Burns Night
What is Burns Night?
Burns Night is a yearly celebration of the life and work of the national Bard Robert Burns. The celebration usually takes the form of a supper or formal dinner which has a laid out itinerary.
The celebration takes place on 25th Jan each year- this is because Robert’ birthday was on the 25th of January 1759. And not long after his death, Burns enthusiasts all over the globe have been celebrating his genius.
Celebrating in school
Burns suppers are traditionally held in his memory, and many schools in Scotland (and beyond) like to get in on the act.
With this in mind, here are six tips to help you:
Food:
Traditionally, this is haggis, neeps (turnips) and tatties (potato). It’s a great opportunity to involve a class in some food preparation. You’d then have some great maths lessons in there, looking at measurement of ingredients and fractions around portion control.
The options of haggis alternatives are widespread, this is due to look at alternatives the children might eat – you can even buy haggis-flavoured crisps. But for drinks it has to be Irn Bru.
Music:
You’d obviously want some sort of Scottish music at your Burns supper; there is plenty of contemporary Scottish music available for free on YouTube.
Dress Code:
It’s a bit of fun but you have to have some tartan in there. Cost-effective and fun option for pupils could include designing a tartan badge to wear.
Decorations:
Tartan placemats designed by pupils is an ideal splash of colour, but you can also go bigger and make tartan bunting to span the length and breadth of your dining area. This looks impressive and can be made very easily.
Poetry:
It wouldn’t be a celebration of Burns without having some poetry, and there is an awful lot to choose from. Understanding Scottish dialect can be difficult for children, so there is a lot of learning involved.
Enjoy Yourself:
At the end of the day make sure that at the heart of it all, you and your class are enjoying themselves. Take plenty of pictures and remember to tag us on social media with pictures of you using our resources.
Burns Night 2018
The Story of Robert Burns
Resources
Below are a handful of our new resources which are great ways to start getting involved with your very own Burns Night.
Click the link here to see all of our resources that we have created in order to help you learn and partake with Burns Night.
