United States
£ GBP
Building a den, fort, treehouse or hideaway is part of childhood's imaginary world, where anything might be possible. Dens are universal play places: you can make them almost anywhere, out of almost anything.
The Den Book is packed with inspiring photos and descriptive text to tempt children (and their adults) into building amazing dens outdoors, for themselves, for their toys, or for the imaginary creatures who live in the woods or the park. What makes a good den? It should be secret: perhaps you need to know the password before you are allowed to enter. It should be a place to hang out with friends. It should be a place where you can escape into your imagination.
The Den Book includes tips on how to build, waterproof and furnish a den and lots of fun ideas for activities to do in and around dens. There is specific advice on building different dens, including garden dens, junk dens, sleep out and party dens, fairy forts and monster dens as well as treehouses and tepees.
Jo Schofield gained a degree in psychology from Exeter University and began her career working for an educational psychologist in London. After getting involved in the production of a film, she went on to work in the creative department of a TV advertising agency where she began taking still photographs. This led on to her becoming a commercial photographer in Australia and then London. She worked mainly for national editorial magazines such as Country Living. When her children were small she worked in Watlington Primary School and the Dragon school in Oxford, applying her creative knowledge to the classroom with children aged 6-9 years. More recently she has been focusing on writing and photographing for a series of books with co-author Fiona Danks. Jo lives near Watlington in Oxfordshire. Through their website, Jo and Fiona provide more ideas for outdoor activities and an opportunity for debate on the importance of real world adventures for all young people.
Fiona Danks did a degree in Ecology at Edinburgh University followed by a PGCE in Rural and Environmental Science at Bath College of Higher Education. She worked in environmental education for a number of years, first for the Shropshire Wildlife Trust and then for the Berkshire Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust, organizing training for teachers and taking groups of children out to nature reserves and other wild sites. She then went on to write books about the Chiltern Hills and the Cotswold Hills while working part-time running activities in a pre-school nursery. She currently runs the Trust for Oxfordshire's Environment, a non-profit making company providing grants for a wide range of community and environmental projects across Oxfordshire. Fiona lives in Watlington in Oxfordshire.
