Lessons for my cousin

[michiel]

I've been teaching my cousin basic knife skills. He's really interested in camping too. Now I want to introduce him to bushcraft. What are the things I could teach him? He's 12 btw.

I was thinking about:

Firelighting in a responsible way ( lighter, matches, firesteel)
The basics of shelters
Some first aid info
psk info

Anything you suggest that I should consider?

Kind regards,

Michiel

 

[pag_3833]

most certainly shelter building. i know when i was that age i used to love making tree-houses and dens/bases and what not, if i learnt the info i know now back then - oooo i could only imagine how much fun i would of had.

id also teach about respecting the land around you, not sure how you'd go about doing that though, im no teacher

 

[Goose]

An idea of where arteries and veins run in the body is a good start to knife safety, it focuses the mind when you show how easy it is to cause serious ijury to yourself!
Some ID books(flora,fauna,fungus etc.) would be a good start, I have only recently started to build up a library and ID is a good way of making walks more interesting, the more I learn the more I realise there is to learn.

 

[michiel]

I'll lend him my ID books. I tought him how to remove ticks because there are a lot of them out there now. I had one on my leg and showed him how to remove it.
Making shelters is a good idea. My grandfaher has a small piece of woodland, so it's great for teaching him some skills.

Michiel

 

[Ogri the trog]

If I think back that far to when I was starting Scouts, the skills that I learned then have stayed with me right through, Ropecraft, Navigation, Knife/Axe/Saw use, Firemaking and Camping.
Its a lot for a youngster to take in, but fed slowly and with inter-related topics (like what knots to use in sheltermaking or Navigation to a new campsite) and it all builds together to form a very solid foundation.
Its great that you are taking the time to teach the next generation, rep points in credit to you.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[michiel]

Some knots would come in handy I think. When setting up camp I'll teach him some. I don't know if his mother would like him using an axe, but a saw would probably be OK.

Michiel