Issue 8 / May 2019 Clic-itNews for Primary Schools in WalesCymru Clic-itNews for Primary Schools in WalesCymru Authors: Haf Llewelyn, Mali Williams Editor: Karen MacIntyre Huws WALES EGGS!Easter is done and dusted once again and the eggs demoted to the bargain bucket. There is no better time to head for the OUTDOOR coast for an egg-stra special egg hunt of your own! LEARNING WEEK GO FOR IT Amazing ice art! Mermaid's purse PAGE 3 Empty egg-cases are found all along our beaches and eggs appearing on our rocky shores are a sure sign that spring is here. Look out for Mermaid’s Purses – the empty egg cases of some of the sharks and rays that live in our waters. The size and shape of your find will tell you which species has laid it. On the sharks' egg cases around our shores, there are curly pieces that attach to seaweeds. Skates have horns on their egg This April, Wales’ first Outdoor where many schools and cases that grab the seabed or holes in rocks. Learning week was held. The groups got together in the UNDER THE So go on - have a rummage to look for signs aim of the week was to Clocaenog Forest to plant oak MICROSCOPE of spring on the shore line! Good luck! celebrate all the wonderful saplings. One of the groups Water, water, water! Welsh outdoor learning which takes there was Ysgol Caer Drewyn’s treasure! place in Wales and inspire Eco Council. This is what three PEE teachers, learning groups and of the children had to say about families to make outdoor the day: PAGE 6 PROBLEM! learning part of school and “I learned a lot about the For 400 years the famous Manneken Pis family life. According to Natural importance of planting trees. It statue in Brussels has been peeing between Resources Wales: was great to see the acorns we 1,000 and 2,500 litres of clean drinking water The natural environment in found being planted in a new down the drain every day. It was only Wales is the largest classroom location ready for the future.” recently discovered that the statue was we have and is available all year said Willow. wasting so much round. Getting in touch with water, enough for 10 According to Freya, “I really nature and the natural world is households. The city’s enjoyed it. I thought it was beneficial to us and to the engineers have now amazing. My favourite part of the environment! constructed a special experience was when we made channel to collect and Many schools and groups took sculptures out of sticks and TIME re-use the statue’s part in the week and many stones.” TRAVELLING water and stop the events were held; perhaps your Eden added “I think it's really The Royal Charter disaster worrying waste; by school was involved? One of the important to take part in days like now this mischievous events was a follow up to the this. I had lots of fun; it was a little boy is much Acorn Antics project that was great day out. We did lots of fun PAGE 7 eco-friendlier! held last Autumn by NRW, activities like measuring trees DATES FOR THE DIARY May May Day May Nelson Mandela May June Traditionally this was the beginning of summer, becomes south Africa’s - 1 which people in the past enjoyed celebrating by 10 first black president 27 1 singing, dancing and socialising after the cold, dark months of winter. People believed that May Day Eisteddfod yr Urdd (like Halloween) was a time where the spirit world Caerdydd a’r Fro came closer to our world and people often lit Good luck if you’re competing! bonfires to keep evil spirits away. Other May Day traditions in Wales were to gather hawthorn branches and dance around a pole or a tree branch which was called ‘y gangen haf’ (summer branch) or ‘codi’r fedwen’ (raising the birch). May 10th 1994 was an important and significant day in the history of South Africa when Nelson Mandela became its first black president. This was a big step forward for a country that had been operating the © Amgueddfa Cymru apartheid system, where black people didn’t have the same rights as white people. Mandela May Roger Bannister runs a mile May Reaching the in less than 4 minutes spent 27 years in prison for protesting against summit of the apartheid system. 29 6 On May 6th 1954 Roger Bannister ran a mile in 3 Mount Everest minutes 59.4 seconds. This was the first time May Walk to On May 29th 1953 the news that anyone had run a mile in less than 4 minutes. The School Week Edmund Hillary and Tenzing current world record of 3 minutes 43.13 16-20 Norgay had reached the summit seconds is held by Hicham El Guerrouj from of Everest was reported in the ‘The Morocco. Times’ newspaper. These were the first people to reach the summit of the world’s tallest mountain. A Welshman named James Morris worked for ‘The Times’ as the reporter for the expedition and he was the first to report the news. Morris wrote a message in code to the newspaper about the success May Deaf Awareness Week of the expedition: More about this on page 6 in our ‘You’re May June 7-13 Snow conditions bad stop a Star’ article. - advanced base abandoned 23 3 yesterday stop awaiting improvement June World Oceans Day Hay Festival You will notice that the sea and water theme is 8 very obvious in this issue of Clic-it Cymru! © Elisabeth Broekaert A chance to see many famous faces and children’s authors such as Julia Donaldson, Michael Rosen, Chris Riddell, Lauren Child, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Gill Lewis and more… Darn llyfrau * 2 MATH AND THE SEAL PUP Math loved going with Taid on at the foot of the cliff, it looked his fishing boat, Taid knew like a stone, but then it moved. everything about the shoreline, 'Taid, Taid, look, there's and today they were going to something there at the foot of see a family of seals. the cliff, and it's making a 'They usually rest on those strange noise!' said Math. rocks.' said Taid, pointing to a Taid nodded sadly. clearly. It was the wail of a small, noticed that a large seal had cluster near the shore. 'We'll get 'It's the gulls, they're always white seal pup. appeared, watching. a little closer, then I'll switch off noisy, and that's just a piece of 'Look Taid, it’s stuck! It's got 'Look Math, it's his mother.' the engine, so that they don't plastic. There is so much itself stuck in that plastic Then the orange dinghy get scared, there's usually a seal rubbish on the shoreline.' netting!' appeared, and they watched as pup there too, a young white 'Oh! It's the one I was telling you the two experts worked to free one.' about Math!' Taid rushed to the the seal pup. But as the boat got nearer, there cabin, he got on to his radio. 'Will Lucky be ok now Taid?’ was no sign of the seals. 'We have to save it Taid!' But his asked Math, as they followed 'Ah well, they must have found a grandfather was already putting the orange dinghy away from better spot for sunbathing!' Taid the radio down, the shore. Then Math saw a was disappointed, he didn't 'The people from the sea zoo are splash, and a slippery dark want to take Math home without on their way, they were already shape moving towards the foot seeing the seals. But the shape was moving, out looking for the seal. They of the cliff, towards the pup. Math leaned on the side of the struggling. The boat got nearer, called it Lucky!' 'This one will be fine Math, boat, watching the gulls diving taking care not to go too near They both watched Lucky the thanks to you for spotting it.' from the cliffs. Waw! They were the rocks. The engine off again, pup, feeling helpless and sad. But both Taid and Math knew, fast, then Math spotted a shape they could hear the sound Back on the rock where they all young seals wouldn't be as had been looking earlier Taid fortunate as Lucky. AMAZING ICE ART! This is how to make an amazing piece of art by freezing some water in a balloon. By adding GoGo forfor itit two things to the ice a super science experiment will happen in front of your very eyes! 1 You will need: • Balloon • Bowl • Plate or tray 1 2 3 • Scissors Put the balloon over the cold Put the balloon in After the water is frozen you need to get it • Food colouring water tap and fill it slowly. About the freezer out of the freezer and carefully cut the • Salt half full is fine, you need to be overnight for the balloon off with the scissors. You will have able to tie the balloon. water to freeze. a sphere or an egg shape of ice now. Super Science... Adding salt lowers the freezing point of water. Lorries grit roads in the winter; this melts the snow or ice 4 5 6 that is already on the roads and WARNING ! Sprinkle some Carefully pour some food You can add different colours too. Be also prevents Cover the table, this can get messy.