Need some help on outdoor ideas!!

[Jaysurfer]

Hi Everyone

For my SINS i am an explorer scout leader. I am helping organise a County Explorer Moot coming up in a couple of weeks. I currently have a 'Pub Quiz' (without the pub) organised for the first night.
However inbetween rounds I wanted to get the explorers to do different activities that they could be scored on (this could be out of 10 or by time), preferably outdoors/ in a marquee that has some reference to being outside. They will be doing it in teams so any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

For an example -

One of the activities they will be given a can of drink (non alcoholic) and a chocolate bar and told to figure out how to start a fire using only those two items and tinder...

Looking forward to seeing your responses.

J

 

[calibanzwei]

One of the activities they will be given a can of drink (non alcoholic) and a chocolate bar and told to figure out how to start a fire using only those two items and tinder...

What if they have a subscription to Country Walking?

 

[Jaysurfer]

They don't! lol
I have been keeping that from my lot until the camp so they definetly don't know it.
Although i think CW took it from Bushcraft Magazine anyway.... ?

 

[British Red]

Who took it from elsewhere. Its just a parabloic reflector - why not be original and give them a torch and a piece of wire wool?

Or a condom, water bottle and FFD?

Broken file, broken bottle, teatowel ?

 

[calibanzwei]

CW do indeed credit Bushcraft in the article (have it on me) - do think its going to take plenty of sun and patience!

 

[Jaysurfer]

Yeah well this will be in the evening so I don't expect them to do it just try and figure it out.

Anyway getting away from the fire starting and the one thing i thought would be good to do...

Does anyone have any ideas? Remember if i have not already planned it then it is likely i don't know it / won't understand it myself so will need to be told the answer/correct method to the problem/question.

J

 

[falling rain]

How about giving them a list of say 10 plants/trees and they have an hour to collect an example (Leaf/ plant/berry etc of each species on the list. As an extra embuggerence they have to note at last one use for each plant/tree. (extra points for more uses)
I don't know their level of knowledge on plants and trees but you could keep it very simple if they don't know much. EG stinging nettle (cordage/food) Dock leaf (ease nettle rash) Dandelion (salad leaves/coffee subtitute from the roasted roots) etc.
It also gives you a chance to have a brew and put you feet up while they're out searching.......sorted.

 

[MartinK9]

A length of rope and how many different knots they can tie in 60 seconds

 

[Wilderbeast]

One of the activities they will be given a can of drink (non alcoholic) and a chocolate bar and told to figure out how to start a fire using only those two items and tinder...


J

sorry haven't heard of this, can someone enlighten me on how this works ?! :You_Rock_

 

[jimford]

One of the activities they will be given a can of drink (non alcoholic) and a chocolate bar and told to figure out how to start a fire using only those two items and tinder...

Hmm, reminds me of the 'Monty Python and The Holy Grail':

'Your task is to cut down the tallest tree in the forrest - with a herring'!

Jim

 

[spamel]

Let's be honest, they are never gonna figure out the chocolate bar and coke can parabolic mirror! I feel impossible tasks, or tasks that are so difficult as to be unachievable, will do nothing but make them feel a bit hard done by! Plus, if none of them do it and ask you to show them and you don't manage it, you're gonna look a complete wally!

I like the idea of different knots and whne they should/shouldn't be used. Maybe different fire lays too, they can do that with unlit timber and show the different fire lays and their uses. Also, the different woods and which are good for fires and which aren't. Get them to make up proper walking staffs and use them for various tasks too, I think the staff is an item that used to be de rigeur with Scouts but seems to have fallen out of fashion. There were loads of different uses such as measuring, creating a flag pole, poles for a tent, etc. See how many they can think of and resurrect the Scouts' walking staff/stave.

Whatever you choose to do, the best of luck and I hope it goes well for you.

 

[wanderingblade]

Paintball

 

[sirex]

you could give them a bunch of wood and see who can build a strongest bridge between two points ?

 

[Jaysurfer]

Hi guys

Thanks for the input... all very good ideas.
The Explorers are 14 - 18 so some might now alot and some might know nothing. I am doing this blind...

The 'Pub Quiz' is only going to last a maximum of 2 hours so the activities need to last about 5 - 10 minutes really.

I am not too worried about them being able to complete the activites they are more to get them talking. Most of the kids will not know each other out of their own groups so we are gonna split them up into groups to do the quiz. So the activites and the general purpose of the quiz is to get them talking to each other and working together so that for the rest of the camp they don't just stick to their own groups.

Any more ideas would be more than welcome - I am going to be using the 'How many knots' one though so thatnks for that idea Martin.

Unfortunately Wandering Blade the Scout Association will not insure Scouts to go paintballing - although i would love to shoot some of my lot sometimes!

Wilderbeast - The Can, chocolate and tinder work by rubbing the chocolate on the bottom of the can to get of the aluminium Oxide so the bottom of the can is a polished surface (The Chocolate will then be poisonous so do not eat it!).
Because of the concave of the can you can then reflect sun light off the bottom of it. I believe the correct method is to hold the can upside down, angling it to pick up[ the most sun, you then position the tinder on the edge of the can and slowly move it towards the centre until you find where the best source of heat is and then move it slowly away from the can to get the best angle. In strong sunlight apparently within a few minutes the tinder should start to smoke and then the rest is down to you... It is a bit like the magnifying glass trick but the other way round and with a can lol

So has anyone else got any other ideas?

Thanks for all your help.

 

[Jaysurfer]

Falling Rain - thanks for the foraging idea I will be using that one too but the simple one i think as i think alot of them are from towns so probably don't know much lol

J

 

[firecrest]

To be fair, the chocolate bar and coke can one is not easy to figure out even for someone with experience, they`ll only figure it out if somebody has had it shown to them already. Unless you let them eat the chocolate, im sure theyll appreciate that!

 

[MartinK9]

Give them a car with a tyre removed - spare and jack available - no nuts. ask them to make the car driveable (take one nut off from each of the other wheels)

 

[locum76]

embuggerence

That word should be in the dictionary. consider it adopted.

jaysurfer: what about some bivouac building?

 

[rcs]

They might be a little old for these, but its an idea.

http://www.funandgames.org/widegames.htm

http://www.inquiry.net/outdoor/games/b-p/index.htm

 

[Chinkapin]

make a leaf collection of: simple, compound, pinnate, palmate, serrated, lobed.

Get a log, have them count the tree rings for age of tree and then have them look for dry and wet periods, by looking at ring width. Have them tell when these dry or wet periods occurred.

Make a tree survey of your neighborhood, village, or whatever.

measure a tree's heighth. I can tell you how to do this with a stick, later if you want.

make a tree identification kit: from a single tree, gather samples of: bark, leaves or needles, seeds or cones, and buds.

Make some leaf presses.