Bushcraft in schools.

[nettles150390]

Its just an errant thought I had, but its interesting and I'd like to know other peoples thoughts and feelings.

Its been awhile since I was in school so things have probably changed. But I was thinking about skills at such and it occurred to me how much bushcraft has to offer schools. Just as an example do you remember your life skills lessons? Resistant materials, textiles, cooking. All covered in bushcraft, just going back to when I was doing resistant materials I remember learning things like dove tail joints square joints, carving and shaping, weilding , or how about maths, angles and pythagorous . working out the time of day from the sun or your latitude and longitude. Science, fire triangle, plant biology, its incredable really but bushcraft really includes a lot of what I learnt at school.

And to think when we teach kids bushcraft at work we only use it to teach things like teamwork, perseverence , determination.

Bushcraft really is the subject of life.

 

[copper_head]

My friend, a primary school teacher, gave a demonstration of flint and steel fire lighting at his school. It was part of his classes history module. I leant him all the stuff for it. Went down pretty well.

 

[Goatboy]

There are a couple of preschool nurseries around here that offer outdoor adventure and elementary bushcraft for pre-school kids and the local primary school takes the kids up to the woods to learn things too. Good to see them having fun.

 

[Filterhoose]

At my kids primary school (Gifford, near Haddington) the local Countryside Rangers appear regularly. They have had my older kids on overnighters, cooking, fire lighting and sleeping in hammocks (tarp hanging instruction as well). My wee ones, Chaos and Mayhem have also had firelighting with them and cooking marshmallows. Also how to leave no trace and put out your fire properly.


Windy

 

[nettles150390]

Hmmm do you think it would be interesting if schools ran a bushcraft modual with each class using the skills to reinforce the learning of other subjects, I mean getting the kids outside would be a big boost in enjoyment for them as well.

 

[Goatboy]

It has to be a cohesive part of their education, but learning life skills would be beneficial to a lot of kids. During the Autumn I'd been talking to some of the local parents about all the brambles and wild raspberries growing around the school that were going untouched. She said that despite the classes that the kids were told never to touch wild fruit. I was pretty amazed as they are about the two easiest wild foods to identify and they would've been scoffed in seconds when I was at school as it was a free feed. And this is a rural area. But most modern parents want to wrap their little bundles of joy up in cotton wool.

 

[nettles150390]

But most modern parents want to wrap their little bundles of joy up in cotton wool.

Yeah I think a lot of it comes down to that, and health an safety. Ha, I remember the look on a teachers face when I did a knife skills session with a group of kids lol. Then again the fact i could do one shows all isn't lost I guess.

 

[presterjohn]

My wife is a Forest schools teacher in a primary school and that essentially is low level bushcraft. She is certainly better at getting a fire going than I am and probably has more wood fires going in one year than most of us do in ten. Schools are now very much into kids exploring the world looking at "mini beasts" and being out doors.

 

[weekender]

My wife is a Forest schools teacher in a primary school and that essentially is low level bushcraft. She is certainly better at getting a fire going than I am and probably has more wood fires going in one year than most of us do in ten. Schools are now very much into kids exploring the world looking at "mini beasts" and being out doors.

My son (4yo) has had 'forest school' in nursery and now in reception and he loves it, best thing ever, if for what ever reason they don't go ( usually not enough adults to go with them) he really misses it but then that's when 'super dad' steps in and gets him down the woods on a weekend for a few hours😉


Sent from somewhere?