TPS Blokes and Boys Breakfast
John Eason, left, races Corben Burnett-Solly for the vault at the Blokes and Boys Breakfast. Photo: Maria Polglase.
Ordinarily, if you ask a boy or a bloke to complete an obstacle course, get plastered in raw egg and eat dry weetbix at 7.30 in the morning, they’ll pull the bedcovers back over their head with a grunt.
But not Takaka Primary School’s big and little blokes. Last Monday, when many people were staring bleary-eyed into their morning coffee, over 30 dads, some high school brothers and friends, and a crowd of eager boys were shocking themselves awake with a balloon-popping tournament, an egg-catching competition, hurdles, hula hoops, outdoor chess and cricket.
A great deal of fun, some “creative” basketball and general rule-bending was followed by hot drinks and a breakfast buffet of sausages, scones, fruit salad and other goodies in the school hall.
For room 3 teacher and breakfast organiser Alana Dalzell, it meant a 5.45am setup and some work on the business end of a large megaphone, but for a valuable purpose.
“It’s part of our boys’ education and our teacher development training,” she explained. Following last May’s visit by speaker and educator Joseph Driessen, presenting his seminar Parenting Boys for Success at School, Takaka Primary and other local schools brainstormed ideas and created a plan to make school more fun for boys, and “a more real, happy place that they come to,” said Alana. “A main part of it is about motivating them so that they do like coming to school.”
It was also a fun way to get dads involved, she added, especially those who “have probably never stepped into the school hall” she said. “It helps when there’s safety in numbers and you put on some good food as well.”
Principal Neil Batten said it was about encouraging same-gender role model relationships. “It’s also good to see some older boys here stepping in today when the dad is away or where there is no dad in the family.”
After breakfast there were thank yous to staff, prizes for challenge-winners and rewards for good involvement. The dads then headed off for their day’s business and the boys and staff crossed the yard to start school as usual.
“They’ll be high as kites for the rest of the day now,” said Alana.
Takaka Primary also held a Girls and Mums breakfast last Wednesday, and hopes to hold a breakfast with grandparents in the new school year.
Maria Polglase
