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With it being the time of year for all things Burns, and with this being the in Scotland - it struck me that a project on the bard, or Scotland more widely, would be an excellent challenge for schools. LTS have already cottoned on to this, and have set up pages for both and the . I had a bit of a trawl through our own sites, and when I looked at the amount of resources we've made about Scotland, I started thinking of ways they could be used alongside each other to make really interesting class activities.

The obvious starter could be the Burns Supper - which involves poetry recitation, Highland dancing, singing, and cooking the haggis, neeps and tatties. Different groups could be involved in each of these activities, whilst other groups design posters and programmes, sell tickets and invite guests. A similar event, with a more multicultural slant, reflecting modern Scotland, could take place on - bookends to a series of Scottish-themed projects in classes.

Our big focus for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖcoming has been A History of Scotland, which is currently being repeated in Scotland as it receives its first transmission in the rest of the UK. There are more episodes to come later in the year, so keep an eye on your television guide. This programme is just one part of the Scotland's History project, which isn't just on television, but online, on radio, and there are events worth attending too. The website expands by the day and now includes era pages and a place for debating historical issues.

However, History isn't the only way to include Scotland in lessons - literature (modern as well as Burns and a' that), geography (who could resist that landscape?) and citizenship or Modern Studies have very obvious strengths in the Scottish aspects of their curricula. Perhaps go one further - set up an , or make a business selling local crafts or produce. You could even pick a part of Scotland that you don't know much about and learn about the differences when compared to your local area. Something really up-to-date, like a look at the Scottish gaming industry (there's a bit on this in our New Lives, New Landscapes films on the 29th Jan) might get learners thinking about what Scotland is today.

There's so many different possibilities for a cross-curricular project on Scotland that it seems mad not to do it. And why not come in to the L.A.B. and film your results with our team? I'd be interested to hear any of your projects for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖcoming, and any ideas on what we could do to help.

Extra links:
Burns currently on the iPlayer
Burns works as a podcast