Many thanks for the lovely welcome I received recently when I visited a couple of great primary schools.
This week I was in Edinburgh Academy Junior school with all the Primary one classes and it was a a great morning. They had based their work for some weeks around Hamish with all sorts of exciting things such as each class having a cuddly Hamish which each child could take home for one night. There was even a diary with photographs and short pieces describing their evening with Hamish. They were planning a highland games day with all kinds of activities similar to those in Hamish McHaggis and the Clan Gathering which we read together and they had designed their own tartans and there were displays about Hamish and about pine martens and hedgehogs. We talked about stories and all the people it takes to make a Hamish book.
I visited Gargieston Primary in Kilmarnock at the end of January and it was wonderful to see all the amazing work the children had done based around the Hamish McHaggis books and characters. First I visited the nursery who had a lovely display on the wall with Hamish, Angus and friends. The children helped retell the story of Small Smooth and Grey, the baby elephant in What Colour is Love? and we talked about Hamish and his Whirry Bang and then I read them a Hamish McHaggis story.
I also visited P1 and P2 who had been working hard on their Scottish Week celebrations which included a march around the school following a piper, special shortbread and pancakes from the lovely ladies in the school kitchen. It was fun to share the Hamish stories and to see how the children had used them to learn new Scots words and about places around Scotland. It was a great day and Hamish enjoyed himself, too!
