: Learning

Dear Bulb Buddies,

This is one of my favourite times of year! Schools across the UK will be getting outside to plant their bulbs as part of the Spring Bulbs for Schools Investigation. Each participating school was sent a crocus and a daffodil bulb for every pupil in the enlisted class to plant on 21 October (or the closest date possible). This means that some schools will be planting this week and others will plant next week. I look forward to sharing their fantastic photos with you. We run a Planting Day Photo Competition every year, so check in on this Bulb Blog again to see the winning images and follow @Professor_Plant on Twitter to see all of the fantastic photos shared!

We have many fun and engaging resources on the website. Some are specific to the investigation but others can be adapted for all schools. Resources developed to support this stage of the investigation can be found here:

Step 1: Preparing for planting day (early October)

Step 2: Planting day

Step 3: Optional hands-on weather and gardening themed activities

This will also be the second year that we run the Bulbcast competition. This is a fun and creative task that participating classes can undertake alongside the investigation. Our budding scientists are asked to plan, record and edit a short video exploring their favourite parts of the investigation. Resources to support this task can be found here, and the winners will be announced towards the end of the academic year. I can't wait to see what this years creative minds produce. I wonder how many schools will mention or show footage of planting day in their entries?

All participating schools were sent a new resource this year, a cheerful calendar that has been especially designed to help the class document their weather and flower data. This includes key dates for the investigation and a proposed structure for organising the data collection. Teachers can choose to split their class into five groups, who each take turns to document and upload the weather data. The hope is that this will help to give ownership of the investigation to the children.  As a result, we may very well see references to the different groups in the comments I'll share from schools over the course of the investigation. 

I look forward to sharing regular updates on the investigation with you. I hope you are celebrating Planting Day with me, as schools across the UK join together to plant over 18,000 bulbs in this collective action for nature. Go Bulb Buddies!

Professor Plant

The Summer holiday period saw the launch of the new sensory toy boxes at National Museum Cardiff. There are 5 boxes which are inspired by our collections and galleries. The boxes were developed to engage younger visitors and enhance their museum visit through multi sensory play. The boxes are located in five of our galleries and correspond with the objects on display such as woodland wildlife, sealife, dinosaurs and historical and contemporary art.

The boxes include a varied selection of toys and books which are accessible for children of all ages and needs. In museum spaces where collections on display cannot be handled, sensory resources allow children to learn through play and can spark intergenerational conversations about our collections.  

Visitors to the museum are encouraged to find all 5 boxes and share any feedback and photographs with us on X at @Amgueddfa_Learn.

The new academic year is well underway. Professor Plant and his happy helpers have packed and distributed 175 resource packs to schools across the UK. 

These packs contain everything that schools need to participate in this year's investigation:

- A pot and bulbs for each participating child

- A rain gauge and a thermometer to record weather data

- A calendar to keep track of weather and flower data

- Vouchers to purchase peat free compost

- The Term Planner outlining key dates for the project

- A biodegradable pot to compare different materials

- Mystery bulbs to learn about different plants 

On 21 October (or the closest date possible) schools are tasked with planting their Tenby daffodils and whitewell crocus bulbs. This is the first action for nature that participating schools will take as part of the project.  Please follow this blog and @Professor_Plant on X/ Twitter to see the images that are shared as we celebrate this mass planting.  @Professor_Plant will also share regular updates  from schools over the academic year and will celebrate with them when their plants start flowering!

The first resources needed by participating schools are: 

- Spring Bulbs for Schools: Teacher's guide 

- Step 1: Preparing for planting day

- Step 2: Planting day

All schools can follow the project and can use worksheets that are available on the website. 

I look forward to sharing with you all the fantastic work that our Super Scientists undertake as part of this project.

Professor Plant

Theatr na n'Óg have had a passion for telling stories for 40 years and have collaborated with several of the Amgueddfa Cymru sites. Together they have collaborated on many projects that have brought the history and culture of Wales to life, inspiring young people and adults across many workshops and performances. 

In previous years National Museum Cardiff and the National Waterfront Museum have collaborated with them on a variety of projects. In 2009, Alfred Russel Wallace, who’s discoveries spurred Darwin to produce ‘On the Origin of Species’, was the focus. In 2022, the story of Elgan Jones, a 14-year-old boy who was arrested for poaching in 1898, became a court room drama which placed the audience as jurors. Now, in 2024, the National Waterfront Museum is working with them once more on a project exploring the story of the Merthyr Tydfil born boxer, Cuthbert Taylor, in a production called ‘The Fight.’

To get a deeper understanding of Theatr na n'Óg, ‘The Fight’, and the role Amgueddfa Cymru plays in the partnership, Leisa Williams, Senior Learning Officer at National Waterfront Museum and Geinor Styles, the Artistic Director at Theatr na n'Óg, sat down for a chat about projects past and present.

Use the media player to listen to the conversation in full. 

About ‘The Fight’ |

'The Fight' is a brand-new play telling the true story of a Welsh boxing legend.

In the deprived valleys of the 1930s, boxing was more than just a sport; it was a way out of poverty. Merthyr-born Cuthbert Taylor, now seen as one of the best boxers of his generation, should have had the opportunity to fight for a British title, but was denied this chance because of the colour of his skin.

Written by Geinor Styles, Directed by Kev McCurdy

Click here for information on school performances, workshops, learning resources and more. 

The Spring Bulbs for Schools Investigation has died down until September, when we will be welcoming our new schools and introducing them to the project.

But there’s lots of fun that can be had over the summer! Explore our website to find activity sheets and games that you can play at home. The origami booklet and Kahoot quizzes are my favourites!

There’s more to explore on the Amgueddfa Cymru Learn pages and the Edina Trust website. 

Why not have a go at some of our Kahoot quizzes now? Just click the links below to explore!

Quiz 1: When will our daffodils flower 2024? 

Compare weather data for 2023-24 from across the UK and against previous years to predict when daffodils will flower. What do plants need to grow? Which country was the warmest / coldest? Which country had the least rain? 

Quiz 2: Bulb Project Quiz 2023-24 Level 1 

Study bar graphs to deduce which were the wettest and warmest countries. Answer questions about plants. Discover which countries had the most and least rainfall. Discover which countries had the highest and lowest temperatures. 

Quiz 3: Bulb Project Quiz 2023-24 Level 2 

Study bar graphs to deduce national trends in temperature and rainfall. Study units carefully to calculate average monthly rainfall records for Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Work out the monthly temperatures for Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Answer general knowledge questions. 

Quiz 4: Compare weather records from different years 

Study line and bar chats to look for trends in the weather data. Order countries from warmest to coolest. See which years had the most and least rainfall. Deduce which years had the most hours of sunshine. 

Quiz 5: UK Flower Data 2024 

Study line and bar charts to look for trends in the flower data. Answer questions about average weather readings. Sort years from earliest to latest flowering dates. Study bar charts to see whether plants flowered earlier or later than expected. 

Quiz 6: Wales Weather Data 

Study line and bar charts to look for trends in the weather data. Study line graphs to pick out high and low monthly average temperatures. Study line graphs to answer true or false questions about monthly rainfall. Study Bar charts to order years from warmest to coolest.

Quiz 7: Wales Flower Data 

Study bar and line graphs to determine whether our data shows patterns for the flowering dates of spring bulbs. Use tables to deduce which years saw plants flower earliest. Study combination charts to deduce trends in the data. Compare findings from different charts to see if there are patterns that explain anomalies in the data. 

Have fun Bulb Buddies,

Professor Plant