Setting up a bushcraft skills zone - advice needed please!

[SimonM]

I have been asked to set up a bushcraft / survival area on my local Scout camp.

The plan is to run 1.5 hour sessions, but what to include?

I thought about:

• Fire lighting - ferro rod & flint and steel (group dependant) (with a bow drill demo?)
  
• Basic knife work - sharpening stakes & cutting notches to make a tent peg or pot hanger.
  
• A talk about what is needed for survival - Rule of 3's etc

I've been to the site today and set up a few items, just to get a feel for the area...

So, the question is "What else could I include?"

Thanks in advance...

Simon

 

[decorum]

The plan is to run 1.5 hour sessions, but what to include?

Is that 1.5hrs per topic or for a combination of topics?

Have you decided on the numbers per session and the number of leaders required per session?

Do you intend for the session(s) to go toward the Survival Skills badge?

[*]Fire lighting - ferro rod & flint and steel (group dependant) (with a bow drill demo?)

From personal experience ...

Either forget about ferro & flint. A high percentage won't have the confidence to scrape the ferro 'properly' (and many who do, will have trouble getting sparks to land where they want) but strangely, most of those who try flint and steel will blat the living daylights out of it

Campcrafts that troops are crying out (at least locally ) for are how to lay a fire properly, how to manage a fire so that you have a constant supply of embers and (scarily) how to strike a match properly.

[*]Basic knife work - sharpening stakes & cutting notches to make a tent peg or pot hanger.

Always a good one. May I take it that you intend to use light batoning? The size, strength and dexterity of the average scout means that more can be achieved, more efficiently, if you get them to pair up for some sharps topics*

Making a woodland kazoo is a fun one - especially rewarding if they get to fettle the wood to alter the note

[*]A talk about what is needed for survival - Rule of 3's etc

Emergency Proceedures - Role Play senarios can be fun. At any rate, the info tends to go in and stay a little better

So, the question is "What else could I include?"

Natural cordage? For efficiency, it might be better if the strands were prepped up to the point where they're ready to be used - but there's nothing stopping you doing a 'And here, quickly, is a demo of the process ...'. Most people outside of our little world don't believe just how good natural cordage can be - or how satisfying it can be to make .


If you have access - dead wood debris shelters are popular. Even if you don't have access to leaf litter, the basic structure can be made and then you ask the questions 'What could you cover this shelter with?', 'What do you think would the best foliage be in this area?', 'Is there a best way to use the foliage type?' - the list goes on and on


* I have recently had 11 year olds using a froe and a 'War Hammer'* to split down rounds for their fire. They begin by using a clipper and stick baton, they move onto billhook and woodland mallet - and they are judged that they were confident and competent enough, they are moved up to the froe.

** Occasionally refered to as the to-an'

 

[SimonM]

Thanks Dec...

The plan is that this becomes a bookable activity for the site, not just for Scouts but youth groups too... so, 1.5 hours for the combination of activities. Not long I know!


Group size is max 10, with 1 instructor (initially me) and A N Other from the group.

Nettle cordage is a good idea...loads of nettles around the site.

Fire lay... I agree is a sorely lacking skill which I intend to cover.

Simon

Shelter wise, I'm looking to introduce some bracken to the area (handy for the fire lighting too) and am looking to add that at a later date.

 

[decorum]

Thanks ....

No worries - I'm in the process of sorting something along similar lines locally . I've also been lightly involved in local Leader Training for a few years

The plan is that this becomes a bookable activity for the site, not just for Scouts but youth groups too... so, 1.5 hours for the combination of activities. Not long I know!

Unless it's a constraint put upon you ... you either need more time or less subjects per session.
The brutal truth is that you can't *guarantee* to be able to cover even the basics of you list safely in 90 minutes.
That guarantee is vitally important - it gives you time left over to go back to finish something or it gives you the time to help a group that might struggle.
As an example: I have been arguing for a few years that when I do bladed tool training that 60 minutes wasn't enough to do the safety spiel, let them 'try' and then get them to produce something - I now have 90 minutes to do basic sharps (safety and use).

You want to do 2 extra topics in that 90 minutes???

Group size is max 10, with 1 instructor (initially me) and A N Other from the group.

Too many of them, too few of you (That's scouting for you though )

For practical stuff I insist on working with patrol size groups per instructer (maximum). And then it's tough keeping an eye out for safe tool usage - whilst trying to help individuals when/where needed :yikes:

Fire lay... I agree is a sorely lacking skill which I intend to cover.

Message from SWMBO (who is a local education ranger) - they stipulate 2 hours for fire lighting.

Shelter wise, I'm looking to introduce some bracken to the area (handy for the fire lighting too) and am looking to add that at a later date.

Pretty sure that it isn't in P.O.R, but I'm also pretty sure that the use of green/fresh bracken is frowned upon by scouting. It fall foul of 'it is not best practice to ...' :borgsmile - something to do with the 'cords' that run the length of the plant and the carcinogenic nature of the spores - from what I understand, it's fine to use it in fire lighting .

 

[Wayland]

Try giving them a plastic bucket, a fire with some stones around it and a box of eggs to boil. It takes them ages to work out how to do it.

There's always the boiling a paper bag full of water trick too.

It teaches them a huge amount about fire and the properties of heat.

 

[decorum]

Try giving them a plastic bucket, a fire with some stones around it and a box of eggs to boil. It takes them ages to work out how to do it.

There's always the boiling a paper bag full of water trick too.

And then there's the making a 'candle' from an almond a needle and a cork

EDIT:

If you want to shock - boil water for a brew on doritos (sp??) or 'proper' prawn crackers from a chinese 'food emporium'

 

[mojofilter]

What about a laptop under each tarp tuned to BCUK, and maybe your scouts could teach some of the members here a thing or two!

 

[The Big Lebowski]

knife safety/safe usage and basic (very) first aid always comes in handy... its the main tool of use setting up camp i would have thought.

campsite looks ace btw!

atb, tbl.

 

[decorum]

I have been asked to set up a bushcraft / survival area on my local Scout camp.

How're you getting on with this?

 

[rik_uk3]

Finish off with some fun stuff, youngsters appriciate it, frying eggs in paper bags, cooking chips/baking a loaf in an old cadbury Roses tin etc

 

[SimonM]

How're you getting on with this?

Not very far TBH... the site are "keen" to see this move forwards, but won't spend any money to buy even the most basic of gear such as ferro rods etc.

The wood itself now has a ground fire spot and is rigged for the parachute shelter to go up in minutes, but beyond that, nothing.

Simon

 

[decorum]

... the site are "keen" to see this move forwards,

Sounds familiar ....

... but won't spend any money to buy even the most basic of gear such as ferro rods etc...

Ooh ... eerily familiar .



To get one endeavour up and running I splashed the cash and was repayed when the activity started to bring in the money - I'm not advocating that you do the same, just saying that I know what you mean and where their mentality is

Do you know many of the scouting faces up there? I don't mean just scout leaders, I mean District and County _faces_ - including the execs and leader training team(s). These are the people who might be able/willing to stear you around the local issue(s).

 

[L8starter]

Finish off with some fun stuff, youngsters appriciate it, frying eggs in paper bags, cooking chips/baking a loaf in an old cadbury Roses tin etc

frying eggs in paper? id like to know that one please