Den Day teaches children about '˜home'

Year-five pupils with one of the shelters they made on Build a Den Day at White Meadows Primary Academy Photo by Derek Martin DM17628991a

Every child at White Meadows Primary Academy in Wick was involved in Build a Den Day, which raised just under £400 on Friday.

Supporting the charity’s national campaign was part of the academy’s work towards its level one Rights Respecting Schools Award.

Co-ordinator Yvette Smith, a year-three teacher, said: “We talked about different homes in different places. The children had to think about what makes a home and learned that not all homes need a sofa or a PlayStation.

“It has been a real community effort, with parents and businesses bringing in different things for the children to use to build shelters.

“They were able to do them how they wanted to, working in small groups, and at the end of the day, the children sat in their dens for storytime and the parents came in to see the dens.

“They loved it. They were working in teams and they had really good collaboration going.”

Deputy head teacher Jon Parsons said it had been nice to get the children working on a whole-school project.

“All the parents chipped in a little bit of change or resources and there was a really purposeful feeling in the school all day.”

The children were asked to take in silver coins and were taken into a special room to view a map of the world before throwing their money into a tent.

Parent Stewart Lister said: “They were all fired up about it. I was lovely to hear them enjoying it. It really inspired them. It was fantastic.”

The children learned that £250 could provide a family of five with life-saving winter essentials and £66 could buy ten Tarpaulin sheets to help provide emergency shelter.

Mack Miller, ten, said: “It was really fun. We are really proud of what we have done because we have raised so much money.”

Amy Edwards, ten, said: “I think it was good because we know how it feels for the people all around the world who do know how it feels to have a rooms to live in.”

Oliver Daw-Hunt, ten, said: “We were able to see how it feels to be someone who has not got a home and were raising money to help them to get a home.”

Olivia Lock, ten, said: “I enjoyed discovering how hard it is to make a home when you don’t have bricks to make one.”