A visit to Scotland is the agenda for the day. Children will learn about Scottish culture through discussing facts, looking at colorful picture books, as well as participating in a Scottish throwing competition.
Discuss:
Fun Facts
Scotland’s main languages are English and Gaelic .
The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh.
Scotland is part of Great Britain and is ruled by the queen of England.
A government that is ruled by a king or queen is called a monarchy.
There are many old castles throughout Scotland.
Music
Bagpipes are commonly played in Scotland. Click on this link to Last.Fm to hear some bagpipe music . Ask students to describe the music played by bagpipes.
Activity
Throwing Contest
You will need:
- Foam balls or tennis balls
Scots often participate in an activity known as a Highland Gathering, which is simply a throwing contest.
Allow children to create their own “Highland Gathering” by either throwing the tennis balls outside or using the foam balls if doing this activity inside.
Suggested Reading
Author Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Scotland in 1850. He wrote the novel Treasure Island.
He also wrote a book of poems entitled A Child’s Garden of Verses
Share some of the poems from A Child’s Garden of Verses.
For older children, provide each child with a print-out of a poem from the book. Instruct children to read poem out loud.
Art
It is common for Scottish farmers to raise sheep in their fields.
Little Lamb
You will need:
- Reproducible outline of a sheep
- White or black construction paper (one for each child)
- Liquid glue
- Scissors
- Cotton balls
Using the reproducible picture outline of a sheep, allow students to glue cotton to make the fluffy sheep.
When cotton balls are dried on the sheep, instruct the children to cut out the sheep.
For older children, instruct them to draw a field of sheep.
Scottish Vocabulary
Kilt: a pleated skirt reaching the knees, sometimes worn by Scottish men
Gaelic: a language of Scotland
Tartan: a wool cloth with a woven pattern of straight lines of different colors (plaid); worn in the Scottish Highlands
Instruct children to write a short story using the words kilt, Gaelic, and tartan.
Read more about Scotland using the child’s fable, The Princess and the Golden Shoes .
