View Full Version : Calling All Scouts
Backyard Bushcraft
20-03-2007, 18:19
Hi, started helping out at my local scouts last summer and im finding it difficult to get any interest in teaching survival skills anyone got any fun games or web sites to help me??
Thanks
Jamie
Do they camp out at all? If so, take a few blankets and some twine on your next trip and make a thermal A frame shelter, or a leaf litter or debris shelter, whatever you like to call it. Tell them to start putting their tents up whilst you start construction of your shelter. I can guarantee they will be curious as to what you are doing, but don't let on. When it comes to thatching, they will soon catch on and you will have helpers gathering leave for you. When you put your blankets in on top of a bed of branches ferns and fir boughs, they will all want to spend the night in one.
Have your nights sleep, wake in the morning fully refreshed and rested, and then ask who would like to make a shelter next time out! Show them with some twigs placed into the ground how you will make the group shelter for more of them, and that there will be a fire in the middle, they will be hooked for ever!
If not, your scouts are wierd!! :p
:D
Fire is a good start! Get some reed mace and light it with a firesteel, looks impressive and is easy for everyone to do.
Make a brew on a fire, and maybe some noodles making chopsticks is an easy first knife project.
Gutting fish is quite memorable, give the option of stepping out, but don't dwell on it, one or two may be a little squeamish about it.
Cardboard ovens, line a crisp box with foil make a shelf half way up and put a disposable BBQ(or burning charcoal in a foil tray) on the bottom and it will cook small pizzas.
Charcloth and a flint and steel is a good ten minute filler, I usually find that one or two are still playing 30 minutes later!
Start practising something yourself in the corner while they are playing a game, you will find that they come over and ask why, what etc., start with the ones who are interested the others usually follow.
Practice whatever you are doing before you demonstrate, nothing worse than failing to do it in front of an audience!
Give them tasks they can succeed at straight away, harder stuff can come when they realise they CAN do it.
Johnboy06
20-03-2007, 18:43
Drop them off in the middle of a very scary looking wood and whoevers still there in the morning will surley be interested in making it more comfortable next time ;)
Or maybe their parents will sue you.
No not goin for that? :D
Backyard Bushcraft
20-03-2007, 18:55
Drop them off in the middle of a very scary looking wood and whoevers still there in the morning will surley be interested in making it more comfortable next time ;)
Or maybe their parents will sue you.
No not goin for that? :D
hahahahahahaha thats a good approach to it!!
Backyard Bushcraft
20-03-2007, 19:01
Hey Goose,
Like the crisp oven idea, doing the camp cook with them at them moment, instead of using a disposable bbq could i use embers from a fire in like a biscuit tin??
Johnboy06
20-03-2007, 19:13
No but seriously :lol: Goose's ideas is what probably would have got me interested at a younger age. When i went to scouts as a kid for a few weeks all we seemed to do was play dodgeball from memory lol. Probably should have stuck it out longer but i found that very boring even tho i was what like 7 or sumit
Here's some stuff that I've used over the last couple of years.
When the evenings are lighter you could run some sessions outside (if you've got some scrubland close by) on tracking. They might find this a bit dry at first; but run a game of manhunt (scouty hide & seek) and show how tracking can lead you to their hiding places, and they'll suddenly be interested...
Observation excercises are good - how abot a critter trail? Go to a toy shop or Tescos or similar and invest in some toy insects/snakes/spiders/lizards (it's be a couple of quid). For the session lay out a trail of these (the trail should be walkable at a slow pace in no more than a couple of minutes). Some should be on the ground, some a couple of feet up and some definately above eye level - and take the scouts around one by one. They have to follow the trail, keep quiet, and point out each of the critters. Once they're done, take them back over the trail showing them the ones they missed.
Peripheral vision use is also a good skill to teach - get them to find how good they think their peripheral vision is, and play some sneaking games to see just how good it actually is...
Simple cordage making - any method is good, and you can start by using brown twine as the basis during practice before looking at some natural materials that will work.
If you've got the rescources, how about getting them making traditional scout staves? useful for tracking, hiking, and shelter building - and a great way to excercise/check their carving skills.
Hey Goose,
Like the crisp oven idea, doing the camp cook with them at them moment, instead of using a disposable bbq could i use embers from a fire in like a biscuit tin??
Should work may not last as long though?
No but seriously Goose's ideas is what probably would have got me interested at a younger age. When i went to scouts as a kid for a few weeks all we seemed to do was play dodgeball from memory lol. Probably should have stuck it out longer but i found that very boring even tho i was what like 7 or sumit
We still have too many nights like that, leaders have to work and after rushing out after work some nights you just don't get time to prepare(not that I am the worlds most organised person anyway! :o )
Ogri the trog
21-03-2007, 09:30
Hi, started helping out at my local scouts last summer and im finding it difficult to get any interest in teaching survival skills anyone got any fun games or web sites to help me??
Thanks
Jamie
BB I know what you mean,
Bursting with enthusiasm, I offered my help to a local small troop last year. They claimed to be into camping, firelighting and outdoor skills - I thought I'd get along famously. Sadly the truth is more that they play ball games, just ball games, all night, every night. Their troop leader does very much what he wants and seems to only be interested in an easy life for his Scouts. The time I have available, to devote to Scouting is limited so I don't feel able to greatly influence his intentions. To say it was/is demoralising is a massive understatement. We have parted company with the understanding that I will offer my skills again later in the year, or if the Scouts themselves want to learn - I see most of them daily anyway at the school, collecting my own children.
I can't offer much in the way of advice but I think I understand your predicament.
ATB
Ogri the trog
Backyard Bushcraft
21-03-2007, 09:40
yea its hard to get them to be interested but if i have any positive results ill let u know! im thinking of buying some knives for them to use, obviously a fixed blade would probably be best, but im thinking that a mora mite be a tad large for them to handle safely, any suggestions on a knife reasonably priced?
Hi Backyard,
Moras should be no problem for scouts. The Finnish crowd at Eurojam '05 had a tent where you could carve butter knives, they were providing Moras (or something pretty similar!) Young lads always love the idea of playing with blades, try getting them to make some of the simple greenwood fire furniture like pot hangers and so combine campfire and carving into one activity.
Can't remember how to attach photographs or I would stick in some of the Finnish carving setup. Basically the scouts were placed on chairs with a good spacing between each other, and left to go at it.
I think according to knife law both here and in the UK that scouts aren't allowed to posess fixed knives, so you'll need to distribute these only for the purpose of the activity.
Slán,
Mal
We've just bought five Frost Clippers from Attleborough Accessories (www.attacc.com) for training our Scouts. £43 + £4 P+P.
We'll keep them in a locked ammo box (there'll be a small FAK in there too!) and issue them expressly for training sessions.
I plan to get a small group of them to gather some suitable hazel for making pegs for their Outdoor Plus Challenge bivvy tarps.
Drop them off in the middle of a very scary looking wood and whoevers still there in the morning will surley be interested in making it more comfortable next time ;)
Or maybe their parents will sue you.
No not goin for that? :D
Sounds like a good idea apart from being sued :yelrotflm
Gutting fish is quite memorable, give the option of stepping out, but don't dwell on it, one or two may be a little squeamish about it.
Cardboard ovens, line a crisp box with foil make a shelf half way up and put a disposable BBQ(or burning charcoal in a foil tray) on the bottom and it will cook small pizzas.
.
worked for me with my scouts
BB I know what you mean,
Bursting with enthusiasm, I offered my help to a local small troop last year. They claimed to be into camping, firelighting and outdoor skills - I thought I'd get along famously. Sadly the truth is more that they play ball games, just ball games, all night, every night. Their troop leader does very much what he wants and seems to only be interested in an easy life for his Scouts. The time I have available, to devote to Scouting is limited so I don't feel able to greatly influence his intentions. To say it was/is demoralising is a massive understatement. We have parted company with the understanding that I will offer my skills again later in the year, or if the Scouts themselves want to learn - I see most of them daily anyway at the school, collecting my own children.
I can't offer much in the way of advice but I think I understand your predicament.
ATB
Ogri the trog
My advice is to try a different Troop my Scouts love fire lighting using all methods and love to get out
Scots_Charles_River
26-03-2007, 22:45
Shelter Building for sure as mentioned previously. We built one on Loch Etive shoreline at a summer camp. We spent the day building it and evryone was involved and we all kipped in it !
Is the structured system of Badges gone ? We used to do the 'Backwoodsman' badge which involved 'surviving' on an island for 2 days. We survived on seaweed and muscles.
Nick
Shelter Building for sure as mentioned previously. We built one on Loch Etive shoreline at a summer camp. We spent the day building it and evryone was involved and we all kipped in it !
Is the structured system of Badges gone ? We used to do the 'Backwoodsman' badge which involved 'surviving' on an island for 2 days. We survived on seaweed and muscles.
Nick
Most of the badges now involve taking up a hobby for 6 months :aargh4: , not much for leaders to do except paperwork exersize for giving out badges :( .
We have been asked why the explorers haven't been doing badgework but it is difficult to fit in what you can do on a scout night, or over a weekend, not impossible but not easy.
I still help at a troop once a month. In the last year we have
Sept - Kinves, I took all of my crap along, and everybody got to carve a tent peg, then brand their name on with a soldering iron (didn't have time for more, 8 knives 30+ scouts, 1 soldering iron)
Oct - slept out under B&Q blue sheets. Loved it.
Nov - made hobo stoves from old coffee tins and cooked drop scones. Loved it. (Cheated by using garage bought wood!!)
December - using 5 of my unit each patrol cooked a christmas meal on a gas trangia (Smash, gravy, stuffing and a pack of cold turkey), everybody did a bit to help. Loved it.
January - had to work :(
February - made pepsi can stoves. Loved it.
March - cooked noodles in old tins using pepsi burners in hobo stoves. Loved it.
April - All together now! 24 hour camp using blue sheets and they stoves. Every body who turns up gets to keep their gear.
I also sent a lette home to parents asking them to collect small bottles, bits of string, tins with lids, stainless steel pots, whatever, so they could collect a complete set of kit. Some of them are quite well equipped now :)
One of them said he can't wait to come up to my unit as we are always setting fire to things and eating... sounds fair to me :lmao:
Shelter Building for sure as mentioned previously. We built one on Loch Etive shoreline at a summer camp. We spent the day building it and evryone was involved and we all kipped in it !
Is the structured system of Badges gone ? We used to do the 'Backwoodsman' badge which involved 'surviving' on an island for 2 days. We survived on seaweed and muscles.
Nick
Sounds like the Survival skills badge here are some of the requirements:
With a group of at least three Scouts, take part in a survival exercise lasting about 24 hours, during which the group should:
Construct a shelter of natural or salvaged materials and sleep in it.
Cook all meals over an open fire.
Cook without utensils or aluminium foil. A knife may be used.
Demonstrate methods of finding direction by day or night without a compass.
our big annual survival course will be happening in a few weeks. we also run a DofE bushcraft course.
as for knives, i use frosts vikings. £4:50 from moonrakerknives.co.uk/frostsmora.htm (http://www.moonrakerknives.co.uk/frostsmora.htm) the handles are nice and small scouty size. the balde size and shape is identical to a clipper but with a ruler. an an angle indicator on the side. to be honest, they're my favourite plastic mora, but they also have a lame sheath.
at the moment i'm trying to source some of the superb hultafors knives. hultafors won't export less than 500 knives, which is a few more than i require! :rolleyes:
cheers, and.