Team Whizz Pop Bang are going to Just So Festival!

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It’s not long until the fantastic Just So Festival kicks off – it’s running at Rode Hall, Cheshire on 18th – 20th August 2023. It’s an incredible outdoor adventure for families from bumps to great grandparents, and Whizz Pop Bang are so excited to be a part of the fun that’s in store!

The Whizz Pop Bang team are huge fans of this magical festival, and once again, we’re bringing a sprinkle of science to the programme!

Head to Astronaut Training Camp with ESA’s Jonathan Scott in collaboration with Whizz Pop Bang, the awesome science magazine for kids

Ever dreamed of becoming an astronaut when you grow up? Roll up for an action-packed talk by Jonathan Scott from the European Space Agency to discover the skills and techniques needed to stay healthy on board the International Space Station. Test out some astronaut training exercises, feel how gravity affects us here on Earth and check out a replica spacesuit!

Perfect for children aged 6 to 12.

Astronaut Training Camp

Discovery Den by Whizz Pop Bang, the awesome science magazine for kids

Come along to an exploration of your senses at this hands-on discovery session run by the makers of the most awesomely science magazine for kids, Whizz Pop Bang! You won’t believe your eyes, ears, noses, fingers or tongues in this interactive session full of weird and wonderful sensations!
Perfect for children aged 6 to 12.

Find out more about the festival at justsofestival.org.uk, where the line up has been announced! Discover a celestial celebration of the planets in The Observatory, step out of 2023 and into the future at The Future stage, hear stories galore in the Spellbound Forest, and so much enchanted adventure throughout the site. There’s something for every member of the family!

Whizz Pop Bang is an awesomely amazing monthly science magazine that brings science to life for children aged six to twelve (and their parents too)! There’s lab-loads of hands-on experiments, mind-boggling facts, puzzles, news and fun packed into each month’s magazine. Whizz Pop Bang sparks imaginations and inspires the scientists of the future from the moment it comes bursting through their letterbox. Subscribe today at whizzpopbang.com!

If you’re not lucky enough to be going to Just So Festival this year, but want to have heaps of fun with science, browse back issues in our shop now!


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COMPETITION CLOSED – WIN an ION8 water bottle!

Posted on | by Kirsty Williams | 110 Comments on COMPETITION CLOSED – WIN an ION8 water bottle!

When you’re in the savannah you have to keep hydrated! This month’s magazine is all about the African savannah and we’ve got the perfect competition prize, enter to win one of six ION8 water bottles!

We’ve teamed up with ION8 to keep your little one hydrated all summer long. 

These brilliant water bottles are 100% leakproof when closed and made from either stainless steel or BPA-free RECYCLON, (made from organic materials from plants instead of fossil fuels). These refillable and reusable drinks bottle are food safe, odour resistant, easy to hand wash, and keep drinks fresh and full of flavour. Find out more about ION8 products here.

For your chance to win one of six water bottles, simply answer the question below and tell us which design you’d like to win: Cats, Ecologi, Space, Camping, Bugs Life, Frog.

Which is the largest desert in Africa?


A) Namib desert
B) Kalahari desert
C) Sahara desert

Good luck!

This competition closes at midnight on 31st August 2023 and is open for UK residents only. For full terms and conditions visit whizzpopbang.com/terms


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COMPETITION CLOSED – Win Hello Me! by Dr Naira Wilson! 

Posted on | by Jo at Whizz Pop Bang | 4 Comments on COMPETITION CLOSED – Win Hello Me! by Dr Naira Wilson! 

This gorgeous new picture book is a great way to help young children learn to look after their own wellbeing. Hello Me follows a young boy as he learns to love and accept himself.

The story’s relatable characters and gentle storyline introduce the concept of mental health in an engaging way. While it’s a perfect bedtime read for younger siblings and friends, there are important lessons that we can all learn from this clever book.

Hello Me‘s author, Dr Naira Wilson is a child psychologist and a Whizz Pop Bang science advisor. We’re so excited to have three copies of her book to give away to Whizz Pop Bang fans!

To enter the competition, simply answer the following question in the comments: 

Which of these is a hormone that makes you feel happy? 

a) Dopamine 
b) Dodecahedron
c) Diplodocus

This competition closes at midnight on 20th August 2023 and is open for UK residents only. For full terms and conditions, please visit: https://www.whizzpopbang.com/terms-and-conditions/. 

Copy: Hannah Woods

Want to know more about Whizz Pop Bang – the awesomely amazing science magazine for kids? 

  • Whizz Pop Bang is an award-winning science magazine that brings science to life for children aged six to twelve (and their parents too)! 
  • Each monthly issue is packed with experiments, puzzles, science news, crafts, jokes, inspiring scientists, competitions and more! 
  • Our aim is simple – to help children develop a love of science. We love to imagine what they might discover or invent one day! 

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How to play mancala

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Have you ever wondered how to play mancala? It’s an ancient game with lots of variations, but this brilliant video explains how to play one version of it.

If you’d like to try playing mancala, why not start by making your own upcycled set from planet-friendly materials?

Find out how to turn an egg box into an awesome African mancala game in Whizz Pop Bag: Safari!

Get ready to journey through the African savannah inside this wild edition of Whizz Pop Bang! Look out for thundering wildebeest, circling vultures and mischievous meerkats whilst you find out about the incredible adaptations that allow animals to survive in scorching African habitats.


You’ll be able to print leopard-print paper and craft a safari diorama, complete with its own watering hole and real live grass! Discover ten awesomely amazing safari animals, find out how walkie talkies work and get up close with one of the largest and most ferocious predators around – the glorious lion! Meet an elephant keeper at a very special Kenyan animal sanctuary, find out about Thomas Odhiambo who used science to find Earth-friendly ways to control pests on crops and see if you can spot the camouflaged creatures hiding in our photo gallery!


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Whizz Pop Bang reader and their magazine collection

Calling all Whizz Pop Bang superfans!

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This autumn (November 2023) we’ll be celebrating 100 issues of Whizz Pop Bang magazine! We’d love to showcase some of our biggest fans in the Issue 100 Wonder Club pages.

Send us a photo of you with your favourite edition of the magazine or tell us your favourite facts, experiment or joke from Whizz Pop Bang by September 20th 2023 to be in with a chance of appearing on our special superfans page!

Send your photos, facts, experiments and jokes to Y@whizzpopbang.com or Y, Whizz Pop Bang, Unit 7, Global Business Park, 14 Wilkinson Road, Cirencester, GL7 1YZ.

For a chance to appear in Whizz Pop Bang 100’s extra-special Wonder Club pages, we must receive your email or letter by 20th September 2023 – but we love hearing from our readers all year round, so please get in touch any time!

Don’t forget to include your name, age and address. We can’t return any post, sorry.


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Homemade glue recipe

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PVA glue is often used in crafts but it’s made from petrochemicals, the production of which is bad for the environment. Here’s a recipe for glue made from natural materials that works just as well!

You will need:

45 g plain flour
15 g sugar
5 ml (1 teaspoon) vinegar
100 ml warm water
Bowls
Spoon
Jug
Jar or tub with lid

What you do:

  1. Put 50 ml of warm water into a jug and add the sugar. Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved.
  2. Add the vinegar.
  3. Put the flour into a bowl and slowly add the liquid, stirring all the time, until it is combined together. Keep stirring until there are no lumps.
  4. Add the rest of the water and stir thoroughly. 
  5. Store the mixture in a jar or tub with the lid closed in the fridge for up to two weeks. 

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Teaching the topic coasts with science in years 5 and 6

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Are you teaching the topic coasts and want to include some science? We have a great lesson pack that explains coastal erosion and different types of defences which can be used to protect our coastline.

How is engineering used in sea defences?

Coasts is predominantly a geography-based topic, however it fits with STEAM teaching too. In this lesson pack, we look at different types of engineering used to help stop damage to our coastline. For example, sea defenses such as groynes, sea walls, breakwaters, etc. are built using hard engineering to reduce the damage done to beaches and cliffs by the force of the waves. Using our lesson pack called ‘Hold back the tide’, pupils will experiment by creating a pretend beach and their own waves, then trying to build a sea wall to see if it can stop the sand being washed away.

How will the Whizz Pop Bang lesson produce sticky knowledge?

In this lesson, pupils will create a 3D beach scene and will be working through trial and error when building their sea defence. This will encourage pupils to ask questions and adapt their own engineering until it works. By physically creating the model, this will make the lesson more memorable so the learning will be accessible for the next lesson, when pupils could be given a budget to plan sea defences for a stretch of coast.

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 sea defences, explaining how they work and suggesting other defences that could be used. If you need evidence in their books, you could print photos of the models; during morning work the next day, pupils could label and annotate them. This would mean that they go back over their learning from the day before, helping the knowledge to stick.

How to get more science into your reading sessions

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. Here are the reading comprehensions that link with this topic:

Whizz Pop Bang magazine and teaching resources are brilliant for enhancing 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 £197.99 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.

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


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We chat to Dr Ronx!

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You’ve probably seen the incredible Dr Ronx on Operation Ouch! on CBBC – now they’ve written a book called Little Experts: Amazing Bodies. We asked them all about it, and about their exciting job as a doctor in a hospital’s Accident and Emergency department. Want to win a copy of their book? Keep scrolling to find out how!

Dr Ronx Ikharia
Emergency medicine doctor, TV presenter and author

I first realised I wanted to be a doctor when I was 12

I was watching ER, a hospital drama on TV. 

I’ve written a book called Amazing Bodies!

It’s a lighthearted but informative book introducing the human body to kids. I never ever thought I would write a book, but now that I have I want to write more! I sometimes found it difficult to focus and concentrate, but would take myself to a quiet place, and write little and often. I also enjoyed learning new facts about the human body, and remembering facts I learnt at medical school and had forgotten! 

Winning a gold Blue Peter Badge was the most exciting moment of my career

I won it with Operation Ouch! on behalf of the NHS. 

I like meeting different people every day

It’s part of the job of being a doctor – especially when you work in A&E: you don’t know what’s going to come through the door and what problems they’re going to have. I really enjoy talking to them and working out how to make them better. 

There are lots of challenges in my job…

My personal challenges are timekeeping, and making sure I go home on time! I also have to make sure I’m looking after myself: eating well, sleeping properly, doing exercise… And at work, it’s very very busy! Sometimes there are more people than we have time to see, meaning that people get upset because they’re left waiting a very long time, and we have to manage their expectations. 

If you want to be a doctor, you have to work hard at school

Make sure you’re good at biology, maths and sciences, but keep up your interests outside of science too: sport, music, and so on. Make sure people know you want to be a doctor so that parents, teachers and caregivers can help you and give you advice. Always be kind. Remember, medicine is great but hard, so it’s not a bad idea to have a back up. Stay curious, keep interested, and ask questions. 

Little Experts: Amazing Bodies is out now, published by Red Shed.


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COMPETITION CLOSED – WIN Dr Ronx’s new book!

Posted on | by Jo at Whizz Pop Bang | 40 Comments on COMPETITION CLOSED – WIN Dr Ronx’s new book!

Emergency doctor and TV presenter Dr Ronx has written a book all about our amazing bodies, and we’ve got FOUR copies to give away to Whizz Pop Bang fans!

Amazing Bodies by Dr Ronx is part of the new Little Experts series, where experts share their knowledge with readers like you! Take a tour around the human body, discovering why we have skin, how our joints work and how long it takes for blood to pump around our bodies along the way. This gorgeously-illustrated book covers spongey brains, gooey guts and everything in between!

We chatted to Dr Ronx all about their amazing career and what it’s like writing a book – click here to read what they had to say!

Also available in the Little Experts series:
Why Money Matters by Deborah Meaden, entrepreneur and Dragon’s Den investor
Marvellous Vehicles by James May, writer, broadcaster and Top Gear host

Want to win a copy? We’ve got four to give away! To enter the competition, simply answer the following question in the comments:

Where would you find the cerebrum?

a) In the brain

b) In the knee

c) In the eye

The competition closes at midnight on 16th July 2023. For full terms and conditions, please visit: https://www.whizzpopbang.com/terms-and-conditions/.

Want to know more about Whizz Pop Bang – the awesomely amazing science magazine for kids?

  • Whizz Pop Bang is an award-winning science magazine that brings science to life for children aged six to twelve (and their parents too)!
  • Each monthly issue is packed with experiments, puzzles, science news, crafts, jokes, inspiring scientists, competitions and more!
  • Our aim is simple – to help children develop a love of science. We love to imagine what they might discover or invent one day!


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COMPETITION CLOSED – Win brilliant science books by Dr Helen Scales!

Posted on | by Jo at Whizz Pop Bang | 255 Comments on COMPETITION CLOSED – Win brilliant science books by Dr Helen Scales!

Helen Scales is a marine biologist, writer, broadcaster, teacher and scuba diver who stars as our Science Hero in Whizz Pop Bang 96: Coasts. Read more about her in this issue, now available in our shop. She tells us all about her exciting job, including some of the books she has written, and we’re so excited to have five sets of two of these books to give away to mini marine biologists!

Scientists in the Wild: Galápagos by Helen Scales follows a group of marine biologists as they set sail to study the amazing wildlife and habitats of the Galápagos. To get the job done they will climb volcanoes, get sneezed on by marine iguanas, watch dancing birds, launch a deep-diving submersible and explore the dazzling underwater wonders of Galápagos.

Great Barrier Reef by Helen Scales (released 6th July 2023) introduces this incredible, intricate Australian ecosystem to young readers. Discover the plant and animal inhabitants of the Great Barrier Reef in this beautifully illustrated book, then find out what we can all do to ensure its survival.

To enter the competition, simply answer the following question in the comments:

Where is the Great Barrier Reef?

a) Australia

b) South America

c) Antarctica

The competition closes at midnight on 31st July 2023. For full terms and conditions, please visit: https://www.whizzpopbang.com/terms-and-conditions/.

Want to know more about Whizz Pop Bang – the awesomely amazing science magazine for kids?

  • Whizz Pop Bang is an award-winning science magazine that brings science to life for children aged six to twelve (and their parents too)!
  • Each monthly issue is packed with experiments, puzzles, science news, crafts, jokes, inspiring scientists, competitions and more!
  • Our aim is simple – to help children develop a love of science. We love to imagine what they might discover or invent one day!


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