Whizz Pop Bang chromatography flowers

FLOWER POWER chromatography competition entries and winners!

In our FLOWER POWER issue Whizz Pop Bang readers learnt how to use the power of science to make these gorgeously frilly flowers. Paper chromatography is a neat little science trick that you can use to easily separate the different coloured inks out of felt tip pens.

Readers sent in their photos to enter the flower power competition to win a nature keeper tree diary set. As you’ll appreciate it was a tough job choosing just three winners – you should all be winners for producing these colourful creations! However, there could only be three winners and here they are:

Lula Brown, Aged 9
Isabel Soden, Aged 8
Jasper Warner, Aged 5
Congratulations, you have all won a Learning Resources Nature Keeper and Tree Diary Set perfect for summer science in the garden! Have a browse through all the entries for the competition, so many beautiful flowers and budding young scientists… ? ? ?

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Seven-year-old Whizz Pop Bang reader writes to her local MP about air pollution

Each month Whizz Pop Bang magazine goes in depth to take a closer look at science in the news. In issue 22, SMALL WONDER Zooming in on tiny science the in-depth feature is all about air pollution and the tiny particles that can cause severe health issues.

We feature a guide to help kids take action to reduce air pollution in their area, and number one on that list is write to your MP to let them know about your concerns:

Whizz Pop Bang 6 things you can do to help reduce air pollution
Whizz Pop Bang feature: Six things you can do to help reduce air pollution in your area

 

Whizz Pop Bang reader Evie did just that, writing an excellent letter to her local MP Jon Crudas, outlining not just pollution issues but also highlighting issues with her local park, and the need for free school meals…

Whizz Pop Bang subscriber letter to MP
Letter to Jon Crudas, written by seven year old Evie after reading a feature in Whizz Pop Bang science magazine
Whizz Pop Bang child posting letter to MP
Evie posting her letter, full of hope and anticipation!

After a few patient weeks of waiting Evie receives a reply! Such a wonderful look of pride and achievement on Evie’s face, evidence that writing to your local MP really does work! Mr Crudas explains he has sent a copy of her letter to Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, and he’s also looking into what has happened to the playground equipment. Well done Evie, we’re super impressed with your passion and determination to make a difference.

Whizz Pop Bang reader with the handwritten reply from her local MP
A very proud little girl with her hand written reply from her local MP who was so impressed with her letter he has sent a copy to Sadiq Khan.

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Kids Against Plastic Activity Pack

We’re supporting this awesome campaign called Kids Against Plastic to help tackle the huge problem of plastic waste. Download this FREE activity pack and learn how to be kids against plastic!

As part of the Great Science Share, we put together this interactive activity pack for teachers to use in class to show kids what we can all do to reduce the amount of plastic we use. Whether you’re a teacher, a Brownie or Scout leader, grandparent or parent, the Kids Against Plastic campaign is for everyone to learn how to help in the fight against our reliance on plastic.

Click on the image below, download the pack and watch Ella and Amy tell you more… and don’t forget to join in with their mission to collect 100,000 pieces of plastic!

Whizz Pop Bang Great Science Share for schools activites

The Great Science Share is a national campaign to engage young people in sharing science with new audiences.

PIONEERED IN MANCHESTER – MAKING A DIFFERENCE UK-WIDE

You can get involved as a School, STEM Educator, STEM Organisation and Business.

Features include:

The Great Science Teachmeet

The Business of Science Conference

The Great Science Share for Schools Campaign


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Whizz Pop Bang logo round

Now in stock > > > the Whizz Pop Bang binder!

Keep all your Whizz Pop Bang science magazines neat and tidy with our brand new binders. Easy to use, holds 12 magazines, and provides a complete folder of resources for science and topic homework. Designed by Clive Goodyer, the awesome Whizz Pop Bang illustrator!

Order yours from our online shop: whizzpopbang.com/shop and get those magazines in order 🙂

 


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See inside science book review

Winning science book review by Alfie, age 5

 

Whizz Pop Bang science news for kids

A few months ago we ran a competition to win all six of the science books shortlisted for the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize 2016 including two by our awesomely amazing Whizz Pop Bang writers Isabel Thomas and Dan Green 🙂

Without further ado here’s the winning review by Alfie, age 5. Well done to Alfie for being a super mini scientist AND being so passionate about science. Enjoy those books!

See inside science book review

See Inside Science by Usborne Books

  “It’s about the human body, cells, animals, plants, the beginning of the universe, space, energy and electricity, elements and the periodic table, putting things together, Protons, Neutrons, Electrons and Quarks inside an Atom and the final one, see into the future.
  I’ve learnt that there are all sorts of elements, 92 elements that aren’t made in a lab, if you’re counting the ones in the lab there’s 118, but loads of people forget about Dutrium, so there’s 119.  Dutrium is a gas that Brown Dwarfs fuse.  
  I like it because I like science.  I love science actually.  It’s got atoms in it.  I like it that it has flaps.  It’s easy to understand. 
It’s fun, fun, fun, fun, fun.”
Review by Alfie Jack Pile, age 5

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Whizz Pop Bang logo round

GOOD NEWS! We’re recruiting again!

Whizz Pop Bang science magazine for kids about-banner

Great news! We’re looking for a new person to join the awesome Whizz Pop Bang team 🙂 Got what it takes to be a top administrator and customer service person? Read all about the role below and if it sounds like you please get in touch!

Role: Office administrator/customer service representative

Introduction

Launchpad Publishing is an award-winning magazine publisher producing high quality magazines for children. Our flagship magazine, Whizz Pop Bang, is a monthly publication that makes science fun and accessible for thousands of 6-11 year olds. Each magazine is packed full of experiments, puzzles, science news, facts and features to enable children to have fun with science at home.

The business is growing rapidly and we are excited to be advertising for an office administrator/customer service representative to become part of our close-knit team.

The role offers the opportunity to work from our friendly Cirencester office, whilst also having the flexibility to work from home on occasions. The position will be for fifteen hours a week spread between Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with a degree of flexibility to cover busy times.

Role responsibilities

• Provision of exceptional customer service via our email support system, telephones, and across our social media accounts – keeping our customers happy is one of our core principles; we aim to go the extra mile wherever possible to help create a positive vibe about our company and our products
• Timely mailing out of orders and post to ensure that customers are happy and that the company is run efficiently
• Data cleaning – checking and amending customer address data to eliminate errors
• Financial administration work – including raising invoices and quotes and some bookkeeping duties (training will be provided)
• Office administration – filing and ordering of office supplies to keep the office running like clockwork

Person specification

• We’re looking for someone who actively enjoys dealing with customers and is able to delight and impress our customers with super-friendly and efficient customer service
• We require someone with an excellent level of written and spoken English; as an educational magazine publisher, it is vital that all of our interactions with customers include a high standard of spelling and grammar
• Previous experience of office administration and customer service is essential
• We need someone who is competent with computers – the use of Word and Excel is a requirement of the position. We also use web-based accounting software and customer support systems – training will be provided on these platforms
• Depending on the successful candidate, there is the potential for this role to expand and evolve to include more responsibilities as Launchpad Publishing continues to grow

Remuneration

The hourly rate will be £10 per hour with a pro-rata holiday allowance.

Location

The job will mostly be based at our new Cirencester office. There is also some flexibility to work from home on occasions too.

Our company

Launched in 2015, and already going from strength to strength, we publish a top-quality children’s magazine, making science fun and engaging for 6-11-year-old kids. We’re a new, dynamic company growing quickly yet organically. Our core goal is to help more families to enjoy and interact with science at home and in particular to ensure that girls are included just as much as boys. We are focussed on providing all of our customers with an excellent experience from start to finish – both in our products and in our customer service. We’re looking for someone who can help us to accomplish that and to join us on our journey at this very exciting stage of our business.

Next steps

If you think that you would fit this role we’d really love to hear from you. Please email your CV and covering letter to us – or feel free to email and ask if you would like any further information.


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What’s on: May half term at Manchester Museum of Science and Industry

 

Manchester Museum of Science and Industry

Superpowered Inventors!

Free family fun at the Museum of Science and Industry, May 26th – June 4th 2017

Manchester Museum of Science and Industry Pop Bottle Microscopes 2
Manchester Museum of Science and Industry Making Pop Bottle Microscopes
Brother and sister standing by 1830 Express with tickets - Science Museum Group Collection - © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum - Jonty Wilde
Steam train at the Museum of Science and Industry
Picture: Jason Lock

What’s the difference between an inventor and a superhero? And can you ever be both? This May half term at the Museum of Science and Industry meet the innovators behind some of the most amazing inventions of all time and ask what powers they used that made their breakthroughs possible. Experience explosions, electricity and steam then play our special trading card game to find out which inventor was the most super of them all!

Set on the site of the world’s first passenger railway station, all of Manchester’s magnificent firsts are celebrated here at the museum – and why not top it off with a ride on our powerful steam train, the 1830 Express?

There are a huge range of activities to choose from, including:

The Super Power Show: POW! KABLAM! Join us for exploding experiments and electrifying demonstrations as we find out all about power. Discover some super inventors and the powers they used to move their machines and contraptions. Plus start your collection of Superhero trading cards.

Pop Bottle Microscopes: What’s stronger than the Hulk and nearly as see through as the invisible man? Graphene!  So grab some tape and investigate graphite by building your own pop-bottle microscope in this hands on workshop.

Creative Coding: What do you get if you add 1 + 0? You get computers, laptops, smart phones and even robots.  Discover how to code and spell your own name in binary and turn it into a necklace or wristband in this hands on workshop.  Its sure to be 01100110 01110101 01101110.

Engine Demonstration: How can the stuff that comes out of your kettle power a whole factory or even a city?  This interactive engine demonstration will show you how steam can power an engine the size of an elephant and how it still powers our homes today.

Manchester Mills: Why did Manchester get the nickname “Cottonopolis”?  Join us for a live demonstration of our textiles machinery as we turn plants into clothes.  Plus discover the difficult jobs which went along with working with such powerful machines.

The 1830 Express: Hop on the 1830 Express and step back to a time to when cotton was king and railways were about to change the world forever.

All happening during May half term, May 26th – June 4th 2017! For more details visit msimanchester.org.uk


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Whizz Pop Bang science magazine for kids magnifying glass and hair

AWESOME SCIENCE FOR BUDDING YOUNG SCIENTISTS!

Whizz Pop Bang experimenting with nanotubes
A Whizz Pop Bang subscriber experimenting with nanotubes to see how carbon nanotubes behave

This month we zoom in on tiny science!

Imagine what it would be like to shrink to the size of a dot! This issue we’re doing exactly that to see how things work on a minuscule scale. 

This month we’ve got loads of supercool experiments and activities to turn your mini scientists into nano-scientists! Discover how a watch works, find out all about teeny tiny pygmy marmosets and find out what it’s like to be a nanotechnologist. Meet sensational scientist Richard Feynman, who encouraged scientists to “think small”. Plus, our 10 Awesomely Amazing tiny things that live on your body, blurghhh!

As always, happy experimenting 🙂

From the WPB team x


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What’s on for February half term at the UK’s top science museums

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We’ve put together a list of the UK’s top science museums and found out what’s going on in February half term for kids and their families. Do you love hands-on science? Are your children always asking WHY? Go and see what’s on for science-lovers around the country! Just click on the image for each place and it’ll take you directly to the right page on the website to find out what’s going on. And don’t forget to tweet or post your #scienceiscool pics!

Science Museum London

Science Museum London

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/holiday

Museum of Science and Industry Manchester

Museum of science and industry

http://msimanchester.org.uk/whats-on/activity/steam-sweat-spinners

Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum

Thinktank Birmingham science museum

http://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/thinktank/whats-on/family-activities-bcb9b340-f2f9-41d9-8d72-104e8ff14300

Discovery Museum Newcastle

Discovery Museum

https://discoverymuseum.org.uk/play-invent

Centre for Life Newcastle

Centre for Life

http://www.life.org.uk/whats-on/family

Catalyst Science Discovery Centre, Cheshire

Catalyst Science Discovery Centre

http://www.catalyst.org.uk

Eureka! The National Children’s Museum, Halifax

Eureka childrens museum

https://www.eureka.org.uk

Winchester Science Centre, Hampshire

Winchester science centre and planetarium

http://www.winchestersciencecentre.org

National Space Centre, Leicester

National Space Centre

http://spacecentre.co.uk/event/gastro-space/

Museum of the History of Science, Oxford

Museum of the history of science Oxford

http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/backfromthedead/

Techniquest, Cardiff

Techniquest

http://www.techniquest.org

World Museum, Liverpool

World Museum Liverpool

http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/wml/index.aspx

MAGNA, Rotherham

https://www.visitmagna.co.uk/science-adventure

@Bristol

At-Bristol hands-on science museum

https://www.at-bristol.org.uk/event/february-half-term-0
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Whizz Pop Bang logo round

Good news… we’re recruiting!

Whizz Pop Bang science magazine for kids issues six to eighteen

 

ROLE: EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Whizz Pop Bang is growing, in every direction! Kids and their families are loving our magazine and are telling their friends, families and teachers all about what an awesome job we’re doing inspiring kids in science. We’re also moving out of Jenny’s house and into a proper office which is very exciting! So we need more science-loving experts to join our little team. Are you a STEM ambassador? Have you got what it takes to help us to be the best children’s science magazine across the land???

We’re looking for an editorial assistant, someone who has experience and a passion for all things science to become part of our close-knit team. This role would be ideally suited to someone with a background or qualification in science communication.

This is a sought-after position for a talented and capable individual who would relish the opportunity to inspire children in science. The position offers the opportunity to work from our friendly Cirencester office, whilst also having the flexibility to work from home on occasions. Working hours can fit around school times if necessary, and will be based on three days a week.

Role responsibilities include

  • Editing contributors’ copy
  • Proofreading of final PDFs
  • Writing and/or checking of puzzles
  • Possible writing of content – depending on skill set
  • Commissioning and liaising with writers, designers and illustrators
  • Input into the planning of magazines
  • Writing and editing marketing copy, newsletters, blog posts, website copy and social media posts as required

Person specification

  • We’re looking for someone who can inspire children and can write and edit engaging and informative editorial. Prior editorial experience is required, preferably in the children’s sector, and we’re ideally looking for someone with a science background.
  • We require someone with an excellent level of written English – first-rate knowledge of spelling, punctuation and grammar are all requirements of this job. As an educational publisher, it is vital that we maintain an extremely high standard of spelling and grammar.
  • There is exciting potential for this role to expand and evolve to include more responsibilities as Launchpad Publishing continues to grow.

Read all the details here and share with your science-loving editorial friends and contacts: http://www.whizzpopbang.com/jobs


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