Childrens bushcraft weekend

[den]

If you was to run a weekend for around 200 children(13-17) with a bushcraft/ survival theme what sort of activities would you use?

Last years event was basically dump them in a field in groups of four to six; give them some plastic sheeting and bamboo canes for their shelter. Some wood for a fire and some vegetables with a pot to cook them in. Within the field staff ran challenges like spider’s web and other team games to earn tokens for extra fire wood, food etc. Not really very bushcrafty.

So how would you do things differently?

It looks like I might have the chance to run the event this year and am trying to sort out what activities to use. Each activity needs to be quite short in time as to get all the groups through plus most of the staff won’t be to bushcrafty. Friction fire lighting always goes down well. Possibly archery/ atlatl throwing if I have enough space. I was thinking of maybe instead of making them cook individually I might do a big pit cooker.

What do you think? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Scally]

a great one is nettle cordage (really change the thought process of nettles)
did it at a district camp last year went down a storm!

 

[Big John]

Hi,

I posted a weekend programme over on 'Leaders Chatter' a while back :

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=8610

It was for Explorer Scouts - 14 to 18yrs and only about 15 of them, so it won't work directly for your army, but should give you some ideas!

Good luck with 200 in camp!!

 

[Tengu]

This sounds great fun do you need any volenteers??

 

[Ralph]

Groups of four to six you say? Well, you could number each group a find bushcraft-related activities to equal the number of groups. e.g. if there were 50 groups of 4 there would be 50 different activities to do. Some groups could do orienteering on their own without a member of staff and others could learn friction firelighting or carving. then, equipment-wise it would be easy to organise because you could just use 4-6 frost moras, 4-6 compasses and so on. In general I think the fundamental aspect of bushcraft would be more appealing to that age group than the spiritual side of things. But one of the most important things in my opinion would be to let people either choose their groups or let them choose atleast 1 friend to go with - The worst thing in a group activity is a non-communicative group.

 

[KIMBOKO]

You say that the leaders aren't very bushcrafty but suggest that the children like friction firelighting presumably with no hope of success. You will have to match the survival tasks to the experience of the leaders.
Following is some stuff that might help.

Survival Weekend 13-17 year olds

I like to set the scene with a story. Then make the activities become part of the story.
This is a story I told as part of a Scout Troop night on Survival.

The troop has been returning from summer camp in Scotland. The mini bus in which you were travelling has broken down. Whilst the leaders were trying to fix it there was a smell of petrol and the minibus burst into flames. Most of your summer camp equipment has been destroyed but some has been salvaged. The leaders are suffering from injured pride and are unable to physically help you but you can ask them questions.

You have made your way to an abandoned croft which only has four walls and no ceiling (scout hut).

As you are still in Scotland you are expecting it to rain over night.

You have only got the equipment supplied.

Your immediate priorities are shelter overnight and a warm fire.
Tomorrow you are going on a long hike to civilisation and will need to carry your share of the salvaged gear.

You have to split into four groups/pairs and each group has a separate task.

…………………………………………………………………………..

In your groups you have ten minutes to discuss/find out, try your tasks, make notes. you will have to explain your ideas/task to the rest of the troop at the end of the ten minutes.

Task for group one
We are going to need some string to lash together a shelter and make a rucksac/pack. You have to make at least 15cms of two strand string before the end of the evening.

Task for group two
You have some plastic sheet. you have to work out some different ways you can use the plastic sheet to provide shelter for the night. discuss and try out ideas. make notes…advantages/disadvantages of different designs…demonstrate 3 designs and make a recommendation for the rest of the troop.

Task for group three
Its starting to get cold you are going to have to produce fire. Discuss/make notes. How many ways of making fire can you list?. With materials available what is possible? Make a display of the methods and recommend a method to start fire for the night (you don’t have to light anything yet!)

Task for group four.
Tomorrow you are all going to have to walk to the nearest town 20 miles away. It looks like you will have to stay out overnight so you will need to design a pack to carry all your gear. Discuss ideas, make notes. Make up a design or two. Suggest a design for every one to make and explain your reasons.
You only have to make up your designs sufficient to demonstrate what they look like. They don’t have to be perfect with perfect knots and lashings.!


Its ten minutes later or so ………


Group one teach every one how to make string. Before the end of the evening everyone must make up 15cms of string.

Group two demonstrate your designs and discuss.

Group three list your ideas and discuss.

Group four show your ideas to the rest of the troop and discuss.

Materials

Group one.
Raffia

Group two.
Big sheet, little sheet, string poles.

Group three.
Sticks string knife battery steel wool sparks tinder matches lighter cotton wool birch bark coil flint steel tissue .

Group four.
Plastic sheet blanket string webbing sticks saw knife gaffa tape.

I gave each group some info copied off the internet, about making string, Roycroft pack frames and others, the tarp pages, and some fire making ideas.



The above was for a 2 hour troop night just to get some ideas flowing. So as you have the whole weekend there is a lot that you can actually teach and get them to do. I assume they will actually be sleeping in their shelters so this becomes a very much more practical exercise.

You could use atlatls or bows or throwing stick to “catch” their food. I.E. burst a ballon at 15yards to get their food.

You could issue a long length of string for every six inches of natural (nettle or raffia) string that they have made themselves.

You could issue a shelter pole for every tree that they can correctly identify.

They could construct a rucksack to earn a tarp.

If knives are allowed then a good peg or a spoon earns extra rewards.

Make a water filter earns fresh water.

Etc Etc Etc.

Generally I think you can use relevant Survival or Bushcrafty tasks for them to “earn” the equipment to survive.

 

[Zodiak]

I too am a Scouter and have worked with most age ranges from 10 to 20.

Your 10-13 year olds will try most things, they will have a chat but give it a go, but don't expect most of them to stand up and talk about somthing they have just done. The only ones that will do that are the "gobby" ones who will bore the pants off everyone else.

The 13-18 year olds will say that they just want to sit around but if they do it will be chaos, they have to be set a task which will need a modicum of guidance but they will stop within 10 miniutes of your last visit unless they are strongly motivated by hunger or greed.

This all sounds very neagtive, but it's not, so long as you keep them busy and give them a reason for doing somthing they can be more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

Practally I like the idea of having activities dotted round the place in "bases" say in 6 in differrent areas. Tailor each one to last an hour and give each team a number of slots from 9AM to 4PM, during which time they get to vist all the bases (with an hour off for lunch). This means that most bases will have to cope with several teams at once., which might mean several adults and several sets of gear,

At each base give them an achievable objective and some kind or reward either food, or points that can be exchanged for food. Most Kids don't work for glory or a badge anymore

Give them 4 hours to cook clean up and chill out, don't be afraid of down time, it can be the best bit for them so long as its for a limited time. Despite numerous warnings most won;t do a job like wash up unless they absolutley have to, I tend to withold the next food until I am happy that the previous meal has been cleaned away properly.

In the evening have a camp fire and a large game in the woods, man hunt or capture the flag etc..

Don;t worry about not being "Bushcrafty enough" build that into the bases, but if you get them into the woods and away from the TV count each kid present as a victory.

SBR

 

[Tengu]

Oh yes.

Just today a random stranger was telling me about her five year old son.

most of his hand movements in the thumbs due to the hours he puts in on those infernal computer games.