Four Tayside and North East councils have teamed up with Nil by Mouth to help school children use the Scots language to build better understand faiths and cultures different their own.
Pupils and staff from Rosebank Primary in Dundee are getting behind the campaign.
We have secured support from Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross Councils to make copies of our ‘Neeps & Tatties’ education resource available to teachers in schools across the region in the run up to St Andrews Day.
Created by author Carey Morning and illustrator Anna York, ‘Neeps and Tatties’ tells the story of two warring vegetable tribes who are finally encouraged to put the past behind them in the interests of a better future. The book examines issues such as discrimination and prejudice, highlighting how old grievance can be overcome by a new generation. The charity has devised a series of classroom games and activities based around the story that will encourage children to explore different cultures, including looking at the significance of food and festivals in different traditions.
Nil by Mouth visited Rosebank PS in Dundee to meet with teachers and pupils and hand over the first school set of the books, which will be used by pupils from P1 right up to P7. Any teacher working in any of the four authorities who wish to claim their free book simply needs to send and email with address of school to: mail@nilbymouth.org
Nil by Mouth Director Dave Scott said:
'We are delighted to be invited along to Rosebank to launch this project. The support we’ve been given by all four councils means that teachers will have all the resources required to bring the story to life and already we have had hundreds of requests for copies. These are the heartlands of the Scots language and we hope that in addition to helping pupils learn more about different cultures and beliefs it will also deepen their understanding and appreciation of the many Scots words which enrich our lives. So much of our work challenging intolerance deals with how words can be used to hurt or belittle others. That’s why its brilliant to be able to celebrate language and the different ways we can express ourselves. The stories we tell our children help shape how they see the world and make sense of the differences that exist around them and this is a magical tale of tolerance and change.’
Jennifer Heffell, Headteacher of Rosebank Primary said: ‘Rosebank are thrilled to be part of the relaunch of the Neeps & Tatties book. Our school is privileged to encompass many pupils from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds and the moral message of the book really struck a cord with our staff and pupils alike. The use of the Scots language was a fun, motivating platform for the message the book delivers – particularly to our pupils who are new to English as they enjoyed learning some of the Scots dialect. Throughout the year our pupils are supported to celebrate diversity and challenge discrimination and prejudice through our global citizenship learning. The Neeps & Tatties text and characters have enhanced this learning and allowed this to be further discussed in an innovating context. We look forward to the continued use of the resource and are delighted that books are being gifted to all Dundee Schools - allowing celebrating difference to be discussed and developed on a wider scale.’