Summer scheme celebrates 10th anniversary of play@home in the Highlands
Parents in the Highlands who are at home during the holidays this summer will have help at hand from a Highland Council play scheme.
Aimed at parents with young children aged from birth up to 5 years the toddler play scheme will take place in Poolewe, Ullapool and Achiltibuie Village Halls and Dingwall Community Centre at various dates during July and August.
The summer play scheme has been organised Highland Council staff who specialise in working with young children and families and marks 10 years distribution of “play@home – Cluich@anTaigh” booklets which promote healthy development through active play. The baby booklet includes songs in English and Gaelic.
Published by NHS Health Scotland with support from Scottish Government’s Healthier Scotland, the series of three booklets are gifted to parents with babies, toddlers and pre-school children to encourage them to instil healthy lifestyles in their children by ‘starting early and staying active for life’.
Play scheme sessions are free of charge and both local people and visitors are welcome. Children aged 0-5 years will need an adult or carer to stay with them. A small, healthy snack and drink will be provided. The events are at:
• Dingwall Community Centre on 4, 11 and 18 July from 10am – 12 noon;
• Poolewe Village Hall on 25 July and 6 August from 10am – 11:30am;
• Ullapool Village Hall on on 1 and 8 August from 10am – 11:30am; and
• Achiltibuie Village Hall on 1 and 8 August from 2pm – 3:30pm.
Many of the activities at the play schemes will be based on ideas from the play@home booklets including: story-telling, craft activities, puppets, song time and other active games.
Chairman of The Highland Council’s Adult and Children Services Committee, Councillor Alasdair Christie welcomed the play schemes as a boost for parents during the summer holidays, he said: “The play@home booklets and summer play scheme are good examples of how The Highland Council is working together with its partners for stronger and safer communities in the Highlands. The pre-school booklet published by the NHS will this year be inserted in the High Life Highland Library Service Bookbug Pirate Bags for families.”
He added: “The play schemes are also a great way of getting the ideas in the booklets “off the page” and into the minds of parents and carers to encourage them to have a go and realise the games are easy, fun and beneficial to the health of their children.”
Also coming to the Highlands during the holidays is the national play bus
“play talk read” which will be promoting a Scottish Government social media campaign aimed at encouraging parents of 0-3s to communicate with their children through play.
The bus tour is part of the wider Early Years Framework and the national parenting strategy that is being developed. A purple double decker play bus will be touring the Highlands in July with a supporting website www.playtalkread.org/tour. The play talk read bus will be at:
• Nairn Community Centre on 16 July from 9am - 4pm;
• Hilton Community Centre, Inverness on 17 July from 9am – 4pm;
• Merkinch Community Centre, Inverness on 18 July from 9am - 4pm;
• Alness Station Car Park, Alness on 19 July from 9am-4.00pm;
• Cromarty Car Park, Dingwall on 20 July from 9am - 4pm; and
• At Inverness Highland Games on 21 July from 11.30am onwards