Category Archives: Aberdeen

Starcatchers Creative Skills Training

Starcatchers is currently offering a free training programme for Early Years workers in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Fife, South Lanarkshire and Inverclyde as part of a pilot project to develop creative skills for early years workers in Scotland which is being supported by the Scottish Government and Creative Scotland.

The programme will allow early years workers from a range of sectors to build their understanding of the importances of creativity in early years and through a series of artist-led practical sessions, will offer skills and techniques that practitioners can use when they are working with children and families directly.

Starcatchers is currently recruiting participants for the project, all the information is on their website:  http://www.starcatchers.org.uk/creative-skills/creative-skills-early-years-practitioners

Download further information here: Creative Skills National Info

Funding for science programme

The Scottish Government has announced that a national programme of science events and exhibitions will take place across the country to celebrate the Year of Natural Scotland. The activity will take place in Scotland’s four science centres in 2013.

Full programme details are still to be announced but highlights are set to include:
·         A series of community and school events celebrating sustainable living and new technologies at Dundee Science Centre.
·         A festival focusing on sustainable science at Glasgow Science Centre, with hands-on workshops and ‘meet the expert’ sessions.
·         Workshops and exhibitions at Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh celebrating the beauty of Scotland’s natural environment.
·         A ‘Green Energy Discovery Weekend’ and a symposium for primary pupils at Aberdeen’s Satrosphere Science Centre.

To find out more, click here

Resonate – Artist in Residency, University of Aberdeen

Resonate is a strategic initiative, funded by Creative Scotland, that has been developed by the University of Aberdeen in partnership with the Arts Education Team at Aberdeen City Council, and aims to place creativity at the heart of the continuous professional development of teachers, student teachers and University teacher educators.

The initiative is seeking applications from artists interesting in applying for the residency. Deadline for submissions Wednesday 30th January, 5pm.

Further information is available on the Creative Scotland website

Serious Play: The interface between creativity, play and learning

Tuesday 4 December 2012

Beach Ballroom, Beach Promenade, Aberdeen, AB24 5NR

Registration 9.30am; Conference 10.15am‐4.00pm

This interdisciplinary conference will bring together professionals from Education, Early Years, Family and Community Learning, Arts and Culture and Outdoor Learning to explore the interface between creativity, play and learning in a range of contexts.

The conference will enable participants to share theory and practice with a view to developing new ideas and further collaborations.

There will be a range of participatory activities as well as presentations to encourage interaction, learn from each other and stimulate new possibilities.

The keynote presenter is María de los Angéles González, better known in her country as `Chiqui ́Gonzalez, Minister of Innovation and Culture of the State Government of Santa Fe, Argentina.

Chiqui has combined her skills and experiences as a lawyer, teacher, artistic practitioner and Minister to champion shared family learning through cultural activity. This is most keenly realised in ‘El Tríptico de la Infancia,’ in Rosario and ‘El Tríptico de la Imaginacíon’ in Santa Fe; six cultural centres developed from abandoned and subsequently regenerated industrial and public spaces. Each centre has a different emphasis on family learning, invention, collective construction, sharing and creating stories and play.

For further information contact: CLN@aberdeencity.gov.uk or telephone 01224 814530. To book your free place please complete the attached booking form:

Booking Form -Serious Play

and email it to:

CPD@aberdeencity.gov.uk.


National Creative Learning Network at SLF 2012

National Creative Learning Network at SLF 2012

The National Creative Learning Network (NCLN) is a community of practice which has a leadership role in championing and advocating creativity in both formal and informal learning contexts. The Network is well represented at this year’s SLF, with members from local authorities across Scotland leading workshops and seminars throughout the two days of the festival.

Seminar Programme

Find out about the benefits of being involved in a Creative Learning Network at Fife’s CLN Showcase seminar, or find out what being creative means to Edinburgh’s young apprentices.

  • Creative Learners, Creative Thinkers, Creative Careers (Edinburgh)
  • Showcasing Fife’s Creative Learning Network (Fife)
  • What’s the Past got to do with us? (Aberdeenshire)

Visit the SLF website to view the full seminar programme

Education Showcase

The Showcase programme features demonstrations, experiments, drama and music making with NCLN contributions from a number of authorities:

  • Arts and Culture as a Catalyst for Learning: The Aberdeen Arts Across Learning Festival (Aberdeen City)
  • Inspiring Creativity, Highland’s Creativity Conference (Highland)
  • Supporting Drama through Literacy – Learners with Mild to Severe and Complex Needs (Dumfries & Galloway)
  • Challenging Creativity Creatively (Edinburgh)
  • The Big Drum Experiment (Scottish Borders)
  • Little Rabbit: drama for early years (Angus)
  • Teachers Realising their Creative Potential (Aberdeen City)
  • Write a Song in 30 Minutes (Stirling)

To view the full Education Showcase programme click here

The NCLN consists of the the group of coordinators who lead each local authority’s Creative Learning Network. Visit the Creativity Portal to find out who your local Creative Learning Network contact is: http://bit.ly/Creative_Learning_Contacts

Find out more about the Creative Learning Networks by watching one of the short films on the Creativity Portal: http://bit.ly/CLN_Creativity_Portal

NCLN at SLF 2012

Members of the NCLN are contributing to this year’s Scottish Learning Festival – ‘Creative Learning…Creative Thinking’ – in a number of ways, whether presenting on creative initiatives or sharing Creative Learning Network news. The programme includes the following:

Seminar Programme

Creative Learners, Creative Thinkers, Creative Careers – Modern Apprentices and Student Councillor, Edinburgh

Showcasing Fife’s Creative Learning Network ­– Michelle Sweeney, Fife

What’s the Past got to do with us? – David Atherton, Aberdeenshire

Visit the SLF website to view the full seminar programme

Education Showcase

Arts and Culture as a Catalyst for Learning: The Aberdeen Arts Across Learning Festival – Jacky Hardare, Aberdeen City

Inspiring Creativity – Amy McLeod, Highland

Supporting Drama through Literacy – Learners with Mild to Severe and Complex Needs – Lesley Sloan, Dumfries & Galloway

Challenging Creativity Creatively – Linda Lees, Edinburgh

The Big Drum Experiment ­– Susanne Batchelor, Scottish Borders

Little Rabbit – Pauline Meikleham, Angus

Teachers Realising their Creative Potential – Jacky Hardacre, Aberdeen

Write a Song in 30 Minutes – Marco Rea, Stirling

To view the full Education Showcase programme click here

Dance and Social Inclusion Training, 21-24 August 2012

Dance United is running a four-day training course in Aberdeen from 21-24 August which looks at how to deliver high quality dance when working with challenging groups in the community.

This Stage 1 training course has been accredited by National Open College Network (NOCN) so course participants will be able to achieve recognition at level 3 in Social Inclusion Practice in Dance.

Click here to download course details: Dance United Training Course flyer

The course is organised by Citymoves, Aberdeen in partnership with Dance United.