What's On - Burns Night

For those of you that don't know, it's Burn's Night on 25th January and to celebrate the life and poetry of Robert Burns many Scots will be eating haggis and drinking whisky at Burns Suppers around the country.

Have you made plans to celebrate yet? I've got a few ideas for you...

Bairns Brave Burns Lunch at The National Piping Centre

Big Burns Supper in Dumfries just got bigger! It's the world's biggest Burns Night celebration. There are loads of events on up until 31st January including Hamish the Haggis's Mini Burns Supper for the kids.

Hue & Cry are also playing a gig on Sat 31st January. I grew up listening to the Hue & Cry brothers and vividly remember writing about them in one of my primary school jotters as we spotted them one weekend. I spelt the name wrong, and my teacher had to correct it! I still enjoy listening to 'Looking for Linda' every so often *sings* Never stop looking, never stop looking... Such good memories!

There is also a super handy Six Step Guide on hosting your own Burns Supper which you will find here. And there's also this post over at Life With Munchers with some food, decor and activities that you should take a peek at.

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For other ideas on activities to try at home, have a look at an older post of mine on 30 Braw Things to do Before You're Three.

{Burns Night, Jan 25th}

It's Burn's Night on Saturday this weekend and there are plenty of events going on around the country.

"The Scottish Government are funding five events as part of the Scottish Winter Festival programme:

Big Burns Supper, 24-26 Jan - Dumfries

Live from Dumfries, the home of the World’s Biggest Burns Night Celebration – presenting a light inspired carnival parade, featuring a cast of over 2,000 as they reignite the spirit of Homecoming in the Southern Capital on Burns Night through a massive creative performance project including an original soundtrack, giant puppetry and a host of colourful characters who are all looking to get home in time for the parade. The World’s Biggest Burns Supper will be a region-wide public engagement project that will draw on communities throughout Dumfries & Galloway to create a platform for increased visitor growth and celebration, leading to the Biggest Burns Night Celebration in the World.

Two signature events will help create a celebration that will put Dumfries firmly on the map, as the first destination for Burns Night in the World – providing the region with a legacy that will continue after the event cycle.

Scottish Storytelling Centre, variety of events until 25 Jan - Edinburgh

This will be a fun, family friendly series of events that will promote Scotland’s rich history in a modern and unique manner.

Explore Robert Burns' master narrative and learn how to recite Tam O’ Shanter, join Linten Adie and friends from the Scots Music Group for an afternoon of songs and music to celebrate Robert Burns, be inspired and entertained in a fun, interactive afternoon of storytelling or enjoy a Burns Supper in the beautiful setting of the Storytelling Café, hosted by storytellers David Campbell and Linda Bandelier, with clarsach player Katie Harrigan. There are a wide range of events taking place throughout the weekend for Scots and Scots at heart to enjoy.

Robert Burns Humanitarian Award, 25 Jan - Burns Museum, Alloway

This prestigious international Award is presented annually to an individual or group who has saved, improved or enriched the lives of others or society as a whole, through personal self-sacrifice, selfless service, 'hands on' charitable/volunteer work, or other acts. Winners receive the equivalent of 1759 guineas – a sum which signifies the year of the Bard’s birth and the coinage then in circulation – as well as a specially commissioned hand-crafted award.

Burns Life of the Poet, 25 Jan - Eden Court, Inverness

Join us on the 25 January 2014 as we kick the evening off in the city centre with our hilarious Haggis Highland Games and then accompany us on our procession through the streets of the city centre, across the river and over to Eden Court.  As soon as we arrive there will be an eye-catching outdoor projection display, plus all around the building bite-sized drama performances based around key moments in the Bard’s life will take place. The icing on the cake will be a traditional Ceilidh in the OneTouch Theatre (we’ll even teach you a few standard dances like Strip the Willow and The Dashing White Sergeant).

Burns Unbound, 25-26 Jan, NMS Museum of Rural Life, East Kilbride

Join us at the National Museum of Rural Life for a celebration of the works of Robert Burns and the Scottish traditions associated with this time of year.  Enjoy a packed programme featuring family craft activities, costumed characters, gallery trails, music, storytelling, theatre, and food and drink themed around some of the national bard’s most famous works. You can also explore our 1950s working farm, Georgian farmhouse and award-winning museum, open all day. Burns Unbound! We are proud to be part of the celebrations for Homecoming Scotland 2014. Spread the word and join our celebrations!"

If you can't make it to one of the events, then there is a range of fun and interative information available over at www.scotland.org/burns.

For those of you looking for ideas of things to do with your little ones, have a look at the post I did last year for Play Talk Read... 30 braw things to do before you're three.

I also spotted a flyer on my travels for the Guy's Restaurant & Bar Charity Burns Night 2014 and it looks to be a good night out. Would appear that tickets are still available too.

Have you got your haggis ready?

A burns night supper over at happythought

{January Joy - 25th Jan}

The #JanuaryJoy prompt for today is 'do something/go somewhere you have never been before...'. 

Hmmmm..... this certainly got me thinking!!

What could I realistically do that I haven't done before?? *puts thinking cap on* (and wheesht you all with the dirty minds!!!!)

Today is Burn's Night and I've never hosted a Burn's Supper before, but it's sort of short notice to organise something... next year perhaps!

I'm reckoning I should try and do something Scottish to celebrate Robert Burns so I think this morning the kids and I will bake some shortbread. This is something I've never done before, but it's one of my resolutions to bake/cook more with the children and I've managed quite a few things in January so far.

 

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We're also going to a friend's for lunch so it would be nice for us to have something homemade to take with us. 

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If we can get a recipe that works, perhaps this will solve the problem of what to put with the heart straws for our Valentine's Day favours!

Next week is the last week of Florence Finds #JanuaryJoy - I've really enjoyed it and Rebecca's prompts have certainly got me thinking. Just 4 more to go... can you believe January is nearly over already!?!

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{Play Talk Read}

Have you heard of PlayTalkRead's '30 Things to do Before You're Three' list?

It's a fairly new initiative from the Scottish Government to encourage simple fun for little ones and basically it's the ultimate children's checklist of things to do in the early years.

I thought I'd share the New Year's list with you here as it's Scottish themed with some Burn's Night activities thrown in.

For those of you that don't know, it's Burn's Night on Friday 25th January and to celebrate the life and poetry of Robert Burns many Scots will be eating haggis and drinking whisky at Burns Suppers around the country.

30 Braw Things to do Before You're Three

1. Try a new fruit or vegetable in season
2. Make a thank you card for Santa with help
   from mum or dad
3. Help mum or dad plant daffodil bulbs for spring
4. Learn the actions to Auld Lang Syne
5. Dance a jig on Burns night
6. Make a seasonal calendar for the year ahead
7. Eat haggis, neeps and tatties on Burns night
8. Make a phone using two cups and string and pretend to call a friend
9. Learn a new Scots word
10. Make a Loch Ness Monster out of play dough
11. Colour in a picture of Rabbie Burns
12. Make a castle with chairs and sheets & pretend to be a clansman
13. On a dreich day, learn to do a roly-poly indoors
14. Make a paper aeroplane
15. Go on a blue and white scavenger hunt around your hoose
16. Have a teddy bear’s picnic
17. Make an obstacle course indoors
18. Make and fly a kite with help from mum or dad
19. Learn the story of Robert Burns
20. Draw or paint a saltire yer face with help from mum or dad
21. Get wrapped up and visit a Scottish landmark 
22. Find where you live on a map of Scotland with help from mum or dad
23. Snuggle up under a blanket for a Scottish story
24. Make yer own paper cup Scotsman
25. Make shortbread with help from mum or dad
26. Make a wee moose with help from mum or dad
27. Moo like a Hielan coo
28. Paint yer own tartan
29. Sing along to ‘You Cannie Shove Yer Grannie of a Bus'
30. Challenge mum or dad to tug o’ war in your own Hielan Games

The PlayTalkRead bus is also going to be in Renfrewshire next week where your little ones can enjoy special Burn's day activities and crafts.