Dads at a nursery school in Welwyn helped build dens to raise money for Save the Children, as part of a forest school initiative.

Welwyn Hatfield Times: Dads building dens with Tenterfield NurseryDads building dens with Tenterfield Nursery (Image: Archant)

Tenterfield Nursery School invites parents to take part in weekly forest school sessions as part of a plan to encourage boys to love learning.

Acting headteacher Megan Wilcox said: “In our school we have a development plan to make sure boys do just as well as girls.

“Most schools and nurseries have boys’ achievement as a priority. It’s quite clear when you watch them they are so curious and inquisitive, but so much better outside.

“They are not ready to sit on chairs at tables. It just motivates them so much more. A little girl will just automatically sit at the writing table and get the pens out.”

Welwyn Hatfield Times: Dads building dens with Tenterfield NurseryDads building dens with Tenterfield Nursery (Image: Archant)

Around 20 dads showed up on the den building day, some in the morning and some in the afternoon, and they raised £55 in total.

Mrs Wilcox said: “We encourage children to take risks to know what to do if something goes wrong.

“We do it in nursery as well with things like using hammers and saws. If they know how to use things properly, as long as they are well supervised they are amazingly independent.

“It’s also about respecting nature and understanding how important trees are, and taking your magnifying glass out and lying on your tummy and seeing what you can do.”