GOOD NEWS! We’re recruiting again!

Posted on 16th May 2017 | by Rachael Tapping | 1 Comment

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

Posted on 10th May 2017 | by Rachael Tapping | Leave a Comment

Superpowered Inventors!

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

Posted on 9th May 2017 | by Rachael Tapping | Leave a Comment

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

Posted on 13th February 2017 | by Rachael Tapping | Leave a Comment

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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!

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Good news… we’re recruiting!

Posted on 7th February 2017 | by Rachael Tapping | Leave a Comment

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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How to make fake snow with a disposable nappy!

Posted on 25th January 2017 | by Rachael Tapping | Leave a Comment

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How to make fake snow with a disposable nappy!
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All you need to make your own fake snow at home are some cheap disposable nappies! Tear open the nappies over a large mixing bowl and shake out the small amount of white powder, so that it falls into your bowl. Remove any fluffy bits of nappy padding, then pour in some water, a little at a time, while stirring. You’ll be amazed at how much water the powder can absorb. Watch the spectacular transformation into slushy fake snow! The white powder is sodium polyacrylate, a polymer (a long chain-like molecule) which can absorb 300 times its own weight in water (which is why it’s used in nappies!).
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Whizz Pop Bang January issue SNOWBALL SCIENCE!

Posted on 10th January 2017 | by Rachael Tapping | Leave a Comment

Happy New Year Whizz Pop Bang readers!

Oh how we love January with wet hats, missing gloves and runny noses. Whether it’s snowing outside or not, snow time like the present to start investigating the winter wonderland! With science magazine Whizz Pop Bang your kids can simulate a snowball flight, investigate the colour of snow, make their own snow globe, make a barometer, a weathervane and a rain gauge – a storm of science fun!

As well as lots of COOL experiments we look at how a freezer works, tell the story of the snowflake and interview a Penguin Aquarist to find out what it’s like working with those adorable creatures. Kids can marvel at 10 Awesomely Amazing Extreme Weather Events, and learn about polar bears (did you know their fur isn’t actually white?) We also tell the fascinating story of the genius Albert Einstein.

Looking forward to a fun-filled year of science with you guys 🙂

From the WPB team x

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12 Days of Christmas Edible Science fun

Posted on 7th December 2016 | by Rachael Tapping | Leave a Comment

Hello science-lovers! We’re super excited the Christmas issue of science magazine Whizz Pop Bang! Do you know the brilliant, crazy and uber creative Greg Foot? He’s the science guy on YouTube and presents science on Blue Peter, have you seen him? Well Greg has put together 12 awesome edible science experiments that really are the best entertainment for a very amusing (and tasty) family Christmas.

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And here are the 12 edible experiments, if you’d like to try these hop over and buy a copy of the Whizz Pop Bang Christmas issue here.

Remember experiments are experiments, which means you may not get them right first time – you’re scientists experimenting! If the lightning isn’t coming out of your sister’s mouth when you’re in the cupboard under the stairs don’t despair! Wait a little longer and try again, your eyes need to get really accustomed to the dark, and crunch really hard with your mouth open – you may dribble a little 🙂

Our raisins didn’t dance the first time, so we tried again with fizzier water. The lava toffee can be tricky too, add a little water if you need to and be careful with the hot pan in all that excitement.

We filmed our kids playing with the weird custard go, see their reactions here: whizz-pop-bang-science-experiment-custard-goo

Do you have questions about these experiments or Whizz Pop Bang? Send us an email hello@whizzpopbang.com and we’ll be only too happy to help.

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November issue : SUPER STRUCTURES & ENGINEERING

Posted on 7th November 2016 | by Rachael Tapping | Leave a Comment

Put on your hard hat for this engineering extravaganza! This month Tomorrow’s Engineers Week will be celebrating all the awesome things that engineers do which is why we’ve gone SUPER STRUCTURES mad. We talk to real engineers and find out all about their jobs, discover some of the world’s greatest animal engineers and show your kids how to build a suspension bridge with Lego and string just like the one in the photo above sent in by one of our readers. What a happy mini engineer!

With kids science magazine Whizz Pop Bang just imagine what your kids may one day discover…

Not a subscriber? Don’t worry, you can subscribe here or if you’d like to just buy a single copy of this issue go to our back issue shop.

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Spectacular Science: northern lights

Posted on 13th October 2016 | by Rachael Tapping | Leave a Comment

In the current issue of Whizz Pop Bang (October, issue 15) we take a look at light and colour. We ask what gives things their colour? What are invisible colours? Do you know why flamingoes are pink? For lots of questions (and answers!) about colour and loads of cool experiments, order a copy of Whizz Pop Bang science magazine for kids click here.

Do your kids know about the northern lights? The northern lights are one of nature’s most impressive spectacles. These stunning coloured light displays are produced when particles from the Sun crash into the Earth’s atmosphere, transferring their energy into light. Also called aurora, these magnificent dancing lights are common near the North and South Poles.

We came across this eerie yet beautiful video of humpback whales swimming under the northern lights in Norway…

Off the coast of Kvaløya island in Tromsø, humpback whales swim beneath the northern lights. The brief scene was captured by Norwegian photographer Harald Albrigtsen for Norwegian public television (NRK). Cue the aurora science from NASA:

“The typical “northern lights,” or aurora borealis, are caused by collisions between fast-moving electrons and the oxygen and nitrogen in Earth’s upper atmosphere. The electrons – which come from the magnetosphere, the region of space controlled by Earth’s magnetic field – transfer energy to the oxygen and nitrogen gases, making them “excited.” As they “calm down” and return to their normal state, they emit photons, small bursts of energy in the form of light.

When a large number of these collisions occur, the oxygen and nitrogen can emit enough light for the eye to detect. This ghostly light will produce the dance of colors in the night sky we call the aurora. Most of the light comes from altitudes between 60 and 200 miles. Since the aurora is much dimmer than sunlight, it cannot be seen from the ground in the daytime.

The color of the aurora depends on which gas – oxygen or nitrogen – is being excited by the electrons, and on how excited it becomes. Oxygen emits either a greenish-yellow light (the most familiar color of the aurora) or a red light; nitrogen generally gives off a blue light. The blending of these colors can also produce purples, pinks, and white.”

(Above video and text from The Kids Should See This website)

Did you know… Astronauts in the International Space Station get to see a side view of the aurora because they are both roughly the same distance from the Earth

AWESOME FACT: Aurora also occur on other planets, including Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune

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Role: Office administrator/customer service representative

Introduction

Role responsibilities

Person specification

Remuneration

Location

Our company

Next steps

Superpowered Inventors!

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

This month we zoom in on tiny science!

Science Museum London

Museum of Science and Industry Manchester

Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum

Discovery Museum Newcastle

Centre for Life Newcastle

Catalyst Science Discovery Centre, Cheshire

Eureka! The National Children’s Museum, Halifax

Winchester Science Centre, Hampshire

National Space Centre, Leicester

Museum of the History of Science, Oxford

Techniquest, Cardiff

World Museum, Liverpool

MAGNA, Rotherham

@Bristol

Happy New Year Whizz Pop Bang readers!

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