Celebrating Robert Burns and Scottish culture with young children
We have suggested a few Burns Night (or Day) experiences for early years establishments. Please tell us how you celebrate 25 January in your setting - email the Early Years Content Editor or visit the Early Years discussion forum and post your suggestions there.
Food
Involve children in cooking and tasting porridge, oatcakes, haggis, neeps and tatties, Scotch broth, dumpling or shortbread.
Movement
Play a selection of different types of Scottish music and encourage children to respond to mood and rhythm.
Creativity
Allow the children to design their own tartan:
- Use model car wheels, dipped in paint and rolled across paper in top-to-bottom and side-to-side movements.
- Drip thin paint down a sheet of paper, then turn the paper at right angles and drip again.
Children at Parkhead Primary Nursery Class (West Lothian) designed tartan and made their own 'kilts' for St Andrew's Day, an activity which could be used for other celebrations with a Scottish theme.
Word file: Arts and crafts ideas: making a 'kilt' (288 KB)Singing/Scots language
Sing songs like 'Ali, Bally Bee', 'Three Craws' and 'Ye cannae shuv your grannie aff a bus' with children. Useful websites and resources include:
- Mama Lisa's World: Scottish children's songs
- Kist o' Dreams: Bairn's Kist - a resource CD to help parents and practitioners share Scottish singing games, action songs and lullabies with young children.
- Electric Scotland: Works of Burns
- Animal ABC: An introduction to the alphabet in Scots.
- Scuil Wab: Infant songs - recordings of four traditional children's songs.
- Electric Scotland: Children's poems - children's poems with audio files.
View Burns Cottage interior
Panorama of the family room in Burns Cottage (requires QuickTime).
Burns Night
Pictures of Rabbie Burns and a plate of haggis, neeps and tatties on the 5-14 Curriculum website.
Itchy Coo
Publisher specialising in Scots language books for children and young people.