I've something kicking around in my head , and as ever I'd like ideas and fresh takes.
I like the idea of 52 weekly planned learning objectives to make learning skills bite sized , incremental , varied and enough time to not feel onerous but achievable.
Once a week I think is a good timeframe , enough time elapses to plan an activity and each weekend can have a plan to follow.
This isn't a planned skill list for me per se ( but I'd probably run it ) but more a list of " things " and activities that may make an interesting diversion for the modern westerner wanting to reconnect/learn some more rudimentary skills.
This also isn't aimed at bushcrafty people whom tend to have a lot of these skills in the bag , but more the suburban individual whom wants to learn such things but with stabilisers still on.
I'll list what I've currently come up with and I'm hoping people will see a vibe/trend - it's not strictly homesteading but maybe skills people don't have ?
( I'm not saying the following is the optimal order to follow , I'm just listing things. Ideally basic skills should be built upon and combined if possible )
1) Butcher a Whole chicken into composite cuts.
2) Bake Bread
3) Make Cheese
4) Ferment Veg in brine solution
5) Use pork belly to make Bacon
6) Butcher a Whole rabbit
7) Clean and gut a whole fish.
8) Make Soap
9) Build food smoker
10) Pickle Eggs
11 ) Make fresh pasta
12) catch a fish
13) trap or shoot a rabbit or grey squirrel
14) Start a fire without using a lighter or matches.
15) I like the idea of butchery, perhaps tanning the hide could be another one further down the line.
16) Suturing a wound.
17) Take a basic first aid course.
18) Erect a rain/wind proof shelter using a tarp, some string and home made wooden pegs. Sleep under it
19) learning how to humanely dispatch a chicken (and other poultry) by hand is a valuable skill to learn.
20) Felling trees and processing wood (for firewood and construction).
21 ) Basic leather / sewing skills. - Utilitarian handiwork e.g. Make a simple piece of leathercraft e.g. purse or card holder
22) Make a simple useable camp knife using scrap metal, a saw, a file and a heat source (maybe not PC though)
23) Plant a tree
24) Grow a tomato from seed
25 ) Save your own tomato seed
26) Take a softwood cutting
27) Take a hardwood cutting
28) Load/reload a rifle cartridge
29 )- forage a meal for two in each season (is that 1 or 4 activities?)
30) Choosing and planting hardy herbs
31) Make basic gravity fed water filter
32) Setting up a solar generator
33) Composting basics
34) Seasoning firewood
35) Milking goats (my OH has already done that course).
36) Rabbit butchery
37) make a primitive flat bow or stick bow capable of being used for small game hunting (not allowed in the UK of course).
Etc.
It will be interesting to what people suggest.
I guess as general guidelines it needs to be a skill or thing that isn't too costly to execute , can be done in a weekend and can have some simple easy to follow process steps written
I like the idea of 52 weekly planned learning objectives to make learning skills bite sized , incremental , varied and enough time to not feel onerous but achievable.
Once a week I think is a good timeframe , enough time elapses to plan an activity and each weekend can have a plan to follow.
This isn't a planned skill list for me per se ( but I'd probably run it ) but more a list of " things " and activities that may make an interesting diversion for the modern westerner wanting to reconnect/learn some more rudimentary skills.
This also isn't aimed at bushcrafty people whom tend to have a lot of these skills in the bag , but more the suburban individual whom wants to learn such things but with stabilisers still on.
I'll list what I've currently come up with and I'm hoping people will see a vibe/trend - it's not strictly homesteading but maybe skills people don't have ?
( I'm not saying the following is the optimal order to follow , I'm just listing things. Ideally basic skills should be built upon and combined if possible )
1) Butcher a Whole chicken into composite cuts.
2) Bake Bread
3) Make Cheese
4) Ferment Veg in brine solution
5) Use pork belly to make Bacon
6) Butcher a Whole rabbit
7) Clean and gut a whole fish.
8) Make Soap
9) Build food smoker
10) Pickle Eggs
11 ) Make fresh pasta
12) catch a fish
13) trap or shoot a rabbit or grey squirrel
14) Start a fire without using a lighter or matches.
15) I like the idea of butchery, perhaps tanning the hide could be another one further down the line.
16) Suturing a wound.
17) Take a basic first aid course.
18) Erect a rain/wind proof shelter using a tarp, some string and home made wooden pegs. Sleep under it
19) learning how to humanely dispatch a chicken (and other poultry) by hand is a valuable skill to learn.
20) Felling trees and processing wood (for firewood and construction).
21 ) Basic leather / sewing skills. - Utilitarian handiwork e.g. Make a simple piece of leathercraft e.g. purse or card holder
22) Make a simple useable camp knife using scrap metal, a saw, a file and a heat source (maybe not PC though)
23) Plant a tree
24) Grow a tomato from seed
25 ) Save your own tomato seed
26) Take a softwood cutting
27) Take a hardwood cutting
28) Load/reload a rifle cartridge
29 )- forage a meal for two in each season (is that 1 or 4 activities?)
30) Choosing and planting hardy herbs
31) Make basic gravity fed water filter
32) Setting up a solar generator
33) Composting basics
34) Seasoning firewood
35) Milking goats (my OH has already done that course).
36) Rabbit butchery
37) make a primitive flat bow or stick bow capable of being used for small game hunting (not allowed in the UK of course).
Etc.
It will be interesting to what people suggest.
I guess as general guidelines it needs to be a skill or thing that isn't too costly to execute , can be done in a weekend and can have some simple easy to follow process steps written
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I'll even demonstrate the 30 second skinning technique.
