TRADITIONS
Traditions are very important Scotland, and many have been passed on from generation to generation. Lots of these traditions still exist today.
Across the world, people who have Scottish ancestry continue to celebrate Scottish culture.
There are a lot of traditions in Scotland, but we can’t cover them all in this workbook.
Activity 12: Auld Lang Syne
This is a famous Scottish poem written by Robert Burns. In some countries they sing the song on New Year’s Eve. Some of the poem is written in Scottish dialect because it is supposed to be read aloud, or sung.
The words in bold are Scots dialect. Can you fill in the glossary on page 16 of the worksheets by matching the Scottish words with the English translations?
One of the words on the printed sheet has a star next to it - that’s the answer for the Answer Grid! ⭐
Activity 13: Bagpipes
Bagpipes are a traditional musical instrument in Scotland. You blow through the mouthpiece so the bag fills with air. Then the bagpipe player pushes the air out of the bag with their elbow. The air goes through the pipes.
You can make different notes using the pipe at the bottom. Bagpipes are played at lots of important events. The sound it makes is a little strange - you can hear in the little video above…
Which of the 3 red bagpipes matches the tartan one? That letter is the answer for the puzzle ⭐
Activity 14: Whisky Smuggling
Scotch or Scottish whisky is a special drink that is famously produced in Scotland. Whisky is made in a distillery. To be officially Scottish whisky it has to be distilled (made) in Scotland and left for three years in oak barrels. Since it has alcohol in it you have to be an adult to drink it.
Lots of adults drink alcohol, so sometimes governments charge extra money to sell it. This is a type of tax. In 1644, the government in Scotland started charging tax to make and sell whisky. Many people thought that was unfair, so they started making whisky in secret. This whisky would be sold in unmarked barrels.
Imagine it’s 1644 and you’re a whisky smuggler in Scotland. You have barrels from different distilleries, but the names are written in code on the barrels. Can you use the code to work out which barrel is from which distillery? The barrel with the star is the right answer⭐.
You can find the code on page 17 of your workbook.
Activity 15: Right to Roam
In Scotland there is a law which means everyone can enjoy the wild lands and water of Scotland.
It is called “Freedom to _ _ _ _⭐” or “Everyman’s Right”. It means that you can camp on someone’s land in a tent, even if there isn’t a campite there! This is called wild camping.
There are a few rules you need to follow if you go wild camping in Scotland.
It’s important to be respectful of the land and the people and animals that live there all year around.
You’re going camping in Scotland! Follow the instructions below to work out where the tents are pitched.
You can fill in the tents on page 19 of your workbooks.
Rules:
• 5 tents need to be drawn on the grid.
• Tents can only go in squares next to a tree (not diagonally). Only 1 tent per tree is allowed.
• A tent cannot be next to another tent
• The numbers in the grey boxes show how many tents there should be in each row or column.
Try it first on a separate piece of paper or use a pencil and a rubber. You might need to try a couple of times.
Don’t worry if you don’t understand yet - there are more instructions on page 20 of your worksheets!
Scottish Food
Scotland has lots of interesting foods - some of them you’ll like, some of them you might not!
Some Scottish recipes have names you might find strange, like Tatties, Finnan haddie or Crappit heid.
Have you ever tried Scotch Eggs?
A Scotch Egg is a hard boiled egg wrapped up in the meat of a sausage, covered in breadcrumbs and then fried.
No one is quite sure where they were invented but they definitely have a link to Scotland.
In the Netherlands and Belgium, they’re called ‘Bird Nests’ because there’s an egg in the middle.
Activity 16: In the cafe
Robbie is helping his mum in the cafe. As he is clearing a table he finds 5 shopping lists left behind by a group of ladies who have just gone.
The shopping lists are on page 21 of your worksheets.
He overheard them talking about what they were planning to prepare, but can you help him work out which list belongs to which lady? The recipes are all traditional Scottish ones and some of them have funny sounding names!
• Mrs McDonald is making Arbroath Toasties
• Miss Stewart is making Cranachan
• Mrs Cullen is making Clootie Dumplings
• Mrs Andrews is making Cullen Skink
• Miss Douglas is making Partan Bree
You may not know all the ingredients for the dishes so you may have to look the recipes up on the internet or ask a grown up to help.
The shopping list with the star is the answer to the activity. But who does it belong to?
Miss or Mrs _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ⭐
Activity 17: Tartan
Tartan is a type of pattern that is popular in Scotland. Tartan is made up of stripes of different colours.
Lots of Highland clans have their own tartan pattern with special colours and lines. Many Scottish people will wear a kilt made of tartan. A kilt is a type of skirt which only men wear.
Some people have big scarves or blankets made of tartan fabric which they wrap around themselves to keep warm. These are called plaids.
Follow the instructions on page 22 of the worksheets to make your own tartan pattern.
It’s tradition to wear a pouch around the waist when you wear a kilt. What is it called? A sp _ _ _ _ _ ⭐
Do you want to cook some typical Dia de Muertos foods? Check out this blog post we wrote with loads of recipes…
Activity 18: Nessie the Loch Ness Monster
For hundreds of years there have been rumours of a huge monster living underwater in Loch Ness. Lots of people have seen ‘something’ in the lake, but there has never been any proof of anything.
People still continue to believe though. The locals even call the monster Nessie!
Below are some pieces of evidence about Nessie. They are all based on real events. You can scroll through them sideways.
Want to learn more about Nessie? Check out this video…
Here are some stories and sightings of Nessie. There’s a letter, a page from an Encyclopedia and 2 newspaper articles.
If you put them in the right order by date, then the EXHIBIT letters will spell out a new word. What’s the word? ⭐
(Do you know what this is? It’s the word for a creature which some people believe exists but there is no actual proof of it, like a Yeti)
