Star Wars fans will remember the 3D hologram of Princess Leia projected by R2-D2. Now, British scientists have developed a way of making holograms that can be seen, heard and felt! Here’s a video of this new technology in action:
Have you been reading about holograms in Whizz Pop Bang: POLAR SCIENCE? Pretty amazing, aren’t they? Read more about this story in the Polar Science issue – on sale now!
As you move around, it looks like Rudolph’s head turns to follow you! This is called a hollow face illusion. This illusion happens because, when you look at a face, your brain expects it to be convex (budging outwards) and so its fooled into thinking Rudolph’s nose is pointing towards you, when in fact his head is concave (curving outwards).
Want to give the gift of curiosity this Christmas? Give a subscription with a printable gift certificate – it’s not too late! Just click here…
Are mountains of festive plastic tat making your Christmas feel a little less than magical? Being an eco-warrior, a super-parent AND Father Christmas can be exhausting stuff, so we’ve sought out some present ideas that bring more cheer and less guilt.
Looking for plastic-free gifts, ethical present ideas, green gifts and other ways to have a green Christmas and make a difference at his time of year? Keep scrolling…
Make junk into toys with this super-creative, eco-friendly toy! Each kit contains a variety of accessories (including wheels, paddle wheels, floats, rubber band drives and more) along with plenty of clip-on and magnetic fixings that can be combined to turn household junk into almost anything you can imagine.
Invented by a dad who wanted to avoid throwaway plastic toys, Junko is fully reusable and made from recycled plastic in England. Its system of clips, magnetic fixings and accessories take junk modelling up a notch, encouraging imaginative play, problem solving and serious FUN!
Want to give the gift of science wonder every month of the year? A subscription to Whizz Pop Bang magazine sends science learning and fun rocketing through your letterbox, every single month, with no plastic tat in sight! ⠀
And as if that’s not enough…⠀
🌳 Printed with vegetable inks on paper from FSC/PEFC suppliers
🌳 Delivered in paper envelopes⠀
🌳 Advert-free⠀
🌳 Activities and experiments often reuse household items (like the content of your recycling box and shed!)⠀
Wyatt and Jack create accessories from donated and abandoned inflatables on the Isle of Wight, and they’ve just launched a junior range!
They’re made of paper (find out more about FSC standards for paper production here) and they can inspire a love of learning, and sometimes some knowledge of the natural world, too. We’ve put together a list of our top science reads for kids here, if you fancy popping some science under the tree this year.
First up is an amazing shop dedicated to plastic-free gifts: EcoVibe. From craft kits to lunch bags, building blocks to origami kits, this website promises an easy conscience for all of Santa’s elves. It’s worth having a peek at their adult self-care range too – you might need some TLC after all that shopping!
Throw it and grow it with these easy-gardening seedboms (packed with native wildflower and herb seeds in peat-free compost). There’s even an accompanying books, There’s a Tiger in the Garden, if you’re buying for a younger child (age 4-7). We also love the Make a Pizza for the Birds kit – tasty treats for little tweeters!
Prefer dinosaurs to reindeer? If you’re looking for something that most definitely won’t get lost under the bed, the Natural History Museum’s dino-snores sleepovers offers a thrilling experience to wander the corridors of the pre-historic after dark. Explore a torch-lit trail, make a dinosaur t-shirt and watch a science show. That’s a present they certainly won’t forget!
Have your kids asked for a puppy for Christmas? How about a polar bear instead? The WWF offers a huge range of animals to ‘adopt’ for Christmas, without the extra hassle of walkies, litter trays and vet bills! From £3 a month, (or from a £36 one-off payment), your little animals will receive a fact pack and regular updates on how their animal is faring in the wild. Upgrade to £5 per month and they’ll get a soft toy of your chosen animal, too! Best of all, your well-earned money will be spent directly on helping the species.
Words: Nell O’Neill
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…
“This is a story of light and dark…
Moth: An Evolution Story by Isabel Thomas
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?”
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!
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!”
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?
The Whizz Pop Bang Science Joke Book by Tara Pardo
A lab!
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.
“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!”
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 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.
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.
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+”
“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.
“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.”
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.
NOMINATE A STAR TEACHER for their chance to win a six-month of Whizz Pop Bang for their classroom PLUS free access to our incredible school resources!
Did you know that in addition to our awesome monthly magazine, we also produce hands-on lesson packs for schools? Each pack includes quality science lesson plans, easy experiments and activities to do in class, as well as lots of ideas for science and eco clubs!
To enter this competition, tell us in the comments why a teacher you know deserves an extra-special thank you.
Are you a teacher? Join the Whizz Pop Bang teachers’ Facebook group to find out more about our resources, for news, competitions and more!
This competition/promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by or associated with Facebook. This competition closes at midnight on Thursday 2nd January 2020. The prize is: six issues of Whizz Pop Bang magazine delivered to an address of the winner’s choice and free access to our school resources for six months. Full for terms and conditions, see: https://buff.ly/30nZVt4
It’s the last day of our week of competitions and we’ve got a binder, sorry a blinder, of a prize for you today!
Today, we’re giving away a Whizz Pop Bang binder – the perfect place for WPB fans to store their magazine collections! Each binder holds a whole year’s-worth of magazines, making it the ideal extra gift for a mini scientist who is dreaming of finding a Whizz Pop Bang subscription under the tree.
Just answer this question in the comments to be in with a chance of winning. Don’t wait around, because this competition is only running for 24 hours!
How many sets of eyelids do camels have?
This competition closes at 7am on 14th December 2019. For full terms and conditions see: https://buff.ly/384J6Zl
Every day this week, another prize will be revealed… Don’t forget to come back tomorrow to discover what’s up next!
Today, we’re giving away a rib-tickling Whizz Pop Bang joke book – the perfect stocking filler for super-silly science fans. This competition is running for 24 hours only, so don’t hang around!
The Whizz Pop Bang Science Joke Book is packed with over 200 jokes about space, dinosaurs, earth sciences and more. Here’s a taster:
How do astronauts serve dinner?
On flying saucers!
Find the Whizz Pop Bang Science Joke Book in our shop here!
If that got you giggling, answer this question in the comments to be in with a chance of winning!
Viscum album is the Latin name for which festive plant?
This competition closes at 7am on 12th December 2019. For full terms and conditions see: https://buff.ly/384J6Zl
It’s DAY THREE of WHIZZ POP BANG’s SEVEN DAYS OF PRIZES!
Every day this week, you’ll discover another competition to give Whizz Pop Bang fans a chance to win science-y prizes. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow!
Today, we’re giving away a Whizz Pop Bang lab coat in the size of your choice – but hurry, because this competition is only running for 24 hours!
Scientists-in-training will go beaker bonkers over our lab coats which will keep clothes in tip-top condition, even when experiments don’t go quite as planned!
Each lab coat comes complete with three deep pockets, perfect for storing endless bits and bobs. It’s the perfect gift for curious children who wonder why (and quite like making a mess at the same time!)
Available in four sizes to fit ages 5 to 13.
Just answer this question in the comments to be in with a chance of winning:
What is Whizz Pop Bang’s robot called?
This competition closes at 7am on Tuesday 10th December 2019. For full terms and conditions visit whizzpopbang.com/terms
We’ve got an awesome Y’s Wonder Club pack to give away to one lucky Whizz Pop Bang fan – but you need to be quick because this competition is only open for 24 hours!
Y’s Wonder Club is our brand new club that encourages Whizz Pop Bang readers to get stuck into experimenting and to share their adventures in science. This bumper scrapbook club pack is the perfect gift for any scientist-in-training and includes:
• Large science scrapbook (315 x 240mm, 48 pages), ideal for recording hopeful hypotheses, nature notes, future inventions, experiment results and more – it’s bound to spark curiosity and creativity!
• Enamel Y’s Wonder Club pin badge – wear this quality badge and glow with pride
• A4 Sheet of fun science stickers – perfect for adorning the scrapbook
• Club membership certificate – A5 certificate to show you’re part of the club
Want to win one? Just answer the question in the comments to be in with a chance!
What are the moons of Mars called?
This competition closes at 7am on 8th December 2019. For full terms and conditions visit whizzpopbang.com/terms
History Heroes card games have added some science to their range with these two epic packs all about INVENTORS and SCIENTISTS!
Each pack contains 40 beautifully illustrated cards, featuring some of the greatest scientists and inventors in history. Win the game by guessing the characters from the facts on the cards. Click here to find them in their shop!
These brilliant games will entertain and educate everyone from 8 upwards and we’ve got five sets of two packs to give away!
Just answer this question in the comments to be in with a chance of winning:
Which science hero showed that species evolved through a process of natural selection?
1. Charles Darwin
2. Galileo Galilei
3. Rosalind Franklin
This competition closes at midnight on Sunday 15th December 2019. For full terms and conditions visit whizzpopbang.com/terms