: Addysg

Nadolig Llawen - Gyfeillion Bylbiau!

Ni allaf gredu mai dyma'r wythnos gyfnodi olaf yn 2013! Llongyfarchiadau am gadw cofnodion tywydd dros y chwe wythnos diwethaf! Nid oes angen i chi gadw mwy o gofnodion yn awr tan yr wythnos gyntaf yn Ionawr, 2014. Gallwch adael eich bylbiau yn yr ysgol dros y Nadolig ac ymlacio tan y flwyddyn newydd. Yr wyf yn gobeithio y byddwch yn cael Nadolig gwych ar ôl gweithio mor galed y tymor hwn!

Rydym wedi cael tywydd ofnadwy yr wythnos hon, felly yr wyf yn gobeithio nad oedd ddifrod storm neu lifogydd yn eich ardal leol chi. Mae'r tywydd wedi achosi rhai problemau ofnadwy i bobl ar draws y DU - gweler y tywydd mewn lluniau http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/feeds/25232374

Dywedodd Ysgol Gynradd Manor (Swydd Rydychen): Rydym yn drist iawn i ddweud bod yr holl potiau wedi chwythu drosodd. Tybed beth yr hoffech i ni ei wneud? Prof.P: Gyda'r tywydd ddiweddar, rwy'n siŵr bod llawer o'r potiau wedi chwythu drosodd ac angen ail-potio. Peidiwch â phoeni bydd eich bylbiau yn iawn os ydynt yn cael eu lleoli yn ddiogel yn ôl i'w potiau.
Os gwelwch yn dda ddod o hyd i fy atebion i'ch sylwadau isod.

Nadolig Llawen oddi wrth yr Athro'r Ardd a Bwlb Bychan!

Eich cwestiynau:

St. Mary's Catholic Primary School, Leyland: Dear Professor Plant. On Tuesday and Friday this week, we think our temperature was so high because the sun was shining right on our thermometer. It felt so much colder - our teacher’s car thermometer showed 3 degrees. Next week, we are going to move our thermometer to a different place where the sun will not shine directly onto it. Love from Mrs Thompson's Year 1 Class. Prof:P: You've done the right thing here, it's important that thermometers are not placed in direct sunlight or they will show higher temperatures.

Raglan VC Primary: Rainfall on Mon included the weekend rainfall. A crocus bulb was starting to shoot (20/11/13), we covered it with a handful of compost. Prof.P: This is a good idea to keep the bulb warm but as long as the crocus bulb was planted 10cm beneath the soil then you shouldn't need to cover over any shoots in future.

Ysgol Bro Eirwg: Cwestiwn oddi wrth Rhys: Pam mae angen dwr ar y bylbiau? Athro'r Ardd:Ond angen rhoi dŵr i eich bylbiau os yw'r pridd yn y potiau yn mynd yn sych i gyffwrdd. Ar yr adeg hon o'r flwyddyn dylai fod digon o ddŵr o'r glaw. Mae bylbiau yn amsugno ddŵr drwy eu gwreiddiau. Mae'r dŵr yn helpu'r planhigyn i tyfu eginau a pharatoi i flodeuo yn y gwanwyn.

Manor Road Primary School (Lancashire): It's been a blustery but fairly dry week here in Lancashire. Our bulb labels have suffered in the winds but hopefully the bulbs will be snug in their pots! Prof.P: Sorry your labels are ruined but glad your bulbs are safe :-)

Burscough Bridge Methodist School: Tuesday there was a small layering of snow. Prof.P: How exciting! Also bulbs need cold weather to trigger their growth at this time of year - so all good for the bulbs.

Ysgol Rhys Prichard: Tuesday rainfall fell as sleet. Thursday was the first real frost this winter. Prof.P: Again, this is great for the bulbs to trigger their growth.

Arkholme CE Primary School: There are some difficulties on a Monday morning because sometimes it might have rained over the weekend. Prof.P: Don't worry Arkholme - we expect all the schools taking part to have a higher reading on a Monday so this is not a problem.

Greyfriars RC Primary School: hi our bulbs are doing fine and the leaves on the trees in the school garden have fallen. The Scots Pine still has its needles. From Airlie and Athen. Prof.P: Yes the Scots pine is one of our few native plants to remain green in the winter. Can you think of anymore? These plants are often mentioned in carols.

The Blessed Sacrament Catholic Primary School: The weather is very varied each day; sunshine, cloud, breeze. On Sunday night it froze hard so even though the temperature was high in the sunshine, the compost in the pots was frozen. Prof.P: this is good for the bulbs at this time of year it tells them that it is winter now and that spring is on its way in a few months.

St. Ignatius Primary School: Again the bulbs have been vandalised over the weekend. The pots have been moved or tipped over. Our janitor is out at the moment trying to fix them and get everything back to normal. We are very upset and disappointed by this but we will continue to look after our plants as best we can. Prof.P: Very sorry to hear that this has happened again but delighted to hear that you are determined to continue. Is there anywhere else in the school that is safer to keep them?

Glyncollen Primary School: We are getting really good at recording our weather data. This week has been very cold. We hope the bulbs are warm in the earth. Prof.P: Don't worry the bulbs will be fine - they like it cold at this time of year. Glad to hear that you are getting good at keeping your weather records it's a very useful skill that you are learning.

Raglan VC Primary: 10% of pots are showing growth of bulbs. Prof.P: I like how you are reporting this. Good use of numeracy!

Burscough Bridge Methodist School: Thursday night seen the area hit by storms. Prof.P: Glad the school is safe.

The Blessed Sacrament Catholic Primary School: A terrible storm on Tuesday night which continued with a wet and windy Wednesday. The pots keep filling up with leaves as fast as we can clear them but no need to water yet. The children are enjoying looking at the scales on the rain gauge and thermometer and comparing them to the rulers we are using in maths. Prof.P: Great to hear you are enjoying comparing this will make you super at science. Don’t worry about the leaves too much the bulbs will find their way through the leaves without any problems.

Mae’r coed yn brydferth yn Sain Ffagan yr wythnos hon! Rwyf wrth fy modd a lliwiau’r hydref.

Pa liw yw'r dail lle rydych yn byw, brown, coch, melyn neu wedi cwympo?

Mae'r coed fel y bylbiau gwanwyn yn newid gyda’r tymheredd lleol. Heb fod yn rhy oer yng Nghaerdydd eto, felly mewn mannau mae dal rhai dail gwyrdd. Ond os mae’n oer yn ardal chi gall y dail eisoes wedi cwympo.

85 o gofnodion yn yr wythnos hon - diolch i bob un ohonoch sydd yn mynd allan bob dydd i gadw eich cofnodion tywydd!

Mae'r tymheredd oeraf a gofnodwyd hyd yn hyn yn -1 gradd Celsius a gofnodwyd gan Ysgol Gynradd St Blanes yn yr Alban. St Blanes: “Mae'n mor oer heddiw oedd rhaid i ni wisgo ein hetiau, sgarffiau a menig pan aethom y tu allan i gymryd ein darlleniadau tywydd.  Roedd ein glawiad wedi troi'n rhew! Ni’n CARU prosiect hwn, er bod ein dannedd yn rhincian!” Cymerwch olwg ar ble maen nhw ar y map neu edrychwch ar eu tymheredd.

Mae'r glaw mwyaf wedi ei gofnodi yn Ysgol Bro Eirwg - 140mm! Bro Eirwg: Rydym wedi mwynhau casglu data'r wythnos hon. Pryd fydd y bylbiau yn dechrau tyfu.? A.Ardd: Byddant yn cael eu tyfu o dan y pridd yn barod ond dylai egin yn ymddangos uwchben y pridd o fis Ionawr ymlaen.

Eich cwestiynau - fy atebion:

• Culross Primary School. Very cold week - children enjoyed measuring rainfall and looking at temperatures. We also discussed the importance of trying to record results at the same time each day. Prof.P: Very good - this is important for ensuring a fair test!
• St. Blanes Primary School. We are excited to go out into the school garden everyday to check our rain gauge and thermometer! Ysgol Sychdyn: We have enjoyed recording the weather data. Prof.P: Fantastic - you'll be weather experts soon!
• Cawthorne's Endowed Primary School. Hello Professor Plant this is a very good idea.      Prof.P: thanks you very much!
• St. Mary's Catholic Primary School. Thank you Professor Plant for sending us the bulbs. We enjoyed planting them and can't wait to see what they look like when they grow. From Year 1 children at St Mary's in Leyland. Prof.P: I'm sure the flowers will be beautiful Year 1!

Last Thursday 14^th November Year 6 pupils from Trelai Primary School took part in National Taking Over Museums Day - a celebration of children and young people’s contribution to museums, galleries and heritage sites across the UK.

The pupils worked with Learning Staff and Natural Science Curators at the National Museum Cardiff to help develop content for a new family science exhibition, which is due to open in July 2014.

Pupils gave us feedback on existing science galleries, chose objects for the exhibition and tested some potential activities for this hands-on exhibition.

It was a really successful day and the feedback from the children was so insightful, with lots of really useful ideas that will help inform our planning of the exhibition.

We’re really looking forward to inviting them back to the exhibition launch in July.

More information on Kids in Museums can be found here: 

http://kidsinmuseums.org.uk/takeoverday2013/taking-over-museums-2013/

Mae dros chwe fil o fylbiau wedi cael eu plannu ar draws y DU gan y Gwyddonwyr Gwych sydd yn cadw cofnodion tywydd i ymchwilio newid yn yr hinsawdd.

Roedd y tywydd yn ystod yr wythnos plannu yn wlyb iawn, ond er hyn, wnaeth y disgyblion mwynhau garddio yn yr awyr iach. Creodd y disgyblion labeli ar gyfer eu planhigion a mabwysiadu'r bylbiau y bydd yn gofalu am dan wanwyn nesaf. Edrychwch ar rai o'r lluniau a anfonwyd i mewn o ysgolion.

Dechreuodd yr ysgolion i gadw cofnodion tywydd. Maent yn dysgu sut i gofnodi tymheredd a mesur glawiad. Yna, maent yn llwytho cofnodion hyn i'n gwefan gan ddefnyddio eu sgiliau TGCh. Hyd yn hyn, derbyniwyd pum deg pedwar o gofnodion - sydd yn anhygoel!

Hoffwn ddweud helo arbennig i Isaac o Lancashire a ymwelodd ag Amgueddfa Caerdydd dros hanner tymor i ddweud helo. Yn anffodus, roeddwn yn gweithio yn plannu ein Gweirglodd Drefol newydd ar y pryd a ddim wedi cael siawns i gwrdd ag Isaac. Mae'n ddrwg gennym i colli chi Isaac - gobeithio eich bod wedi mwynhau eich ymweliad â Chaerdydd.

Athro'r Ardd.

Eich sylwadau:

SS Philip and James CE Primary School: We're not sure our laminated labels will survive the winter so we wrote our names on the lollypop sticks and on the side of the pots in case the pictures fall off. Any other advice welcome! Here are some comments from the children: "I really liked comparing the size of the bulbs." "I enjoyed seeing the pointy part of the daffodil peeping through the compost." "Putting the soil in and getting my hands messy was the best bit". "It was really cool." Prof.P: Glad you enjoyed planting. Keeping the tags on the labels is tricky. I think what you have done is great. Some schools use a permanent white marker pen to write on the pots.

Kilmaron Special School: This year we have planted our bulbs in 4 different places to see if they grow better at the front of the school or at the back. We have planted some in the bulbs in a new bed and some in old beds to see if the soil makes a difference. Prof P: Great investigative skills Kilmaron - please let us know if you see any changes and if they are as you predict?

Glyncollen Primary School: Our bulbs are in good condition. We enjoyed planting them and can't wait to see them grow. Prof.P: Glad the bulbs are doing well and that you are enjoying the project again at Glyncollen.

Greyfriars RC Primary School: I am really enjoying it thank you for last year. I'm loving the bulbs mine are called Earl and Willum. Prof.P: I'm delighted to hear you enjoyed and are continuing to this year at Greyfriars.

Ladywell Primary School: We are really enjoying looking after the bulbs. We will be a few days behind everyone else as unfortunately they were knocked down and we had to replant the bulbs. We are thankful that you gave us more bulbs because they were destroyed. We are also thankful for including us in the project. Prof.P: Glad you got the bulbs and more importantly that you haven't given up!

Bleasdale CE Primary School: We have been scaring away the slugs! Prof.P: Many gardeners will be very interested to know how you are doing this Bleasdale. Let me know.

Raglan VC Primary: We removed lots of fallen leaves from the top of the pots. No watering required this week.

Ysgol Bro Eirwg: Ar ddydd Mercher cafon ni 19cm o law, sef 190mm - mae'r siart dim ond yn mynd i 100mm! Hefyd ar ddydd Gwener cafon ni 11cm o law, sef 110mm, yr un broblem gyda'r siart! Diolch Athro.Ardd: Llawer iawn o glaw! Wnai newid y furflen we - diolch.

Woodplumpton St. Anne's Primary School: It's interesting to see the difference between the highest and the lowest temperatures in one week. We are very excited to be taking part in the project. We want to know what will happen. Prof.P: Hopefully in the spring you will have some beautiful flowers!

Culross Primary School: We are going to send our weather reports on Monday’s. On Friday the rainfall was 10 mm because it was hailstones on Thursday evening. Prof.P: Wow hailstones already! We had some in Cardiff too - I got soaked!

Burscough Bridge Methodist School: There was a high amount of rainfall this week and due to the weather conditions over Wednesday night the gauges tipped and lost the contents. Prof.P: I use a big lump of clay to help keep my rain gauge in place but most days it should be fine in the soil.

On Wednesday 30^th October, National Museum Cardiff came alive for a haunting day of Halloween fun. Curators (and witches!) from the Natural History department filled the main hall with spooky specimens from our collections to share with the public on a busy half term day.

The botanists made a real impression by opening up the Herbarium and creating a spooky graveyard of deadly plants. This was a real hit with the children who left repeating some of the delightfully ghoulish names to their parents such as “Stinking Hellebore!” and  “Bloody Cranesbill!”

The Fungus table had a case of wonderful wax models where you could match each fungus with its creepy name, such as the Trumpet of Death, Scaly Tooth and Witch Heart. Children, and adults, could make their own fungus with the colourful modelling clay provided, creating some amazing new species!

Two witches stirred their potion in a cauldron alongside an eerie ‘Herbs in Medicine and Magic’ display.  All Harry Potter fans would have immediately recognised the famous Mandrake, a plant often used in magic rituals due to its hallucinogenic properties, but there was no need for ear muffs as the real plant does not let out a fatal scream!

Marine and Mollusc curators put out an array of Halloween treats from ghost slugs and dead man’s fingers to blood cockles and pumpkin snails. Visitors enjoyed being able to touch sea urchins, spiny oysters and star fish. The pickled cuttlefish and squid were a real treat and produced a great mixed response, from awe to disgust, from children and adults alike.

The giant bloodsucking mosquito model dominated the Entomology stand whilst a witch displayed a table of British bats, from the largest Noctule to the smallest Pipistrelle.

Geologists enticed visitors with ‘fossils in folklore’, including echinoderms that were thought to be ‘fairy loaves’, and ‘dragon claws’ that come from dinosaurs. Those brave enough stayed to see the ‘Hell, Fire and Brimestone!’ stand which revealed specimens of larva, ash and volcanic rocks.

The Open Day was underpinned with an educational trail provided by the Education department. The trail took children around all of the displays, answering questions on blood stained petals and thunder stones, fungal fingers and tails of worms, to name a few. It was an excellent way to get families involved and encouraged children to interact with the curators. The trail proved to be extremely popular with 170 families taking part.

For those who wanted to know more, there was a scary ‘Dragons’ tour in the Evolution of Wales gallery and two behind the scenes tours of the Biology and Geology collections.

The day was a real success with 3127 members of the public coming through the museum doors. So, if you didn’t make it this time keep your eyes peeled on the ‘What’s On’ guide  for more upcoming Natural History Open Days throughout the year.

Blog by Harriet Wood