Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has launched a new series of Gaelic educational materials celebrating some of Scotland's most interesting species.
The Mu Dheadhinn packs feature worksheets, games and full colour posters for free distribution to schools throughout Scotland. The packs provide teachers and students with a ready made set of educational projects and activities exploring natural hist
ory through the Gaelic language.
Mu Dheadhinn is aimed at Gaelic speakers and non-speakers alike. The posters and worksheets tell the story of each species through images, fact boxes, poems, art activities and drama.
Pupils of Sgoil Gaidhlig Inbhir Nis, one of Scotland's two Gaelic medium schools were the first to try out the new worksheets as they searched for Fungi in the woodland landscape around their school grounds.
SNH's Gaelic communications officer Shona Sloan, from South Uist and a native Gaelic speaker led the youngsters on a seasonal hunt for Fungasan in the Culduthel woods near the school.
She said: "The Mu Dheadhinn series has been developed to bring nature alive in the classroom and to encourage children to observe and understand nature in the outdoors.
"We have tried to put together an entertaining educational package which will inspire the children's imagination to explore the natural world around them and learn about the life cycles of some of Scotland's species such as Water Voles, Red Squirrels, Great Crested Newts, Fungi, Freshwater Pearl Mussels and Bumblebees."
"Each pack is designed to bring students in close to the life and habitat of the species using Gaelic language games and fun exercises. The worksheets also highlight how much the traditional Gaelic names and terms add to our understanding of the natural world through their colourful descriptions of particular species."
The complete Mu Dheidhinn series is also available for free download from Scottish Natural Heritage's website www.snh.org.uk
