Sir Isaac Newton; his laws of motion and his theory of gravity changed how we see the universe.

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 £190 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.

Subscribe for your school

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. 

Individual subscription

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COMPETITION CLOSED: How Does Chocolate Taste on Everest?

Posted on | by Kirsty Williams | 49 Comments on COMPETITION CLOSED: How Does Chocolate Taste on Everest?

Are you ready to explore Earth’s most extreme places through sight, sound, smell, touch and taste?

Don’t get too comfortable. This isn’t the type of book you can snuggle up with under the covers. Not even close!

You’re off on the expedition of a lifetime to experience the sights, sounds, smells, feelings and tastes of the world’s most extreme places.

Have you ever wondered what the buzz of the rainforest sounds like on a trek through the Amazon? Or how it would feel to experience the biting cold as you voyage across Antarctica? Or how about how chocolate would taste on Mount Everest?

From every heart-bursting sight to tummy-lurching bite, this is a truly immersive round-the-world adventure, where YOU are the explorer.

We’ve got 5 copies of How Does Chocolate Taste on Everest? to give away!

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

How tall is the tallest mountain?


A 8,850 metres
B 11,690 metres
C 5,060 metres

This competition closes at midnight on 28th February 2022. For full terms and conditions visit whizzpopbang.com/terms-and-conditions


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Watch a cargo grabbing robotic arm in space

Posted on | by Kirsty Williams | Leave a Comment on Watch a cargo grabbing robotic arm in space

Watch NASA astronaut Chris Hadfield control the International Space Station’s robotic arm that grabs cargo.

Find out more about what it’s like to live in space in Whizz Pop Bang: OUT OF THIS WORLD.

Buy this issue!

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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Watch Scott Kelly learn how to balance again

Posted on | by Kirsty Williams | Leave a Comment on Watch Scott Kelly learn how to balance again

While in space, astronauts lose the ability to balance. When they return to Earth, this makes turning corners, climbing stairs and even walking in a straight line very difficult until their balance comes back! Watch NASA astronaut Scott Kelly learn how to balance again.

Find out more about what it’s like to live in space in Whizz Pop Bang: OUT OF THIS WORLD.

Buy this issue!

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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