B’ e cothrom air leth a bh’ ann do luchd-obrach na Sgoil-àraich a bhith ann an suidheachadh far am b’ urrainn dhaibh a’ chlann fhaicinn ag ionnsachadh sgilean ùr. Thuirt an luchd-obrach gun robh e na iongnadh nach robh dragh air a’ chloinn mu bhith a’ cleachdadh chànan air nach robh iad eòlach, agus gun robh an tachartas air leth math don fheadhainn a bhiodh a’ dol a bhun-sgoiltean far an ionnsaich iad Gàidhlig.

Bha e na bhuannachd do chloinn na bun-sgoile na sgilean aca ann a bhith ag innse sgeulachdan sa Ghàidhlig a leasachadh. Fhuair iad air seo a chleachdadh le daoine eile ann an diofar àrainneachd.

Mar cholaiste, fhuair iad air ceangal a dhèanamh sa choimhearsnachd le bun-sgoil agus sgoil-àraich, a tha iad airson cumail a’ dol.

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On Seachdain na Gàidhlig, with support feom the Small Grants Fund (Bòrd na Gàidhlig), UHI Perth ran a series of fun library events aimed at 3 different groups of children of different ages and different exposure to Gaelic. The first event was run for a group of children from the nursery linked to Perth College, who had no knowledge of Gaelic. The session was a really fun introduction to the Gaelic language. A Gaelic teacher from the local primary run a story telling activity in Gaelic using a book that the children were already familiar with. She was using puppets and other prompts to make the kids interact in different ways, eliciting words in Gaelic that she was using during the story telling. They finished with a game where they were all singing in Gaelic. A number of primary children were also taking part in this session and contributing with their Gaelic to the story telling and game.

There were two other groups of primary children (P1-3 and P4-7) who have a good knowledge of Gaelic. They were told stories, and carried out a follow-up activity connected to the Gaelic theme. The teacher who ran the event was excellent, and the children and adults (nursery staff and primary teachers) engaged really well with this learning experience.

The event took place in the library so it was great to create Gaelic awareness within the college among library users, and to be able to invite younger generations of student to the college. 

The impact/legacy of the project include a group of nursery children learning the first words in Gaelic and having a pleasant association with the language as they had a good time during the activities that took place as part of the project.

It was an excellent opportunity for the nursery staff to be part of a learning experience where they could observe the children they normally work with acquiring new skills. Nursery members of staff mentioned how interesting was to see how the children were not afraid of using a new language. Familiarising with the Gaelic language was especially valuable as some of these children will be going to a primary school next year where they will be learning Gaelic. 

For the primary pupils the project provided a chance to increase their knowledge of Gaelic and to celebrate it through story telling. They were also able to share their knowledge with other people and within a different environment.

As a college, the project helped them each the local community by working with a local school and with a nursery, a collaboration they are keen to continue.