Dads pitch in for kids

DADS are finding new ways to bond with their kids and each other, thanks to the Champion Dads project at Booragoon Primary School.

Last Friday night, 82 dads and 234 kids camped out on the school oval and had a great time playing games, toasting marshmallows and sitting around the campfire.

Booragoon Champion Dads chairman Paul Buckman said there were two main aims of the Fathering Project - for dads to have a great time with their kids, and for dads to connect with other dads.

He said the school had 240 families and 190 fathers had attended events run by Champion Dads, helping create a community of dads which had benefits for everyone.

The dads all wore a nametag throughout the camp with their nickname on it - and if they did not reveal it they had one made up for them – as well as the years their kids were in.

"This way the dads can find other fathers of children in the same year group as their own," Mr Buckman said.

After a night of dads cooking dinner, with some meals better than others, and some serious fatherly bonding, a group of mums supervised the kids while a guest speaker from the Fathering Project addressed the dads.

Mr Buckman said the dads learnt about what it meant to be a dad and the benefits of being connected with other dads. The dads also took the opportunity to plan the next stage in the school's adventure playground and a kitchen garden.

Breakfast was a bacon and egg barbecue cooked by the dads while the kids watched a movie in the performing arts centre.