: Spring Bulbs

Hi Bulb Buddies,

Thank you for all of your hard work collecting weather data over the last few weeks. The next week for weather records will be 7-11 January. When entering data to the website please enter 'no record' for the dates that you weren't in school to take readings.

There's no need to take your pots home with you over Christmas. So long as they are in a safe place in the school yard where they are unlikely to get blown over by the wind, they will be fine. The bulbs are insulated by the soil and can withstand the winter weather.

The weather has been mild in many places again this autumn/ winter, and it will be interesting to see how this effects our plants.

Have a lovely break Bulb Buddies.

Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year from

Professor Plant & Baby Bulb

Comments from weather entries:

Comments about the project

Stanford in the Vale Primary School: Hi, the week is wrong but it wouldn't show this week on the select a week list. Been cold and rainy this week. Speak to you next week!! R. Professor Plant: Thank you for updating me R. I’ll look into why this week wasn’t showing. Keep up the good work.

Good Shepherd Primary and Nursery School: C.:it was very fun. R.:I think it was very intresting. Professor Plant: Lovely to hear from you buddies, and I’m glad you’re enjoying the project!

Steelstown Primary School:  From reading the data this week we think that it is raining a lot more but also the temperature is rising. We can't wait for next week. We love doing this project. Every week the results are different and we are excited to continue doing it and colleting the data for the weather. Professr Plant: Thanks bulb buddies, have you looked at data from previous years and from different schools? You can do this on the web site and I think you’d find it interesting!

Ysgol Bro Pedr: Our bulbs are feeling a bit cold this week. Thank you very much For the Christmas Card. Professor Plant: It is getting colder, but the bulbs will hopefully stay well insulated and cosy in the soil! I’m glad your card arrived, merry Christmas bulb buddies.

Comments about your bulbs

Ysgol Gymraeg Dewi Sant (Llanelli): Mae rhai o'r bylbiau yn dechrau egino. Athro’r Ardd: Newyddion gwych cyfeillion, hoffwn weld lluniau!

Henllys CIW Primary: on Tuesday actual rainfall was o.5mm We have spotted a small shoot coming from one of the pots a - daffodil in R.'s pot Also, the coconut husk pot has surprised us as the daffodil shoot has sprung up this week it is now showing quite a bit and the crocus shoot is poking up from the soil. Professor Plant: How exciting bulb buddies, I’d love to see photos if you are able to take and share these? Keep up the good work.

Carnbroe Primary School: Dear Professor Plant and Baby Bulb it has been very cold this week and the soil in our plant pots are frozen and icy. Our bulbs are doing well and they are really healthy. Professor Plant: Well done for looking after your plants bulb buddies, I’m glad to hear that they are doing well. Thank you for your observations and for providing an insight into the weather conditions in your area.

Good Shepherd Primary and Nursery School: we like seeing the plants grow. Professor Plant: Me too bulb buddies! 

Comments about the weather:

YGG Tonyrefail: Mae hi wedi bod yn wythnos sych ac oer. Diolch am eich cerdyn Nadolig Athro'r Ardd a Bylb Bychan. Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd dda i chi gyd yn yr Amgueddfa. Welwn ni chi yn 2019!! Athro’r Ardd: Diolch cyfeillion y gwanwyn, Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda i bawb yn Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Tonyrefail hefyd!

Our Lady of Peace Primary School: Another normal cold week well see you after Christmas break. Professor Plant: See you after Christmas bulb buddies.

Holy Cross Girls' Primary Schoo: We were out on a school trip on Wednesday so didn't have the opportunity to collect the data. Professor Plant: Thank you for letting me know bulb buddies. I hope you had a good trip!

Tonyrefail Community School: Our rain gauge kept falling over this week so we have no record on Wednesday. Professor Plant: Thank you for letting me know bulb buddies!

Ysgol Nantymoel: We have inputted the wrong data for week commencing 12.05.18 how can we correct it? Professor Plant: Hi bulb buddies, you should be able to re-enter data for previous weeks. When you do this the most recent data entered for a given week shows on the graph. If this isn’t working please email me and I’ll update your data for you.

Stanford in the Vale Primary School: Quite cold this week defenetly today. It was frozen this morning! Today the temperature has slipped down a lot! The week was wrong again because it wouldn't let us choose the right week!! Speak to you next year-2019!! R. Professor Plant: Thanks for the update R. You are doing a fantastic job. I’ll look into the issue with the dates and will fix it for when you start back!

Chorley St James Primary School: This week it has been very dry and very gloomy, but some parts of the day it has been sunny. Professor Plant: Thank you for the weather observations bulb buddy.

Hi Bulb Buddies,

I have enjoyed reading your comments and studying your data. I’ve also enjoyed the photos that have been shared on Twitter showing some of you taking your weather readings. It looks as though you have been outside in all weathers in the pursuit of scientific study! Fantastic!

A number of you have reported that your plants have started to sprout! I’ve shared a couple of pictures here. Please share your photos with me as well, and let me know how your bulbs are doing when you enter your weather data.

Keep up the good work Bulb Buddies,

Professor Plant

Comments from weather entries:

Comments about your bulbs

Bursar Primary Academy: Thank you for giving us the chance to grow our plants- they haven't started growing yet. (O.E. Year 4) One of our indoor bulbs in the coconut pot has started to sprout. (K.W. Year 4). Professor Plant: Thank you for taking part in the project and looking after your plants so well! Keep me updated!

Ysgol San Sior: It was a great first week and H.’s crocus has already started to grow. H. had very much enjoyed looking after the plats and is excited to see the first growth. Professor Plant: Fantastic news, please keep me updated and share photos if you can.

Plasnewydd Primary: Some of the bulbs have started to grow. Professor Plant: Fantastic news bulb buddies. It is still early, but a number of other schools have also seen some early growth. Do you think it’s linked to the mild weather we’ve been having?

Garstang St. Thomas' CE Primary School: professor plant how long do you think until our flowers will bloom because of it being so rainy and cold. See you soon<3 Professor Plant: It’s hard to say when our plants will flower. Usually this happens around February – March. Some schools have seen some early growth, but the weather will have an impact on our plants over the coming months. Why not compare your weather readings so far this year to last year, and think about whether you’d expect your plants to flower earlier or later than last year?

Arkholme Primary School: We held our Memeorial service near to where we planted the bulbs - no sign of any growth. Professor Plant: I hope the Memorial sevice went well bulb buddies. Thank you for the update on your bulbs.

Steelstown Primary School: This week has been fun it is good to understand how our bulbs are growing as the weeks get colder. Professor Plant: I’m glad you are enjoying the project! Have you seen the ‘life of a bulb’ origami booklet under the Teaching Resources section of the website?

Good Shepherd Primary and Nursery School: A: I liked watering the plants and checking the rainfall. A: I liked watering the plants and checking the temperature. Professor Plant: Fantastic bulb buddies, you make the perfect team! Keep up the good work!

Tonyrefail Community School: No sign of plants yet. The weather has been much colder this week and it's been drizzly but no water has collected in our rain gauge. Professor Plant: Thank you for the update bulb buddies, keep up the good work!

Bursar Primary Academy: We have moved our rain collector as we're not sure it's accurately collecting any rainfall! A few of our bulbs are sprouting! Professor Plant: Fantastic, thank you for thinking about whether the rain gage was in the best position to collect rain fall. I’d love to see some images of your plants if you are able to share these?

Ysgol San Sior: We are excited to have our second crocus growing. Professor Plant: Fantastic news, please share photos!

Bursar Primary Academy: Sorry our data has not been good for this week- the weather has been against us! (A. Year 4) We are going to measure our plants next week. (D. Year 4). Professor Plant: Thank you for updating me bulb buddies, keep up the good work!

Ysgol Bro Pedr: a damp start but a beautiful end to the week. We planted a few extra bulbs inside the classroom as an experiment this year to try and force them - leaving half the bulb above ground - they re just starting to grow ! Professor Plant: Ah that will be an interesting experiment! Let me know what your findings are. Remember that it’s only the flowering dates for the outdoor plants that will need entering to the project website.

Comments about the project

Steelstown Primary School: We are really enjoying it so far and we are looking forward to collecting the data next week. Professor Plant: Fantastic bulb buddies, I’m glad you are enjoying the project!

Ysgol Gymraeg Dewi Sant: Diolch am anfon y bylbiau aton ni. Ni'n edrych ymlaen i weld y blodau. Athro’r Ardd: Diolch am gymryd rhan yn y prosiect Cyfeillion, rwy’n edrych ymlaen at weld y planhigion blodeuo hefyd. Wrth edrych ar y data blaenorol, pryd rydych yn meddwl bydd y planhigion yn blodeuo?

YGG Tonyrefail: Roedd yn hwyl cofnodi y data. Athro’r Ardd: Rwy’n falch i glywed rydych yn mwynhau'r prosiect Cyfeillion!

Stanford in the Vale Primary School: happy to restart the project and i am teaching the younger children in the club how to record. Have a good weekend and we will be back next week. Regards R.. Professor Plant: Welcome back R.! I’m glad to know the project is in good hands again this year. Keep up the fantastic work!

Hudson Road Primary School: Thank you, we have enjoyed learning to read the temperature and the rain gauge measures. It has only rained once this week but it has been a bit chilly. Professor Plant: Fantastic, I’m glad you are learning new skills and hope you are enjoying the project my friends!

Auchencairn Primary School: We had to move the rain gauge on Wednesday after someone knocked it over so we aren't sure if the results are correct. Hopefully it is alright in its new position. Stormy at the weekend and a plant pot was blown over. Professor Plant: Thank you for the update bulb buddies, I hope the pots and rain gauge are safe now. Keep up the good work!

Our Lady of Peace Primary School: We were glad we won the photograph competition and it was fun. Professor Plant: I’m glad you enjoyed it bulb buddies and I hope you liked your prize!

Our Lady of Peace Primary School: It was fun and cold. Professor Plant: I’m glad to hear you are enjoying the project even in the cold bulb buddies!

Whitgreave Junior School: I realised that I had misread the scale last week, so the rainfall data was completely out! It won't let me go back and edit submitted data, not sure if there is a way of doing that, please let me know if there is, so it can be more accurate! Thank you. Professor Plant: Thank you for updating me bulb buddy. You should be able to re-enter data for previous weeks, and the most recent entry will show on the graph as the correct entry. If this isn’t working for you please send me an email and I will make the corrections.

Shirenewton Primary School: We had to recheck the temperature because I took the Fahrenheit reading, not degrees Celsius. Professor Plant: I’m glad you are learning about different temperature scales bulb buddies. Keep up the good work.

Woodlands Academy: This week we put a new net over our plants to ensure the wildlife would not dig up our bulbs again. The children also loved the opportunity to go outside and check the readings. Professor Plant: There’s good thinking bulb buddies! It sounds like your bulbs have had an exciting time of it. Thank you for looking after them, and I’m glad you are enjoying the project.

Y3AE St Julian's Primary Newport: Unfortunately when we arrived at school on Monday morning we discovered that many of our planted pots had been thrown around and outside the school site. We still have lots left but we are keeping our fingers crossed that these will not be touched this weekend! Professor Plant: I’m sorry to hear this bulb buddies. How are your pots and bulbs now?

Steelstown Primary School: We are all enjoying collecting the data for this project. It gets more fun each week we take part. Professor Plant: I’m glad to hear it bulb buddies, I enjoy studying the data you collect each week!

Comments about the weather:

YGG Tonyrefail: Wythnos wlyb iawn!!

Ysgol Beulah: Roedd hi'n oer Dydd Mawrth:)

St. Nicholas Primary School: Wednesday was a very hot day for November. Professor Plant: Wow 19 degrees is warm for November!

Carnbroe Primary School: Hello Professer Plant this week it was a wee bit cold and very wet.

Ysgol Beulah: Oedd yn oerach yr wythnos hon.Cawson llawer o law nos Fercher.

Henllys CIW Primary: actual rainfall Tusday was 0.5 mm and Friday 32 mm

Darran Park Primary: we had a lot of rain

Darran Park Primary: the weather was warmer but we had a lot more rain.

Arkholme Primary School: we found that there was a lot of rain and that it felt colder than it was.

Kirkby La Thorpe Cof E Primary Academy: wettest week but very mild for December , double figures!!! only 1 frosty morning. soil becoming waterlogged but luckily in a breezy rural location so surface will dry.

St Julian's Primary School: A very wet week!

Our Lady of Peace Primary SchooL: It’s so close to Christmas we are so excited it was very cold this week.

Chorley St James Primary School: This week was very wet and rainy. Also, during the day time the wind started to pick up and on Friday we had hale. It was very bad.

Chorley St James Primary School: This week it has been a little bit hotter that last week, but we still had rain and wind.

Chorley St James Primary School: This week it has been dry and hasn't really had any rain except on Wednesday. Hopefully the next week will be more hot.

St. Robert's Catholic Primary: There was no rain at all this week!

St. Robert's Catholic Primary: It was mostly dry this week and not too cold.

St. Robert's Catholic Primary: A lot of rain this week. The measure was completely full on Monday.

Hello Bulb Buddies,

Thank you for all the work you have done so far and for sharing your photos! It was extremely hard to choose just five winners. The chosen photos are from schools in Wales who are not participating in the Edina extension projects. If you are participating in the Edina Trust extension projects then your photos were entered into their photo competition.

Here are the winning schools:

Llanyrafon Primary School

Peterston Super Ely CiW Primary School

St Philip Evans Catholic Primary

Ysgol Gymraeg Aberystwyth

Ysgol Llandwrog

Your prizes will be posted to you soon. Well done Bulb Buddies.

I’d like to send a big thank you to all the schools that have shared photos with us. It has been lovely to see the work that you have been doing, so please continue to share your photos! I will use these in my Blog posts over the coming weeks.

Keep up the good work Bulb Buddies!

Professor Plant

Hi Bulb Buddies!

I hope you all enjoyed your half term holidays!

I want to say a big thank you for all your hard work on planting day. You helped to plant over 17,000 bulbs across the country! And from the photos I’ve seen, it looks like you all had a great time doing it!

Weather records started on 5th November. There is a resource on the website with more information on weather records. I’ve attached this here in case you haven’t already seen it! This resource helps you to answer important questions, such as ‘why rain fall and temperature readings are important to our investigation into the effects of climate on the flowering dates of spring bulbs’!

Use your Weather Chart to log the rain fall and temperature every day that you are in school. At the end of each week, log into the Spring Bulbs website to add your weekly readings. You can also leave comments or ask questions for me to answer in my next Blog!

Let me know how you get on! You can share photos with me via email or Twitter.

Keep up the good work Bulb Buddies!

Professor Plant

Hello Bulb Buddies,

It's planting day for schools in Wales, England and Northern Ireland! Schools in Scotland will be planting next Friday.

Click here for activities and resources that will help you with this part of the project and with looking after your bulbs over the coming months! 

These resources will help you on planting day:

• Adopt your Bulb (an overview of the care your Bulbs will need)
• Planting your Bulbs (guidelines for ensuring a fair experiment)

And these activities are fun to complete:

• Bulb Adoption Certificate
• Make Bulb Labels

It's important that you read these as they contain important information! For example, do you know to label your pot so that you know where the Daffodil and Crocus are planted?

Remember to take photos of your planting day to enter the Planting Day Photo Competition!

Keep an eye on Professor Plant's Twitter page to see photos from other schools.

Best of luck Bulb Buddies! Let us know how you get on!

Professor Plant & Baby Bulb