This is always a great day out for families, with lots to do for the little ones.  This year, the Parents Like Us Festival will take place on 1st – 3rd June 2012 at Leith Links.  The Entrance to the festival is at the junction of Restalrig Road/Links Gardens.

Comann nam Pàrant and the Cròileagan will be there every day – come and visit our stall!

Please see http://pluedinburgh.co for more details.

Film G, the Gaelic film competition is now in it’s fourth year and the entries this year are as spectacular as ever.

Here in Edinburgh at JGHS, the kids worked hard every Tuesday of last term to create their entries.

In the past the joint Gaelic & Media project at Gillespies has been very successful winning best production twice, best overall film and best actor.

However they’ve never won the people’s vote and today is the last day to vote, so go to www.filmg.co.uk and click on Films to see their entries amongst the others:

‘Glacte’ - made by S5s

And

‘Air an Stairsich’ – made by S1s. Be careful there are several  ‘Air an Stairsich’ films as it was this year’s theme (On the Threshold). The JGHS one is. Ard-sgoil Sheumais Ghillespie – roll over the image to see which school submitted the film.

Make sure you vote for the film you like best from the entries and good luck JGHS!

If your child is under 3yrs of age, please come along to one of our Gaelic Play Groups for a morning of fun, games and crafts.  No previous knowledge or fluency in Gaelic necessary.  This is the best way to introduce a child to a 2nd (or in some cases 3rd or 4th) language.

Tollcross Community Education Centre

Wednesday 9.00am – 11.30am
Friday 9.00am – 11.30am
Contact the Centre on 0131 229 7828 or Norma Martin on 0131 529 2415

Corstorphine Youth and Community Centre

Monday 10am – 12.30am
Contact the Centre on 0131 334 1475 or Norma Martin on 0131 529 2415

Published Date: 29 May 2010
© The Scotsman / Johnston Press Digital Publishing
By CATRÌONA NicilleDHUIBH
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Tlant-a39-sileadh-far-a39.6328121.jp

English Translation

You often hear people at a modern art exhibition muttering under their breath “My child could do that”.  But it isn’t often that you hear, at an exhibition of children’s art, that the work is as good as anything by a professional painter.  But that is exactly what people are saying about “Air Iomlaid”, an exhibition which has been put together by the children of Bunsgoil Shlèite and Bunsgoil Crois na Cìse in Edinburgh.  It has already been shown at the Fruitmarket Gallery in Edinburgh, where the sort of art that wins the Turner Prize is usually seen.

“Air Iomlaid” is opening at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig this Saturday (5 June) and will run until 25 June.  It was conceived by artist Julie Brook, who has learned Gàidhlig and lives in Slèite. For twenty years she has been developing special ways of working that encourage children to discover and strengthen their own talents. And she has been successful.

At the heart of the exhibition are four big charcoal pictures, that were developed from the childrens’ individual sketch books.  There are two views of Skye and two of Edinburgh.  It makes an interesting guessing-game to work out who did which picture.

The answer is that the Edinburgh which looks so tidy and detailed is the one belonging to the children from Crois na Cìse, who found Skye to be a high, dark, wild, lonely place.  According to Brook, some of the children from the big city did not understand colour before they arrived on the island.  As soon as they started painting amidst the mountains, colours and freedom became part of their art.

The children from Slèite had plenty of freedom, but some had difficulty with form and with things dealing with structure, size and distance.  When they come to Edinburgh you see the streets falling away from each other in a town which is frightening and irregular.  On the other hand, the island seen by the Skye children is full of houses, streets and life in comparison to the romantic place the townies saw.

Before the pictures could be created, the children had months of detailed learning in their own world.  You see talent oozing from the pages of their sketch books in powerful colours, with mature choices of views and sheer enjoyment of the material.

Brook says that her intention is to ensure that children develop “fitness” as artists. She has done her work.  If there were an art Olympics, they would win the gold medal.