In celebration of Robert Burns
Supporting staff and students to achieve their full potential since 1968.
Welcome to our weekly CENMAC blog post.
In celebration of Robert Burns | by Mary Long, CENMAC Advisory Teacher
Next Monday (25 January) is Burns Night, a special day in the calendar to remember and celebrate the life and poetry of Scottish poet Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796). This tradition began in 1801, five years after the poet’s death, when nine of his close friends met for dinner on his birthday to remember him.
Scottish poet Robert Burns
(25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796)
At CENMAC we will be thinking of our friends at Call Scotland and celebrating all the wonderful resources shared by them.
The Burns Night or Burns Supper tradition has continued and evolved since then, but lots of things remain the same as the very first one! A meal of haggis, tatties (mashed potatoes) and neeps (mashed parsnips) is served to the guests with speeches, poems, toasts and music at specific times through the evening. Traditional Scottish bagpipe music may also be played, and it can turn into quite a party!
Of course, Burns Night 2021 will be very different, as we can only dream of the days when nine friends were able to gather together indoors! Like many events, there are online celebrations taking place in lieu of real-life gatherings. The Nest Collective are streaming a live party from 8-9.30pm on Monday on YouTube, which you can watch for free and even attempt a ceilidh dance if you’re feeling very brave.
At CENMAC we will be thinking of our friends at Call Scotland and celebrating all the wonderful resources shared by them. We especially love their Scottish Voice website, where you can download and use Scottish digital voices for free. CENMAC also recommend the recent blog by Call Scotland with a collection of Home Learning resources suited to learners with more complex needs.
Call Scotland also have a webinar next week about using apps to support pupils with numeracy difficulties. This is free to attend and can be booked here.
Monday 25th January 2021
8pm to 9.30pm | Live on Youtube
‘If you can’t get to the ceilidh, we’ll bring the ceilidh to you!’
Whatever you are doing on Monday, have fun and remember you can share your CENMAC experiences for our CENMAC family to enjoy.
