: Addysg

A planting day of bulbous proportions!

Eleven thousand and three hundred bulbs were planted by school scientists across the UK to kick start the Spring Bulbs for Schools investigation. Seven and a half thousand pupils from one hundred and seventy nine schools got planting to investigate climate change.

Here is a map to show you where the bulbs were planted.

Here are some of the pictures they sent in. Follow their progress and the questions they raise as they record the local weather and flowering through the winter and into the spring.

Professor Plant

Biology rocked at National Museum Cardiff on Saturday 11^th October, when over 3000 visitors joined scientists from Amgueddfa Cymru, Cardiff University and the Society of Biology to celebrate National Biology Week and Earth Science Week. 

Visitors got the opportunity to see some of the specimens from our collections that aren’t usually on display and to talk to Museum experts about their work.  Specimens from the Marine and Mollusca collections provided inspiration for a mural depicting life in the seas around Wales, which became more colourful and populated throughout the day!  

As part of the Geological Society’s ‘100 Great Geosites’ campaign, Museum geologists displayed rocks, fossils and minerals from our collections, as well as stunning images of some of the most beautiful and iconic landscapes in Wales.  Members of the public were invited to vote for their favourite site in Wales, with the dinosaur footprints from Bendricks Rocks, near Barry, emerging as the clear favourite on the day.

To mark the recent arrival of two hives on our roof, staff from the Entomology and Botany Sections gave visitors the opportunity to take a closer look at bee specimens from our collections and to experience a ‘bee’s eye view’ of the world by playing a pollination game, collecting ‘pollen’ and ‘nectar’ from various flowers.

Scientists from Cardiff University’s School of Biosciences and School of Earth and Ocean Sciences put on a variety of displays and activities throughout the Museum.  Among the many activities on offer, visitors could try their hand at organ transplant using a life-size Operation game, race maggots, work out how big a dinosaur was from its footprint, discover first-hand how fungi get their spots, and learn the importance of reporting road kill with the Splatter Project.

Visitors to our I Spy….Nature pop-up museum at the Capitol Shopping center over the summer were given the opportunity to enter a drawing competition, using our museum specimens as inspiration for their artwork. Nine winners were chosen in three age groups, winning Natural History prizes from the museum shop. As part of the prize, all winners were offered the opportunity to have a special tour behind the scenes at the museum. Several of the prizewinners have already been to visit us and the rest will be visiting us over the next few weeks. All of the winning entries can be viewed here. 

Last Saturday 20^th September we ran our annual Beachwatch event at Ogmore Beach in the Vale of Glamorgan. This was part of the national campaign run by the Marine Conservation Society encouraging communities to get out and about to care for their local shorelines. This is the 10^th year that museum staff have been organising a Great British Beach Clean at this beach.

In the morning families took part in workshops with museum curators finding out about different types of seaweeds and animals in the strandline and in rock pools. There were fossil hunts where people discovered lots of fossilised bivalve shells and sily lilies (crinoids) in the rocks. Families also helped create our ‘Beach Museum’ making Landart, inspired by the works of artists like Richard Long.

After lunch the serious work began, museum staff and families scoured a 150m stretch of beach near to the slipway searching for rubbish. Sadly this wasn’t a challenge, we collected over 35kg of litter in an hour!  Each piece of rubbish found was logged and all this data will be sent on to the Marine Conservation Society who will use it to find out where beach litter comes from and contribute to marine conservation. Over the last 10 years we have seen a change in the rubbish that we have collected on this beach. During initial cleans one of the greatest problems encountered were cotton bud sticks, however these have declined over the years. Sadly one of the greatest problems encountered this year was dog poo in plastic bags and hypodermic needles. Over 65 people took part in the day’s activities and we look forward to taking part in Beachwatch the same time next year.

Ffermdy Hendre'r Ywydd Uchaf

Mae Elan yn gwirfoddoli gyda fforwm ieuenctid Sain Ffagan. Yn ddiweddar, treuliodd Elen amser gydag ein Uned Adeiladau Hanesyddol ac mae wedi ysgrifennu am ei phrofiad isod;

Arddangosiadau Tîm Adeiladau Hanesyddol

Fel rhan o’r arddangosiadau Tîm Adeiladau Hanesyddol yn Sain Ffagan, es i i Hendre’r Ywydd Uchag i weld saer coed wrth ei waith. Pan gyrhaeddais roedd yn brysur yn gweithio ar ffrâm ddrws ar gyfer y Pentref Oes Haearn newydd gyda phren a oedd o’r safle ac wedi cael ei dorri y bore hwnnw. Roedd rhaid i’r gwaith gael ei wneud gyda llaw heb unrhyw gymorth oddi wrth beiriannau. Roedd e’n fwy na hapus i siarad â ni ynglŷn â’i waith ac i ateb ein cwestiynau. Soniodd ynglŷn â’i hanes proffesiynol, ei fod wedi gwneud NVQ mewn gwaith saer hanesyddol a’i fod newydd orffen ei brentisiaeth ar ôl gweithio yn yr amgueddfa am bum mlynedd. Roedd ei edmygedd tuag at wybodaeth y crefftwyr mwy profiadol yn glir ac roedd yn ymwybodol fod y wybodaeth hon yn dod o brofiad ac nid ar sail cymwysterau.

Esboniodd wedyn sut daethant â’r adeiladau i’r amgueddfa gan ddisgrifio’r cynnyrch terfynol fel ‘flatpack buildings’ wrth iddynt rifo’r holl friciau o amgylch ochrau’r adeilad cyn ei dynnu i lawr a’i ailadeiladu. Defnyddiodd Dŷ Hwlffordd a Gorsaf Drenau Raglan fel esiamplau. Roedd pwysigrwydd cadwraeth yn y broses hon yn eglur wrth iddo sôn mai dim ond tynnu’r hyn sydd angen ei dynnu ffwrdd roedd rhaid gwneud wrth atgyweirio adeiladau. Esboniodd sut byddai datblygiadau newydd sydd ar droed yn Sain Ffagan yn arwain at waith newydd e.e. Palas y Tywysog o Ynys Môn lle bydd rhaid iddynt drin 480kg o bren! Dyma oedd amser gwerth ei dreulio er mwyn deall sut roedd yr adeiladu’n digwydd yn Sain Ffagan.

by Elan Llwyd