Learning

What a crazy few weeks of weather we have had! In one week the weather reporters have featured record breaking temperatures, hosepipe bans and now snow in many places!

The high pressure gave us plenty of sunshine and record breaking temperatures but now temperatures have returned more to what we would normally expect for the time of year.

Meanwhile, the temperature of our planet is still rising. 2010 was the hottest year across the globe. For the UK this seems to mean that wierd weather is becoming more and more normal. We have certainly seen some strange weather since starting our investigation.

BBC Horizon broadcast a program called ‘Global Weirding’, it explored the science behind why the world’s weather seems to be getting more extreme.

It will be interesteing to see what our results show this year.

I've recieved all the data now so after Easter I will be looking at the trends and discussing them with schools.

Many thanks to all the bulb buddies that have worked so hard keeping records since last November.

Enjoy the Easter Break!

www.museumwales.ac.uk/scan/bulbs

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Wood for the Trees return to the T? Gwyrdd this Saturday, 7^th of April. Earlier this year they held a footstool making workshop, which was a great success as can be seen from the picture. Participants made their own footstools from start to finish, from planing the stool legs to the upholstery work at the end. 

The footstool workshop was for people who had booked in advance, but this time the T? Gwyrdd doors will be open to all for an Upcycling Chalky Workshop! There will be a chance to make your own blackboard to take away with you and also the chance to decorate some furniture! 

The T? Gwyrdd will be open between 11 and 1 and again from 2 till 4 after lunch, so why not drop in and see what’s on offer!

Click here for more information.

These photos are from february half term, but I'd forgotten to put them on the blog until now (in fact I thought I had put them on the blog already but I must have just popped a few on twitter...).

It may be hard to tell but the art work is based on the mural of Noah's Ark in the church here in St Fagans: National History Museum. I drew the ark on a large piece of paper and asked the children to add animals to it - some they had drawn themselves and some coloured in from pictures provided. I also drew a couple of pictures of a devil and a dragon based on those in the church and they went down a storm! I must remember to bring those nasty creatures back round about halloween!

There will be drop in art sessions over the may bank holiday, so please come by and say hello!

Sian

Welcome to the Clore Discovery Centre. For those of you who maybe haven’t ventured through our huge double doors we’re a ‘hands on’ gallery on the ground floor of the National Museum Cardiff.

 Come to us to explore hundreds of Museum objects: insects, fossils, minerals and gemstones, animal skulls, Roman pottery and Bronze Age weapons (to name but a few!) It’s your chance to get to grips with a few of the 7.5 million objects normally buried away in our stores.

 These real objects can inspire adults and children alike. Over time we’ll be posting some examples of your responses to the collections and giving you some ideas to help you get the most from the gallery and its collections.

 Why not bring your ‘mystery objects’ to the gallery and our experts will help you identify them. We’ll be putting our favourites on the blog and asking you to join in with your ideas.

See you soon!

Dear Bulb Buddies

I can't believe that we are now in our final week of recording!

This is the 20th week of record keeping - so congratulations to every school scientist that has been out in the rain, snow and finally this amazing warm March weather to keep records.

Top temperature recorded in schools = 25C last friday at Glyncollen Primary School, near Swansea.

I really hope you have enjoyed the experiment and learned about keeping plants, your local weather and climate change. Thanks so much for helping me with this important investigation. I will be awarding all who have kept records with Super Scientist Certificates - which will be sent to your school by the 14th of May together with a summary of the investigation results.

Please make sure all your records are sent in this Friday together with any drawing competition entries you may have. Please see pictures of pupils drawing their flowers in the sunshine!

If your flower hasn't flowered yet but it does have a bud then please take it home over Easter and jot down the date it opens. If sadly, your flower hasn't opened and doesn't have a bud then please send a in a no flower record and you will of course still recive your certificate.

Record breaking weather!

A temperature of 22.8C (73F), the highest in the UK, was recorded at Fyvie Castle in Aberdeenshire, beating the previous March record of 22.2C in 1965.

Porthmadog in Gwynedd was the warmest place in the UK on Saturday with temperatures soaring to 22.2 Celsius, 72 Fahrenheit. That's about 12 degrees above the seasonal average and warmer than Malaga in Spain!

I look forward to sending you your certificates and seedlings in May. Enjoy your Easter break, many, many thanks. Professor Plant.

P.s I will be blogging next week too for schools that haven't yet broken-up for the holidays - so please send in any comments.

Your comments:

Woodplumpton Primary: Two of our crocus bulbs did not open. Eleven of our daffodils have not opened yet. We are going to take them home today but will watch them and record the date and height if they do flower and send the results after Easter. Our mystery bulb opened! It's a yellow tulip! Ans: many thanks Woodplumpton!

Struan: Unfortunately someone snapped my flower. Ans: Very sorry to hear this Struan - and thanks for sending in your record.

Glyncollen Primary: We have had a lovely,mild week and today it is very warm. Our plants are growing well. We will be sorry to finish this investigation next week but we are going to tell Yr.3 all about it ready for next year. Thank you very much. Ans: Thank you Glyncollen I look forward to sending you your certificates and working with your school next year.

Really warming up know, and children upset to hear about the hosepipe ban, as we have little rain water in our water butts! Gardening Club, Stanford in the Vale Primary School. Ans: Yes we haven't had much rain this year. Hope you get some rain to fill up the water butts.

www.museumwales.ac.uk/scan/bulbs

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