Anything messy, noisy, cute or unexpected will usually generate an excited reaction or a 'wow' moment for children when they experience a new or surprising phenomenon in science. not to lose the moment after the wow but to ensure that the enthusiasm and interest of the children is channelled into new learning experiences. This involves careful planning by the teacher, including consideration of the science that explains the wow and whether or not this will be accessible for children. But what about the times when the science behind the wow is too complicated for the children? Or when teachers are not confident with their own understanding of it? How do teachers choose wow moments that engender meaningful learning? In this article, the authors address the dip in attainment and motivation between year 5 (age 9-10) and the first two years of secondary school (ages 11-13) and how to counter it by using wow moments to create a memorable "learning" experience rather than just a memorable experience. They describe five activities that are commonly used in primary schools to create wow moments, together with the science behind them and ideas on how to use them to support learning.