Shetland Islands Council, together with Schools Service and Shetland ForWirds launched the Dialect Ditty Box on Monday 8 October. The Ditty Box is a pre-school resource pack created with the intention of encouraging the Shetland dialect in pre-school education. It will be given out to 35 nursureis, playgroups and educational environments after the launch. Teachers contributed to the development of material for the pack, including ryhmes, stories, poems and songs that are both traditional and new. In addition some thought was given to making the material engaging and interesting for young children to use, and staff will find notes designed to help with creating activities. Along with the Ditty Box comes a specially made CD, created by local artists and volunteers, which is is hoped will be of help to staff who who have little knowledge of, or who do not speak, Shetlandic. For maore information about the Ditty Box please contact Frances Tait, (Creative Links Graduate Placement) at frances.tait@shetland.gov.uk or phone 01595 744941 or contact Noell Henderson (Shetland Islands Council Creative Links Officer) at noell.henderson@shetland.gov.uk.