Summer Homeschooling – Scotland Heritage Week
SUNDAY – Media: Men in Kilts – Episode 6: “Scotland by Land, Air, and Sea”
“Who were clans, why did they dress the way they did, and how does
heritage shape who we are today?”
MONDAY — CLANS, LAND & WHY SCOTLAND IS SHAPED THIS WAY
Media: Men in Kilts – Episode 1: “Food & Drink” & Episode 5: “Culture
and Tradition”
Teach
Clan = “family” (from Gaelic clann) – clans developed from Vikings
(Highlands) while the Lowlands were managed by the Romans, who came up through
England, separated by the line between the Highlands and the Lowlands. They
intermarried with the Gaels, and combined Viking kinship structures with Gaelic
tribal systems to create powerful, land-based kin groups that evolved into
distinct clans. The foundation of the clan system was familial, based on a common
ancestor, which mirrored the Norse tradition of aett (clan/family line). Instead
of nomadic, settled Vikings became landed, so these communities required
protection and governance, evolving into territories.
Clans were:
·
Extended families
·
Protection groups
·
Land-based communities
Each clan had:
·
Chief
·
Territory
·
Crest
·
Motto
·
Tartan
Show a map:
- Highlands vs Lowlands – “Loch
Lomond,” the clans were in the Highlands, so the chorus says, “Ye’ll take
the high road, and I’ll take the low road, and I’ll be in Scotland afore
ye,” but where is Loch Lomond?
- Major clan regions
Vocabulary
Clan • Chief • Highlands • Lowlands • Territory • Fealty
Key Concepts:
- Land = identity
- Clan = survival system
- Loyalty over law
Discussion Prompts
- “Why would geography shape who
you trust?”
- “Why do people stay loyal to
clans instead of kings?”
Activity
Build Your Clan Map
·
Print or draw Scotland
·
Mark:
o Boyd
clan lands (Ayrshire)
o
Highlands vs Lowlands
·
Add:
o
Mountains
o
Rivers
o
Castles
Journal
“What
makes a family a clan today?”
“If land shaped who I became, what kind of person would my home create?”
TUESDAY — KILTS, TARTANS & SYMBOLIC CLOTHING
Media: Men in Kilts – Episode 7: “Clans & Tartans”
Teach
Teach symbolism: Why they wore kilts, what tartans mean, symbolism in
clothing
Why Kilts?
Originally:
- Large wool blanket (féileadh mòr)
- Used for:
- Warmth
- Blanket
- Rain protection
- Easy movement in mountains
Later:
- Short kilt (féileadh beag)
- Easier for work and fighting
Why Tartans?
- Each clan had a pattern
- Colors came from local plants
& dyes
- Identified:
- Family
- Region
- Loyalty
After 1746:
- Kilts & tartans were banned
after clan rebellions
- Later revived as symbols of pride
Symbols in Kilts
- Sporran = pouch (no pockets)
- Pin = clan or personal symbol
- Colors = land, blood, loyalty,
status
- Clothing as:
- Identity
- Rank
- Loyalty
- Protection
Discussion
- “How does clothing tell a story
today?”
- “What would be dangerous about
wearing the wrong colors in battle?”
Activity
Design Your Family Tartan
·
Grid paper
·
Choose:
o 3–5
colors
o Meaning
for each color
Example:
·
Blue = wisdom
·
Green = home
·
Gold = courage
·
Red = love
Add layer:
- Each stripe = one family value
- Write meaning beside colors
Optional:
- Fabric swatch collage
Journal
“If our
family had a tartan, what would each color represent?”
“What do my clothes say about me without me speaking?”
WEDNESDAY — CRESTS, MOTTOES & THE LANGUAGE OF SYMBOLS
Media: Men in Kilts – Episode 4: “Witchcraft & Superstition”
Teach
Heraldry, animals, shields, mottos
Explain:
- Clan crest = personal badge of
loyalty
- Symbols showed:
- Strength
- Virtue
- Family story
Common symbols:
- Lion = bravery
- Boar = fierce protector
- Tree = endurance
- Star = guidance
Clan Boyd
- Origin: Ayrshire, Lowlands
- Name from Gaelic Buidhe
(“yellow / fair-haired”)
Crest:
🦢 Swan’s head and neck
Motto:
“Eternitate” — “For eternity”
Meaning:
- Swan = loyalty, grace,
faithfulness
- Motto = enduring family, legacy
beyond time
Discussion
- “Which is stronger: law or
loyalty?”
- “When is justice more important
than family?”
Activity
Design Personal Crests
Each child designs:
·
Shield shape
·
4 quadrants:
o Strength
o Talent/Gift
o Value
o Dream/Destiny
Add:
·
Animal
·
Color meaning
·
Motto (1 sentence)
Journal
“What symbol would represent who I am becoming?”
“What kind of legacy do I want my symbol to represent?”
THURSDAY — CLAN LIFE, HONOR, BATTLES & HIGHLAND GAMES
Media: Men in Kilts – Episode 2: “Scottish Sports” & Episode 3: “Song &
Dance”
How clans lived, worked, fought, and celebrated
Teach
Daily life:
·
Farming
·
Sheep
·
Weaving
·
Fishing
·
Storytelling
Clan loyalty:
·
Chief protected people
·
People defended land
·
Blood ties mattered deeply
Battles:
·
Rival clans fought over land & honor
·
Famous clans: Campbell, MacDonald, Fraser,
Stewart
Music & Culture:
·
Bagpipes = war & ceremony
·
Ceilidh = dance & gathering
Clan life:
- Work + war + celebration balanced
- Music = storytelling
- Dance = social bonds
- Feasts = loyalty rituals
Honor code:
- Protect family
- Keep oath
- Defend land
- Respect chief
Activity
Option A — Clan Role Play
Assign roles:
·
Chief
·
Healer
·
Warrior
·
Bard
·
Weaver
Create a “day in the clan” story
Option B
— Mini Highland Games
At home or yard:
·
Sock toss (caber toss substitute)
·
Tug of war
·
Balance walk
- Caber toss (rolled socks)
- Strength hold (plank contest)
- Balance walk
- End with “clan cheer”
Journal
“If I lived in a clan, what role would I choose and why?”
“What traditions hold families together today?”
🗓️ Friday — REBELLIONS, OUTLAWING
& SURVIVAL OF IDENTITY
Media: Men in Kilts – Episode 6: “Culloden: Scotland’s Most Infamous Battle”
How heritage shapes identity today
Teach
Modern Scotland:
·
Clans now symbolic, not political
·
Tartans worn at:
o Weddings
o Graduations
o Ceremonies
Genealogy:
·
Why people trace ancestry
·
How stories survive
Tie to your family:
·
Boyd = loyalty & eternity
After Culloden:
- Clans broken
- Chiefs lost power
- Tartans banned
- Language suppressed
But:
- Identity survived through:
- Songs
- Stories
- Family memory
- Symbols
Connect to:
- Immigration
- American descendants
- Your family lineage
Discussion
- “Can culture survive without
land?”
- “What parts of identity can never
be taken away?”
- “What parts of my heritage do I
want to carry into my future?”
Clan Feast Night (Burns Night)
- Simple menu:
- Oatcakes
- Soup
- Honey apples
- Shortbread
Final Project
Heritage Night Ritual
Candle + Celtic music
Each child presents:
- Tartan
- Their crest
- Their motto
- One value they promise to carry
OPTIONAL RESOURCES
- “The Usborne Book of Scottish
History”
- YouTube:
- “Why Scots Wear Kilts” (BBC
Bitesize)
- “What Is a Clan?” (National
Museum of Scotland)
- Virtual tour: Edinburgh Castle
