Model Church in Wales Primary from Carmarthen were this year’s Wales winners for the Spring Bulbs for Schools Investigation. Schools who participated in the project planted bulbs in October, took daily weather readings from November to March, monitored their plants and recorded their flowering dates and heights and uploaded all this data to the Amgueddfa Cymru website. 

The prize for the winning Wales school each year is a trip to one of Amgueddfa Cymru's seven museums, with coach hire and activities. This year Model Church in Wales Primary elected to visit St Fagans National Museum of History. The day included a Sustainability Trail that involved exploring some of the museum’s historic buildings and a Mindful Bug Hunt, where we explored some of the museum’s beautiful gardens.

We were extremely lucky on our Mindful Bug Hunt, which involved being attentive to our surroundings and watching, listening, and smelling intently. We saw emerald green and sapphire blue damselflies dancing above the water at the fishponds, and many little fish darting about beneath the surface. Some were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a grass snake as it slithered into the water and away. 

We saw busy bumble bees and colourful butterflies pollinating sweet-smelling plants like Lavender. We saw and heard long legged grasshoppers in the undergrowth of the flower beds, along with ladybirds, aphids, ants, beetles, centipedes, snails, earwigs, and woodlice. We ducked as a giant dragonfly fed on insects above our heads, diving at us repeatedly. 

We watched and listened as solitary bees buzzed around a mound in the lawn, burrowing new homes into the soil. We saw hundreds of baby garden spiders burst out of their egg sack and scatter throughout a hedge. 

We watched water boatmen swim leisurely past the stone footbridge, and water snails beneath feeding slowly on algae. We watched the familiar wild ducks, the stately Canadian geese and all their young chicks as they carried about their business along the water’s edge. 

We identified different plants and trees and saw how many of us it took to surround the entire width of the 400-year-old Oak tree. We were each immersed in the present and in wonder at it.

Model Church in Wales Primary have shared the following photos with us to depict their day at the museum. 

Model Church in Wales Primary at St Fagans National Museum of History

Model Church in Wales Primary at St Fagans National Museum of History

Model Church in Wales Primary at St Fagans National Museum of History

Model Chuch in Wales Primary at St Fagans National Museum of History

Model Church in Wales Primary at St Fagans National Museum of History

Model Church in Wales Primary on their Mindful Bug Hunt

Model Church in Wales Primary on their Mindful Bug Hunt

Model Church in Wales Primary on their Mindful Bug Hunt

This year we’re not only celebrating National Meadow’s Day on 1st July, we’ll also be celebrating ten years of our Urban Meadow at National Museum Cardiff. We are marking the day with the Celebration of Nature event at Saint Fagans National Museum of History.

Initial funding from the Cemex Community Fund has allowed the meadow to go from an area of “species poor amenity grassland.” (Biodiversity Survey, AC-MW, 2009) to the creation of an urban meadow with over 56 plant species recorded in the last survey (Biodiversity Survey, AC-MW, 2021). 

On the Urban Meadow plants such as Common Bird’s-foot-trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare), Lady’s Bedstraw (Galium verum) and Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) add colour to this part of the city every summer. Over the ten years they have been joined by Mallard ducks looking for some shelter, and even a grass snake has been spotted. Exotic looking Bee Orchids (Ophrys apifera) appear in flower in late May/early June every year too. By July the meadow is buzzing with insect life and birds looking to eat those insects and seeds. There are honey bees (Apis mellifera) who live in hives on the Museum roof. It’s only a short flight for them to collect nectar and pollen from the Urban Meadow during the summer months.

During the Covid 19 lockdowns, the meadow carried on without many people to see it or staff and volunteers to help maintain it. This has meant that some of the grasses have taken over. Smaller flowering plants can’t compete against the more robust grasses. Meadow foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis), Cock’s-foot (Dactylis glomerata) and Timothy (Phleum pratense) may all be native grasses, but we don’t want too many on the meadow. One corner of the meadow is damper than the other three corners and Yorkshire-fog (Holcus lanatus) has dominated here. Not one of the taller grass species, Yorkshire-fog only usually reaches 1m high, but the other grass species can reach 150cm tall.

Grasses are usually wind pollinated and so don’t need to have bright coloured flowers to attract insects for pollination. To let the flowering plants have some space to grow we are going to sow seeds of Yellow-rattle (Rhinanthus minor) this autumn. This annual plant is a parasite on Grasses (Poeaceae) meaning it gets nutrients by penetrating its roots of the grass. Many meadows may need Yellow-rattle seed sowing this autumn because the grasses have coped better with the hot weather than the smaller brightly coloured plants. The seeds are sown in the autumn because they need to sit in the soil during the winter and experience the cold to germinate. The yellow flowers appear in spring, followed by seed pods which ‘rattle’.

The Urban Meadow hasn’t just been an opportunity to increase biodiversity at Cathay’s Park by making it a nice place for plants and animals to live, it has helped people too. Staff and volunteers have been joined by many local school and community groups who have visited the meadow to learn about this city habitat. They have helped us to sow seed and plant small plants, mow and generally tidy up. One group even found a horseshoe! Lucky perhaps for the person who found it, but not for the horse who lost it!

Climate-change study in your own school yard.

Practical, scientific investigation aimed at ages 8-11. 

Make use of your outdoor classroom! Join the 175 schools taking part in this exciting investigation.

Spring Bulbs for Schools provides primary school pupils with the opportunity to adopt, study and record the development of spring bulbs as part of a spring watch network. Each pupil will receive a Tenby daffodil, crocus bulb and garden pot to record growth and flowering times. Each school will also receive a rain gauge and thermometer, to record daily weather readings.

Through collecting and comparing real data pupils discover how our changing climate is affecting our seasons and what this means for ourselves and the nature around us. Pupils take part in Professor Plant's challenges to receive Super Scientist certificates. 

Any schools in Wales can take part as results are collected digitally. This is an on-going investigation, meaning schools can take part year after year. You can look at our map to see if your school has taken part before.

To apply for Spring Bulbs for Schools 2023-2024 please fill out the online application form by following the link below.

Application are now open but numbers are limited so apply soon to ensure your place on the project! Application is only open to schools in Wales. Recruitment for schools in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland has now closed but please contact The Edina Trust for information about taking part in the project next year.

Spring Bulbs for Schools - Application form

Congratulations to all of the schools who successfully completed the Spring Bulbs for Schools Investigation this year. All schools listed below have been sent Super Scientist Certificates and pencils. The standard was extremely high again this year. 

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

Enillwyr / Winners:

Cymru / Wales: 

Model Church in Wales Primary School

Lloegr / England: 

Roseacre Primary Academy

Yr Alban / Scotland: 

St John Ogilvie Primary School

Gogledd Iwerddon / Northern Ireland: 

St Mary's Primary School (Maguiresbridge)

Yn Ail / Runners up:

Cymru / Wales: 

Peterston Super Ely Church in Wales Primary

Lloegr / England: 

Kidgate Primary Academy

Yr Alban / Scotland: 

Gavinburn Primary School

Gogledd Iwerddon / Northern Ireland: 

Grange Primary School Kilkeel

Clod Uchel / Highly Commended

Cymru / Wales: 

Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Tonyrefail

Pil Primary School

YGG Aberystwyth

Ysgol Llandegfan

St Julian's Primary

Yr Alban / Scotland: 

Kingcase Primary School

Dedridge Primary School

Kincaidston Primary School

Gogledd Iwerddon / Northern Ireland: 

St Patrick's Primary School, Eskra

Cydnabyddiaeth Arbennig / Special Recognition:

Cymru / Wales: 

Forden CiW School

Ysgol Gymraeg Dewi Sant

Ysgol San Sior

St Joseph's RC Primary School (North Road)

Alaw Primary

Ysgol Glan Conwy

Lloegr / England: 

St Anne's Catholic Primary School

Stanford in the Vale Primary School

Anchorsholme Academy

Fleet Wood Lane Primary School

Sylvester Primary Academy

St Kentigern's Primary School

Yr Alban / Scotland: 

Leslie Primary School

Livingston Village Primary School

St Anthony's Primary (Saltcoats)

Kirkhill Primary School

Blacklands Primary School

Gogledd Iwerddon / Northern Ireland: 

Clonalig Primary School

Irvinestown Primary School

Sacred Heart Primary - CO. Down

St Mary's Primary School (Newry)

St Paul's Primary School (Co Fermanagh)

Lisbellaw Primary School

Gwyddonwyr Gwych / Super Scientists

Cymru / Wales: 

Oystermouth Primary School

Abernant Primary

High Cross Primary (Newport)

Ysgol Capel Garmon

Albert Primary School

Llanbedr Church in Wales

NPTC Newtown College

Glyncoed Primary School

Spittal VC School

St Mary's Church in Wales Primary School 

St Paul’s CiW Primary

Lloegr / England: 

Cambridge Park Academy

Devonshire Primary Academy

Rowley Hall Primary School

St John's CE Primary School

St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School

Yr Alban / Scotland: 

Milton Primary School

Darvel Primary School

Meldrum Primary School

Our Lady of Peace Primary

Underbank Primary School

Maidens Primary School

Logan Primary School

Gogledd Iwerddon / Northern Ireland: 

Newtownbutler Primary School

Sacred Heart Primary School - Omagh

Glasswater Primary School

Cortamlet Primary School

Newtownhamilton Primary School

Tystysgrifau / Certificates:

Cymru / Wales: 

Ysgol Bro Sannan 

Ysgol Bethel

Brynford Primary

Minera Aided Primary School

St Joseph’s Cathedral (Swansea)

Ysgol y Wern

Ysgol Cwm Brombil

Adamsdown Primary School

Franksbridge CP School

Gors Community School

Montgomery

Penrhiwceibr Primary

Rhydri Primary School

St Athan Primary School 

St. Michael's RC Primary School

Trellech Primary School 

Twyn School

Ysgol Gymraeg Mornant

Ysgol Llanilar

Ysgol Pontrobert

Lloegr / England: 

St Teresa's Catholic Primary School

Hamstead Junior School

Harvills Hawthorn Primary School

Grange Primary School

Marton Primary Academy and Nursery

Yr Alban / Scotland: 

Forehill Primary School

Gartcosh Primary School

Newton Primary School

St Joseph's RC Primary School (Kelty)

Whitdale Primary School

Windyknowe Primary School

Gogledd Iwerddon / Northern Ireland: 

St Patrick's Legamaddy

Enniskillen Integrated Primary School

St Mary's Primary School (Killesher)

Hardgate Primary School

Thanks again Bulb Buddies,

Professor Plant

Penny Dacey, Spring Bulbs Project Coordinator, has been busy helping young budding scientists get outside and investigate the impact of climate change in an engaging and creative way!
 

Many of you may have heard of this Spring Bulbs project, as it’s been running since 2005! For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, here’s an overview. 
 

Pupils are asked to help Professor Plant, a friendly cartoon scientist, to explore the impact of a changing climate on the flowering dates of spring bulbs. Pupils do this by taking part in an annual study that involves documenting and submitting weather and flower data.

How it started and how it’s going…

The project began in Wales, under Danielle Cowell, Digital Learning Program Manager at Amgueddfa Cymru, but through funding from the Edina Trust has expanded to be UK wide.
 

Amgueddfa Cymru now engages 175 schools each year through the Spring Bulbs for Schools Investigation! That’s a lot of bulbs!

Let’s talk science!

Schools that participate in the investigation take part for a full academic year. They receive their resource packs in late September, plant their bulbs on 20 October, and begin taking weather records on 1 November through to 31 March.

Schools are asked to take weather records (temperature and rainfall readings) for every day that they are in school, and to upload this data to the Amgueddfa Cymru website at the end of each week. They are also asked to monitor their plants and to document the flowering date and the height of their plants on that date to the website. The result is that we can now compare the flowering dates for spring bulbs in Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland to those of previous years and look at how changing weather patterns may have impacted on these dates. Isn’t that amazing?

Making a difference - from scientific skills to well-being

The investigation supports the development of scientific knowledge and skills, including an understanding of plant growth, the impact of climate change on the environment, and data collection and analysis. Students are able to apply scientific methods and concepts to a real-world scenario, which helps them to understand the importance and relevance of science in their lives. The process of caring for their plants, getting outdoors (in all weather) and working together to collect the data has numerous benefits, both for well-being and in developing lifelong connections to nature.

Do you know of any schools that would like to take part?

Applications open on a first come first serve basis to primary schools in Wales in late April. If you know of any schools that would like to take part, please ask them to check
out the following pages for more information:
Spring Bulbs Website
Spring Bulbs Blog
Spring Bulbs Twitter