Dads treasure their hunt
Treasures hidden at Tahunanui Beach were discovered by fathers and their children as they solved clues and enjoyed valuable time together at the second Active Dads event for Nelson.
More than 30 dads spent the sunny afternoon at the beach on Sunday with their children. Active Dads co-ordinator Solomon Rahui said the group, which started in Nelson last month, received a great response from the community.
‘‘It was a really good day and [Active Dads] is spreading really well over Facebook,’’ said Rahui.
Active Dads is an initiative funded by the Ministry of Social Development through Skip (Strategies for Kids, Information for Parents) programme and delivered by Barnados.
It was created to encourage fathers of children under five to spend time together and engage.
The Nelson Active Dads Facebook page has 155 likes from both mothers and fathers around the region, and is continuing to grow, said Rahui.
‘‘Mums think it’s a great idea too, they’ve even been volunteering their partners to come along,’’ he said. Children were delighted with the day’s fun activities, which involved a traditional treasure hunt as well as exciting added-extras, including building a sandcastle and taking a ‘‘selfie’’ photo with dad in front of it. Fathers were encouraged at the end of the event to ask their child what their favourite part of the day was.
‘‘When children were asked how big the sandcastle was their arms would go really wide, they loved it,’’ said Rahui.
He believed the Active Dads events were making a difference in strengthening relationships between fathers and children.
‘‘[The fathers] seem to find it quite valuable, they have these moments to interact with their kids and it just takes the wall down,’’ he said.
The initiative has seen success in Blenheim over the past few years with more than 600 fathers signed up. It’s still early days for the Nelson group, but Rahui believed it would gain traction quickly.
As well as connecting with their children, Rahui said the group was an opportunity for fathers to network and connect with each other, particularly for new families in the region.
‘‘There were some who had just moved up from Christchurch who really liked it, and a guy from Holland who came along thought it was a fantastic idea,’’ he said.
The group will gather for more fortnightly activities, with paddle-boarding, a Natureland visit and pizza in the park being potential events for the agenda.