As the technical team planned their rigging for Luke Jerram’s Museum of the Moon, I was dealing with a different challenge: How to create inspiring Moon workshops that linked to our collections and would still appeal to pupils after the installation had left the building.

I started by going to the experts – our potential audience. The Stanwell School Astronomy Club were key to the development of these workshops. In our first session together I introduced the possible collections we could use and they voted for the specimens they found most interesting. 

In their subsequent feedback session, they developed questions they hoped the workshop would answer, and it became clear that having some genuine photographs of the Apollo 12 mission (which collected the Goodwill Moon Rock on display in our Evolution of Wales gallery), would help set the scene. 

With the help of Natural Science curator Dan Cox and the NASA archive, I tracked down images of Astronaut Alan Bean’s time on the lunar surface. He collected the actual Moon rock that is displayed in our Evolution of Wales gallery, so it was great to find photographs of him taking rock samples on the Moon.

Photographs of Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean collecting lunar rock samples, courtesy of NASA,  and the Moon Rock on display at National Museum Cardiff

The students had selected examples of replica lunar dust and iron meteorites as some of their favourite items. National Museum Cardiff has an excellent rock and meteorite collection, so to give learners a sense of the lunar landscape, I added some samples of olivine basalt and an unusual rock called anorthosite, both of which can be found on the Moon. Although the anorthosite in our workshop is from Norway, the same rock was found by the Apollo missions in the lunar highlands (which make up the lighter patches we see on the Moon).

Two secondary school teachers then helped to develop the workshop narrative, and we invited Stanwell Astronomy Club back in to test our possible activities.

Testing the workshop with the Stanwell School Astronomy Club

One of the things that delighted me was the enthusiasm the pupils showed for the detailed maps of lunar craters. Robin Maggs from the photography department was able to produce high quality replicas of maps of lunar craters from the 1970s, so students could use these for their own measurements – and learn about our map collection.

Finally, we refined the sessions with help from Tim Curtis, Numeracy Lead at Cardiff West Community High School and his pupils, and hope they will be enjoyed by learners for years to come.

The workshop is truly authentic – it allows pupils to explore photographs of the Apollo missions, maps created at the time, and rock samples from our collections that are so close to the lunar rocks that only a geologist could tell the difference. Real experiences, with real specimens, and real scientific outcomes.

Pupils from Cardiff West Community High School taking part in The Moon, Maps and Meteorites workshop

Find more information on the The Moon, Maps and Meteorites workshop on our Learning pages

Results of the Super Scientist Competition 2026

Congratulations to all the amazing schools who contributed to this year’s investigation. All of the schools listed below will be sent Super Scientist certificates and pencils in recognition of the great work they have done. Schools who entered the most data have been sent additional prizes including seeds to plant. The runners up received gift vouchers, and the winning schools are to be awarded an extra special prize for their class. 

This year we are also celebrating 20 years of the Spring Bulbs for Schools project; an exciting milestone achieved through the efforts and dedication of each and every school who has taken part – so thank you all so much!

Professor Plant would like to thank all the schools that contributed to making this year’s investigation a success.

Enillwyr / Winners:

Cymru / Wales: 

Henllys Church in Wales

Lloegr / England: 

Lammack Primary School

Yr Alban / Scotland: 

Langbank Primary School

Gogledd Iwerddon / Northern Ireland: 

Scarva Primary School

Yn Ail / Runners up:

Cymru / Wales: 

Pil Primary School

Lloegr / England: 

Pinehurst Primary School

Yr Alban / Scotland: 

Leslie Primary School

Gogledd Iwerddon / Northern Ireland: 

Irvinestown Primary School

Cydnabyddiaeth Arbennig / Special Recognition:

Cymru / Wales: 

Raglan CiW VC Primary School

Ysgol Gymraeg Aberystwyth

Ysgol Bryn Deri

Ysgol Tir Morfa

Ysgol Twm o'r Nant

Ysgol San Sior

Ysgol Glan Conwy

YGG Tonyrefail

Forden CiW School

Plasnewydd Primary

St. Mary's Church in Wales Primary School

Mountain Lane Primary

Ysgol Pentreuchaf

Ysgol Gymraeg Morswyn

Rhayader Primary School

Lloegr / England: 

Broadgreen Primary School

The Olive School

St Anthony's RC Primary School - Blackburn

Anfield Road Primary School

Stanford in the Vale Primary School

Castle View Primary School

Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Primary School

St Chrysostom's C of E Primary School

Yr Alban / Scotland: 

Addiewell Primary School

Kirklandneuk Primary School

Newmains Primary School

St Peter's Primary School

Greenburn ASN School

Logan Primary School

Croftfoot Primary School

Gogledd Iwerddon / Northern Ireland: 

St Mary's Primary School - Maguiresbridge

St Francis' Primary School, Aghaderg

Ballyholland Primary School

St John's Primary School - NI

Clod Uchel / Highly Commended

Cymru / Wales: 

Ysgol Gynradd Llandegfan

Malpas Park Primary School

St Cadoc's Roman Catholic Primary School

Ysgol Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd

Ysgol Llanhari

Montgomery Church in Wales School

Cornist Park C.P

Ysgol Dyffryn Ial

Marlborough Primary School

Peterston super Ely Primary School

NPTC Newtown College

Ysgol Padarn Sant 

Llanmartin Primary School

Ysgol Pen y Fro

Ysgol Llanddulas

Lloegr / England: 

St Mary's CE Primary - Manchester

Emmaus Primary School

Sylvester Primary Academy

Wensley Fold CE Primary Academy

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School and Nursery

St Anne's Stanley C of E Primary School

St Peter's CE Primary School

Trumacar Primary School

St Edward's Catholic Primary School

St Nicholas Catholic Academy

Yr Alban / Scotland: 

Doonfoot Primary School

St Conval's Primary School

Livingston Village Primary School

Mount Florida Primary School

Gavinburn Primary School

Our Lady's RC Primary School

Gogledd Iwerddon / Northern Ireland: 

St John's Eglish Primary School

Cortamlet Primary School

Gwyddonwyr Gwych / Super Scientists

Cymru / Wales: 

Ysgol Hafodwenog

St. Mary’s Overton Primary

Archbishop Rowan Williams VA CiW Primary

Sketty Primary School

Ysgol Gymraeg Casnewydd

Pontllanfraith Primary

Ysgol Penmachno

Ysgol y Berllan Deg

St Patrick's RC Primary – Newport

Lloegr / England: 

Hamstead Primary School

St Silas Primary - Blackburn

Our Lady of Perpetual Succour RC Primary School

Lunt's Heath Primary School

St Joseph's RC Primary - Darwen

Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Catholic Primary School

Hill View Primary School – Halton

Yr Alban / Scotland: 

St John Ogilvie Primary School

St Brendan's Primary School

St Mary's Primary - Glasgow

Alloway Primary School

Gogledd Iwerddon / Northern Ireland: 

St Patrick's Primary - Eskra

St Michael's Primary School, Clady

Cyfranwyr / Contributors

Cymru / Wales: 

Oystermouth Primary

St Athan Primary

Ysgol Bryn Hedydd

Ysgol Maes y Mynydd

Ysgol Mynydd Bychan

Cwmnedd Primary School

Pennar Community School

Ysgol Llanychllwydog

Mary Immaculate R.C. School

Ysgol Gymraeg Nant Gwenlli

Lloegr / England: 

St Gerard's Catholic Primary & Nursery

Monksdown Primary School

Church Cowley St James CE Primary School

Yr Alban / Scotland: 

-

Gogledd Iwerddon / Northern Ireland: 

St Mary's Primary School

St Brendan's Primary School

Well done everyone! 

Below are some lovely comments left by schools concluding this year’s Spring Bulbs Project:

Ysgol Pentreuchaf:

Diolch am gael cymeryd rhan yn y cofnodi. Edrych ymlaen at y flwyddyn nesa Diolch.

Langbank Primary School 

Our school grounds look lovely with all our spring flowers. Our learning during this project has tied in well to our science and maths lessons, especially negative numbers…Thank you so much from P7 at Langbank for letting us be part of this project again.

Leslie Primary School

Thank you for all your effort. We are looking forward to taking our plants home today.

Ysgol San Sior

Thank you for giving us our daffodils

-

I hope that people can be more considerate about nature the online lessons inspired me a lot. i am sad that there will no longer be any more online lessons but i will be more considerate about my surroundings and try to make less carbon footprints.

-

I enjoyed watching my flower grow

Pinehurst Primary School 

Our lovely daffodils opened today. They look so pretty and really brighten up our school.

Thank you, Bulb Buddies, for your incredible work this year!

-Professor Plant

 Conservation is at the heart of the National Slate Museum redevelopment project and our conservation team are already hard at work assessing and working on the collections to make sure they look their best and keep them safe so that they can be enjoyed for generations to come  when the Museum reopens.  

Jennifer Griffiths is Senior Conservator of Industry Collections and is one of several team members working on the National Slate Museum collection. here she tells us a bit more about her work. 

“I’ve started my part of the conservation work with treatment of a pay trolley." said Jennifer.

" This wooden cabinet contains 49 small pay tins made from tin-plate. The cabinet and all of drawers within the cabinet were extremely dirty with surface and ingrained dirt and the tins, all very heavily corroded. The cabinet can be seen here before and after conservation." 

"So far, the conservation of the cabinet and 7 of the tins has taken a total of 45 days' work."

"Each pay tin takes 2 days to complete and so far, 7 tins have been completed."

"Just 42 tins to go!"

Over the next few months we'll be taking a closer look at all the other conservation work taking place including cleaning our wooden pattern collection, paper and artworks, furniture and clothing! 

The National Slate Museum redvelopment project is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, UK Government via Cyngor Gwynedd as part of the Llewyrch o'r Llechi project, Welsh Government including the Community Facilities Programme, the Wolfson Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation and other funders. We are extremely grateful to all our funders for their support.      

As an artist, my work explores the traces of social history held within domestic artefacts and local landscapes. I’m drawn to details that reflect nurture and resourcefulness, especially those shaped by women’s everyday experiences, which are often missing from official histories. This project was a great opportunity to engage with participants, hear their stories, and explore how everyday objects carry memories and histories.

Our sessions in Morfa ward, Ysbyty Alltwen 'day room' began with conversations about domestic life in the past, sparked by handling artefacts from the museum, such as crockery, utensils, and textiles.

We created our own pieces inspired by domestic life using air-dry clay, incorporating textures that reflect both industrial and household labour. Letter stamps allowed us to imprint memories from our discussions into the clay, adding a personal layer to collective stories. Colour was added with ink and graphite, or tea and coffee, buffed between layers to give an aged effect—a process that echoed domestic chores.

Rag rugs, part of the Slate Museum’s collection and a symbol of domestic resourcefulness, inspired us to create our own collaborative sample. Traditionally made by prodding strips of rag through sacking cloth, we adapted the method for simplicity: looping rags around pipe cleaners, then linking and stitching them into a smaller rug shape.

The embroidery hoop pieces are inspired by a quarryman’s blanket from c.1900, made from patched pieces of grey cloth trimmed with red, to protect its owner from the harsh conditions of the barracks. Our stitched pieces combine the resourcefulness of stitching and mending with symbols from the carved hearths seen in some slate quarrying communities.

The postcard-sized pieces continue the theme, featuring symbols from the hearths, with text drawn from conversations and memories.

This project has been a wonderful way to share personal stories and creativity, bringing people together through collective making —thanks to everyone involved!

"It was nice to come together as a group and learn new skills" - a patient on Morfa ward, Alltwen hospital

Contact details: rachelevanscelf@gmail.com   
Instagram: rachelevans_artist

This activity was a part of the National Slate Museum redevelopment project, which is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, UK Government via Gwynedd Council as part of the Llewyrch o’r Llechi project, Welsh Government including the Community Facilities Programme, the Wolfson Foundation, The Garfield Weston Foundation and other funders. 

Spring is a special time at St Fagans. There are daffodils and crocuses in bloom, and the farmyard is a hive of activity.  

From February to April, Llwyn-yr-eos Farm is alive with the sound of bleating as the expectant ewes take shelter in the lambing sheds. This year, we’re expecting over 350 lambs. Around 200 lambs have been born so far and there’s still plenty more to come!  

We keep three rare Welsh breeds of sheep at St Fagans:

• Hill Radnor  
• Llanwenog  
• Welsh Black Mountain  

Keeping native breeds of sheep is important as they are a vital part of Wales’ farming heritage. You can learn more about these rare breeds in this blog. 

Once the lambs are born, both the lamb and their mother are marked with the same number, so we know who belongs to who! The ewes and lambs are moved from the main lambing shed into smaller nursery pens, before being turned out into the fields a few days later. Can you spot any of the new arrivals as you walk around the museum?  

Please note, to protect the welfare of our sheep, no dogs are allowed in the farmyard during lambing.  

Can’t make it to St Fagans? We’re not streaming live from the shed this year, but you can watch the action from previous years’ on our website.