Both P6 classes had an excellent trip down to Ayrshire to visit the RBBM, we had a fabulous time and learned so much about Robert Burns’ life and work.

We got the opportunity to dress up in the style of Burns and this really helped us to imagine what it must have been like in the 18th century.

We had the opportunity to visit Burns’ cottage, he lived there as a young boy with his parents, brothers and sisters. His Aunt Betty also stayed with them for a while. it became very clear that the cottage would have been very crowded.

Attached to the cottage was a byre, this housed many of the family’s livestock. Robert and his siblings would have worked on his father’s farm, they would have had to feed the animals and muck out the stalls. We learned the names of some of the farming tools they used. There was a scythe, a sickle and a besom (a broom used to sweep away the animal poop).

After the cottage we went a tour with Moira, our guide. She was very knowledgeable and took us down the Poets Walkway, around Alloway’s Auld Kirk (where Robert’s father is buried and also where the poem ‘Tam O Shanter’ was set) and also to the Brig O Doon.

After lunch we visited the museum, which held so much information about Burns’ work and about what it would have been like to live in Scotland at this time. We found it fascinating.

Quite recently there was a 3D model made from a plaster cast of Burns’ skull. This model was at the museum and it was great to see because it showed him in a slightly different way from his more recognisable portraits.

We really enjoyed our trip and, even though the bus journey was long, we would highly recommend a visit to the birthplace of Robert Burns.