Later this month the amazing Professor Sophie Scott will deliver the 2017 CHRISTMAS LECTURES from the Royal Institution. Sophie’s a neuroscientist, stand-up comedian and an expert in laughter! She’ll be unpacking all the amazing ways in which humans and animals communicate, and to celebrate we’re taking a peek at the most famous talking animals…
You can watch The Royal Institution Christmas lectures on BBC Four at 8.00pm on 26th, 27th and 28th December.
Royal Institute Christmas lectures famous animal communicators
Watch The Royal Institution Christmas lectures on BBC Four at 8.00pm on 26th, 27th and 28th December – let us know what you learnt from Sophie!
In conjunction with our Planetary Adventures edition (issue 28) we ran a competition to win Star Finder for Beginners, signed by Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE! Maggie is a presenter on BBC Four show Sky at Night, and is passionate about inspiring kids, especially girls, into science.
To enter the competition Whizz Pop Bang readers answered the following question:
What are stars made of?
A) Hot gas
B) Shiny aliens
c) Sparling Moon dust
The correct answer is of course hot gas! Well done to everyone who entered ?
Here our the five winners, who will each receive a signed copy of Star Finder for Beginners. Happy star-gazing! Thank you to DK Books for supplying the prizes, and asking Maggie to sign them for our lucky mini scientists.
Isla Mackwell
Benjamin Porter
Thomas Perry
Clair Saunders
Danielle Vipond
We’ve also got some top tips from Maggie for star-gazing, including using a red torch if you need light as this has less effect on your eyes as they get used to the dark.
Big high-fives to all of you who entered the online competition to win SPACE RACERS kits, we loved reading your messages about how much you enjoy Whizz Pop Bang magazine! Great photos too!!
Congratulations to all of you who entered, choosing our favourite five was tricky! But without further ado here are the lucky winners who each receive a SPACE RACERS KIT ?
The competition winners are:
Isaac, age 5
Dear Whizz Pop Bang,
Isaac (5 years old) has written the following to share with you as to why he loves his magazine subscription and looks forward to receiving it every month..
I love this magazine, the last one that was sent had lots about space in it and I want to be an Astronaut when I’m bigger so I did lots of reading about the rockets and planets.
I made the solar system and showed my 3 year old sister the planets (she likes Saturn the best), I like all the planets but Earth is my favourite.
I have included a picture of the solar system I built with a little bit of help from Mummy.
Thank you,
Isaac & Mummy
Arthur, age 6
Hello Y
I really really love your magazine. Receiving it is the thing I look forward to the most. I love it so much I asked my mum to make some science clothing for me…. so this month I got to enjoy reading your magazine wearing my science trousers. If you look closely you will see planets, microscopes and anything a scientist will need. In fact I think it actually has all of your science equipment hidden on it!
Thank you for the magazine. Arthur
Elfie, age 7
To whizzpopbang
I love the magazine because it’s fun and I get to learn things and my favourite subject is science. I like doing the experiments and testing my friends on facts. Here is my moon sand footprint and Martian atmosphere experiment.
From Elfie
Rocky, age 6
Hi WhizzPopBang gang!!
This is astronaut Rocky’s photo for the Space Racers competition.
He thinks WhizzPopBang is “totally out of this world”!! … and here he is travelling to the moon (and back) to show you how much he loves your magazine! He is completely science and space-mad!
Tim Peake is one of his hero’s and when he’s older he wants to go to the ISS and do lots of funky scientific experiments! (Number one on his experiment list is to see how different fans behave in space [he loves fans and all things that spin!!])
His favourite rocket is the Saturn V but he wants to build a rocket of his own when he’s old enough – his own ‘Rocky rocket’!!. …I’ll make sure he invites you guys for a ride as a thank you for fuelling his thirst for all things sciencey each month with your fantastic magazine 😀
Thanks guys!
Robin, age 7
Hi!
We love Whizz Pop Bang because there is so much to make and do. I loved making the solar system model, I even made another one for my little sister!
There’s magic in the air here at Whizz Pop Bang! Prepare to wow your friends and family with all sorts of awesome tricks – each with a scientific explanation, of course!
You can make a reindeer with a mysterious moving head, make a dish completely disappear inside another dish, conjure up a Christmas star without using your hands, and magically join two paperclips without even touching them! These are just a few of the marvellous tricks and magical experiments inside the ABRACADABRA issue of Whizz Pop Bang magazine.
Why not host a magic show? You can impress your family and friends with the magic tricks, and then WOW them by explaining how each trick works!
We have news of a fun competition for emoji-lovers! This competition is run by the Royal Institution in conjunction with the Christmas lectures this year…
Design an emoji for Christmas Lecture Professor Sophie Scott!
Emojis are changing the way we communicate online. We’re all using them and we all have our favourites. But sometimes there’s a situation, feeling or object that doesn’t have an emoji and it really, really needs one! Now’s the chance for you and your children to give the world the emoji you’ve always dreamed of!
To mark the 2017 CHRISTMAS LECTURES from the Royal Institution, they’re asking people of all ages to design an emoji and share why it is missing in the world.
Design an emoji competition
It’s a fun and easy way for kids to do a science-related activity, and links to this year’s CHRISTMAS LECTURES where the amazing Prof Sophie Scott will reveal the wonderful ways we and animals communicate – emoji’s will be right in the mix!
So look out for the CHRISTMAS LECTURES on BBC Four between Christmas and New Year
The closing date is 5pm, Friday 15 December. You’ll start to see emojis featured on the Ri website and social media from 1 December onwards. So be sure to check back to see if yours has made it into the emoji hall of fame.
What could be better than curling up on the sofa with your favourite magazine? Young Arthur has the answer to that question, when it comes to reading his favourite magazine it’s all about wearing the right clothes too.
“I really really love your magazine. Receiving it is the thing I look forward to the most. I love it so much I asked my mum to make some science clothing for me…. so this month I got to enjoy reading your magazine wearing my science trousers. If you look closely you will see planets, microscopes and anything a scientist will need. In fact I think it actually has all of your science equipment hidden on it! Thank you for the magazine.” Arthur (age 6)
Arthur’s Mum followed up with this lovely message, and news of more science-lovers in the family…
“Arthur absolutely loves science and pours over your magazines all the time. In fact he took the issue ‘Going underground’ down to a caving friend (who has done a lot of work on Wookiee hole) the other day and showed him. Both Arthur and my caving friend were occupied reading your magazine for the next few hours. Thank you so so much for it.
I have also had to make Arthur’s sister some science clothes because she is becoming as excited as Arthur about the magazines and she is only 2! He will sit down and read them to both his sister and brother as soon as they arrive! Best magazine ever!
Thank you”
Anthea
How adorable is this photo of Arthur’s little sister in her science dress!
Arthur’s little sister experimenting, wearing her science-themed dress 🙂
Thank you to Arthur, his Mum and sister for sending in this glowing review for Whizz Pop Bang 🙂
To celebrate World Science Day on 10th December we ran a competition for our online fans to win 12 awesome Whizz Pop Bang magazines, all stored neatly in a binder. We asked people to send in their science jokes, only those suitable for kids, and we’re very pleased to say we had loads which is very good news for our editors who love a good science joke ?
We decided the winning joke needed to be right for our readers, so 6 to 11-year-olds, and the sort of joke that really makes you chuckle. But how could we choose from over 50 jokes?! Well, luckily we have a group of kids at hand who took great pleasure in reading every single one, and whittling it down to their top five favourite, then three, then two and finally after much debate… one.
Want to see the long list? We thought you would…
‘Technically the glass is always full: 1/2 water and 1/2 air’
From Alexandra Vakula Douglas
‘How do you tell the gender of a termite? Put it in water. If it sinks, it’s a girl ant. If it floats, it’s a buoyant’ From Lisa Taylor
How does the moon cut his hair? Eclipse it! From Megan Sian
‘How do you organize a space party? You planet’ From Ebony Ava Johnson
‘What do clouds wear underneath their trousers? Thunderwear’ From Clare Lee
Why didn’t the Sun go to university? Because he already had a million degrees! From Meldra Liepa
Why should you never trust an atom? Because they make everything up! From Sophie, age 9 / Helen Foster-Henson
I’m reading a book on anti-gravity – it’s really hard to put down From Lucy Goodridge / Catharine Francesca
What do spacemen do on long trips? They play astronauts and crosses From Suzanne Cawley
As you can see the process involved print outs, cut outs, different coloured pens, ticks and an awful lot of deliberation!
But we have a winner, one joke that made us all laugh – the kids and the grown ups… the winning science joke is…
Why didn’t the Sun go to university? Because he already had a million degrees! From Meldra Liepa
Congratulations to Meldra and her family who have won 12 issues of Whizz Pop Bang science magazine in a binder! Happy experimenting!
Which joke is your favorite? Tell us in the comment box??
Wish you’d won? Just make sure you put a subscription to Whizz Pop Bang on your Christmas list ?
As the nights draw in and it gets dark earlier it’s the perfect time to pull on your hats and gloves and get outside to start stargazing! Before you venture out we’ve got some top tips from space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE. And if you’re keen to learn more about the night sky, enter our online competition to win a copy of STAR FINDER FOR BEGINNERS signed by Maggie ? ? ?
KIDS! Do you love star-gazing and finding out all about the wonders of the night sky above us? Have you ever tried spotting a constellation? With this brand new book you’ll learn how to identify ‘pathfinder’ stars and discover more than 20 constellations. Also includes a glow-in-the-dark night-sky viewer!
The good news is we have five copies signed by BBC TV star Maggie Aderin-Pocock, so get your entries in to win! Simply answer this question by leaving your answer in the comment box below:
What are stars made of? A) Hot gas B) Shiny Aliens C) Sparkling moon dust
Whilst Maggie was busy signing the books for our lucky winners we asked her for some top tips for star-gazing, this is what she said…
With stargazing it’s all about location, location, location. Find somewhere away from the streetlights, I try to go to the back garden or go with an adult to an open field.
It’s good to have a clear night, cloud stops us from seeing the stars and if the moon is too bright it can also be hard to see the stars.
If you do get a clear night it can be cold so wrap up warm, but remember to let your eyes adjust to the dark. If you need light carry a red torch as this has less effect on your eyes as they adapt to the dark.
Best of all enjoy yourself. There is so much to see with just our eyes, the Moon, stars planets and comets. Have fun!
Whether you’re age eight or 108 there’s something really exhilarating about making paper rockets and imagining you can really zoom off into space! Which is why we’re over-the-moon happy to announce we have FIVE Space Racer kits to give away for our November online competition, to link in with the November issue of Whizz Pop Bang science magazine Planetary Adventures.
To enter this competition we’d like to know what you love most about Whizz Pop Bang magazine. Send in a photo or video of you with your favourite issue, telling us which pages you read first, or which experiment is the best or who you do your experiments with in your family and why it’s so much fun. Email your entry to win@whizzpopbang.com with SPACE RACERS in the subject box by 12pm GMT on 30th November 2017.
Space Racers contains everything you need to press out and make your own paper rocket models. From the rocket that made the first manned space flight, Vostok K, to the future of space travel, the Skylon space plane. Use the easy to use, step-by-step instructions to build eight historically accurate rockets and two imaginary rockets, which are left blank for your own designs. A separate booklet introduces you to the exhilarating world of rocket science and space exploration, and includes fun and detailed fact files for each rocket. Published By Laurence King, priced £22.50.
Space Racers Make Your Own Paper Rockets is written by the hugely talented Whizz Pop Bang science writer, Isabel Thomas.
