June 1st - June 19th
It's almost summer! The last few weeks of school have come, and students will need to study hard for their final exams! Don't let up yet, or your grades won't be what you want them to. Of course, the weather is almost perfect and pristine, in attempts to lure students away from their studies.
Kaniliel's Office Box
You find a note stuck on professor Hymnwood's door. It reads:
Hello!
For any assignments or papers with extentions, you're at the right place. Just drop it in the box below. Be careful, however: once you place anything in the box, it may not be taken out of it. This is to prevent students from stealing other students' work. I check back here every evening. If you want to see me, I'm most likely still at the greenhouses.
Have a nice day!
~ Kaniliel Hymnwood
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If I've assigned some work in a class you're in, this is where you post your assignment. Don't worry, I'm a very easy/lenient marker.
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Your marks will be given in the post itself, so check back here to get your grade!Edited by: Kaniliel Hymnwood at: 29/6/04 3:41 am
Puck wandered into Professor Hymnwood's door, reading the sign before popping her assignment into the box.
Journal of Amaryllis Flowers
Robin (Puck) Goodfellow
5th Year
Gryffindor
Honestly I thought it was a very entertaining class period. It's not every day that one has a chance to be face to face with a potted plant that sings. It's even given me a few ideas for expirements (Highly confidential of course). I found it very exciting, and thought that the environment was very easy to work in.
I learned a good deal about the Amaryllis, and could probably care for one on my own if I were given the chance to. I look forward to more exciting class periods!
A few spaces down scribbled in a corner of the parchment was:
Good luck with teaching this year Professor. Huzzah for Gryffindor!!!!
************** I'm glad last class inspired you into caring for plants on your own time! And if you liked the Singing Amaryllis, you'll love what I have in store for upcoming lessons.
Keep the House spirit! Mark: AEdited by: Kaniliel Hymnwood at: 29/6/04 3:45 am
Re: Kaniliel's Office Box
Ellie walked up to the box and read the note quickly. Taking a folded piece of parchment from her pocket she placed the assignment she'd been given into the box with a smile on her face before turning and leaving.
Amaryllis lesson, HW
I love anything that has to do with nature, so any Herbology lesson is enjoyable to me. I especially liked this lesson, though, because outside of my studies I'm a very big fan of anything musical. I sing often as well as play guitar, but mostly just singing. I enjoyed playing a fun musical game with my plant while we waited for others to get done in which I sang some notes and Melody (which is what I temporarily named my Amaryllis) repeated after me. I had a lot of fun listening to them sing, well, at least the ones that sang well. Perhaps I will invest in one of them... do they always sing? Perhaps a silencing charm will be needed once and a while!
I learned a lot about this particular plant because I didn't know anything about it when we started. I now know when to water them (sparingly until the flowering stem appears), where to place them (in a south window), and how to repot them, which is what we did in class. I wonder if someone talked bad about them and they wilted if talking good about them would 'bring them back to life', so to speak. I wouldn't want to test this theory, though, incase it shouldn't work!
~Eleanor (Ellie) Dusk, 5th year, Gryffindor
************** Excellent! Watering may be a vital component to a plant's survival, but the subtle hidden message I wanted to give last class was that talking to your plants helps in a mysterious way no one can explain. Naming your plant Melody was a cute and brilliant idea! You have clearly understood the lesson, keep it up!
And to answer your very clever questions: no, the Singing Amaryllis does not always sing. It closes up and sleeps at night like most blossom plants. When insulted or offended, it will wilt but not die completely. It simply sinks into a pseudo-depression state, and yes, complimenting it will revive it. Mark: A+Edited by: Kaniliel Hymnwood at: 29/6/04 3:51 am
Re: Kaniliel's Office BoxAh, so here's where we turn it in. Valerie dropped her assignment in the box and walked over to a window, looking outside at the grounds.
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Valerie Taylor
Herbology, Fifth year
Slytherin
Singing Amaryllis Journal
I found today's lesson interesting. It was a bit difficult for me to praise the plant sufficiently since I have a good ear and it was rather off-key, but I managed it in the end. Can these plants be kept indoors? Is there a specific way to silence them besides using magic? Do they still sing in the dark? When you put them in the south window, does the sunlight help their singing voice?
Excuse all the questions, but I thought they were interesting. My mum might like one, she's a Muggle piano teacher though and I don't know if magical plants are permitted in a Muggle household, even if one member is a witch...me...I'm underage though. Oh well, enough rambling. Just one more question, do you also grow Muggle plants? I like African Violets a lot myself.
************** Very good! Your observation is very accurate: it is indeed very difficult for one with a developed musical ear to care for such plants.
To answer your questions: the Singing Amaryllis may be kept indoors, but must always be near a window, preferably facing south. Though not much research has been made on this particular species of Amaryllis, I doubt an increased amount of sunlight will affect its voice; however, a serious lack of sunlight will undoubtedly affect it negatively. You must never attempt to silence a Singing Amaryllis, I am sorry to have missed that during class. If you really must, a volume charm may be used but you have to compliment the plant thoroughly before using the charm or else the plant will take it personally. It closes up and sleeps during the night, thus it does not sing when it is dark.
And yes, I grow a wide variety of Muggle houseplants. I will be teaching the first and second years shortly how to enchant them, since Muggle plants are actually dormant magical plants. Mark: AEdited by: Kaniliel Hymnwood at: 29/6/04 4:00 am
Re: Kaniliel's Office Box
Amelia walked up to the office door and dropped her completed assignment inside before she walked away.
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Amelia Tyro
Herbology, First Year
Hufflepuff
The Growth and Care of Plants
Many different factor effect the growth and development of plants. Each plant has ideal growing conditions, which are a very specific combination of these different conditions. These combinations allow the plant to best carry out the life functions that allow it to thrive and grow.
Light, and the energy it provides, is very important for the plant to have so that it can carry out photosynthesis, which is the act of making food. Water is also necessary for this very important function. Too little water and light will mean that the plant cannot produce enough food through photosynthesis, but too much will not benefit the plant. Plants can only complete the reactions in a certain amount of time, so too much light and water does not have a large benefit for the plant.
One part of photosynthesis is the exchange of gases in the air (CO2 to oxygen), so the percentage of gases in the air and the purity of air is very important. Polluted air or air low in carbon dioxide will not be beneficial growing condition for a plant. Temperature is also very important. Many of the life functions of a plant are carried out by enzymes, which are controlled in part by temperature. At too cold of a temperature, the enzymes will function very slowly, but at too high of a temperature the enzymes will break down and not work at all. Humidity is also very important, as water will evaporate slower in humid conditions and more rapidly in dry conditions. Humidity can effect the size and structure of a plant leaf.
It is the combination of all of the above conditions as well as of many others that produce ideal growing conditions for a plant. While plants can live at conditions that are not exactly ideal, they will grow and thrive best if they are in their own ideal conditions.
************** Excellent! You have clearly demonstrated here that you fully understand the basis of plantcare. If you follow the guidelines you have given me here, there is no doubt that you will easily be able to care for any plant with some training. Mark: A+Edited by: Kaniliel Hymnwood at: 29/6/04 4:03 am
Re: Kaniliel's Office Box
Underneath the previous note stuck on the office door is a fresh new note that reads:
To all Herbology students,
Due to unfortunate recent events, records of our classes have disappeared, possibly for good. This means that I cannot grade your class participation from that point in time. However, as you can see, my assignments box has been recovered. Since every one of you who has submitted an assignment to be graded has gotten great marks, I shall be taking these into consideration when grading you for this term to make up for the vanished classes.
In hopes that the one responsible for this mess will be sentenced to several years in Azkaban prison, I wish you all a great term!
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