mobile 07973802620     ian@doitoutdoors.co.uk

 

 

 

 Education ( Curriculum for Excellence)

Key Facts

  • Do It Outdoors has delivered outdoor learning activities to over 300 youths in 2010 (mostly of Primary ages).

  •  The feedback has been 100% positive ( References are available from a number of sources on request) 

  • Do It Outdoors comes with £5million Public Liability Insurance.

  • Risk Assessments are available for all activities and woodlands.

  • Full Disclosure Scotland for staff.

  • Do It Outdoors is also registered as an approved activity provider for Perth & Kinross Council.

We have provided bespoke days in woodland environments for groups of 6 to 100 youths at excellent value for money.  Typically we run a woodland activity that matches the current educational topic within the school.  For instance we created bespoke days for schools covering "Festivals of Fire" and "Medieval Warfare".   There is usually a short consultation, deciding the location, risk assessments, activities, required helpers and a running order.  The experience is not always directly linked to measurable outcomes or curriculum topics and can be run as an "outdoor experience day" meeting many of the curriculum for excellence objectives.

Using the Resource
Use this resource how you wish; Copy it, enhance it, print it  but most of all use it.   If you would like to be part of making it better email us at ian@doitoutdoors.co.uk  and you will  be able to edit activities and add new ones. With your help we can link activities with  pictures or sketches, link in with Curriculum for Excellence and add comments on real experiences.

 

About the Activities
I dare say none of the documented activities are new , in fact they are mostly likely not.  Hopefully some of them will be new to you or if not totally new they may open up new variations of the activity.  
 
Invariably you will customise these activities dependant on variables such as,  timescales, your type of kids , your natural environment, your imagination and your weather to name a few.  In doing so you often come up with fantastic new activities.
 
Take any written instruction on these activities and use  merely guidelines and suggestions. Never be afraid to customise and try out your own flavour on the kids : after all this is half the fun.  Also be open to watch what the kids are doing and are enjoying at that moment - I have learnt some great activities from letting kids do what they want.
 

I spent a lot of time reading books about youth activities whilst also been involved in adult team building , and I can tell you that these activities work well with adults as well. 

 
What is my Experience
I run a self styled outdoor activities company called Do It Outdoors and have deliver  Bushcraft parties to kids from age 7 to 14yrs on a regular basis.  I have run an array of nature activities for schools and specifically kids with learning difficulties.  I also ran a Scout Group for 7 years and have been involved in the Dof E Award.  Oh yes and I have 2 kids age 4 and 7yrs.



 

Safety In the Field
  • Pre assess the site for any obvious hazards (glass, rubbish, dog poo, barbed wire, cliffs, dangerous dead wood, potential to get lost, proximately to roads, emergency access etc - This can easily be made into an activity.).
  • Be dynamic on the day when assessing hazards - The weather can change everything
  • Provide sufficient clothing guides
  • Consider toileting facilities (ideally an environmental toilets)
  • Setting the boundaries distance wise and bearings.
  • Emergency whistles - Teach them the International distress signal and instruct them to blow only when required and never in jest.(Cry wolf)
  • Hazard Awareness - Not all kids comfortable or familiar with uneven ground and trees
  • Partner up kids and operate a buddy system (i.e. they have to look out for one and another)
  • Respect the outdoors - Introduce the Access and Countryside Code (responsible access.)
  • Gloves are useful especially on litter pick days and sawing, chopping activities.
  • 1st Aid Kit & Germ Killer (seems to be a favourite at the moment)
  • Bring large ground sheets to provide a base to leave bags and jackets.
  • Consider brightly covered bibs for large large groups in the forest  or whistles for small groups.
  • Consider your group and manage appropriately - Are they city slickers or country bunkums.
  • To save you any bother ban tree climbing from the outset and beware water its a magnet for kids.
  • Particular attention should be paid to specific activities such as Shelter building, Fire Making and Edible plants (know what you are talking about).
 


Outdoor Kids

 

Navigation  - Loss Proofing - Basic Compass Survival - Search & Rescue
 
Loss Proofing - This is a great skill to impart on youths especially when entering new terrain - Making people aware of there surroundings, sun, wind, terrain, reference points . Constant Awareness
Search and Rescue Activities.  You can drop a coin in short grass and ask the kids to find it using the most efficient search method.
Simple Compass Exercises - Pacing & 100m square, following a direction. 
Take the kids on a walk to a point.   and get them to follow a bearing that will return them to base.
Use a very simple map and get kids to use it and place some treasure.


Outdoor Kids, Senses

 

Define Woodland Boundaries
 This is a good warm up activity to ensure the kids no the limits of the activity areas. Set out kids with red flyers or other markers to set the boundaries.  Means that everyone know the limits.


Outdoor Kids

 

Feely Bag
Get bags with - Old mans beard, leaves, moss acorns , hazel nut.  Show them the real deal and ask them to identify the difference.  You can initially get them to try and guess what they are , but expect low results .  After the first attempt show all the stuff and get them to have a close look at it touching etc and then try the blind feely bag contest again.  You can put manmade or natural stuff in them.
 



 

Mirror Walk
 
Give each child a small plastic.  Tell the kids that they are going to learn to view the forest how the creatures of the forest view it.
 
To view the world as a bird hold the mirror up high so when you look into it you get a high view.
To view as a rabbit hold the mirror to your nose allowing you to see almost behind you .
To view as a mouse , crawl on the woodland floor holding the mirror.
To view as a beetle, hold the mirror flat in front of you  looking upwards.
 



 

Simple Map Making
If you have a park they can use sticks to represent the boundaries and leaves for trees etc.  If you have multiple groups making maps then you can challenge each group to mark on there map a point where they will put an item (a coin) and another team has to use the map to find it.  This can easily be done on a bit of paper as well.  The scale can be a Childs pace (rough but it works)



 

Forest Art
This could be a whole book on its own.  Kids can make 2 d structures or 3d structures.  Using as many materials as possible making it as elaborate as possible.  You can just give them a free go at it or lead them slightly by getting them to create a face or a self supporting structure from sticks,  You might be near sand or mud which can be used in its own right or as  part of a bigger picture. 


Assault Course
Let kids create there own courses, include jumps,twists & turns, crawls.  It can be a timed course or a relay.

Identify as many different Plant in a Typical Lawn
Clover
Plantain
Dandelion
Buttercups
Daisy



 

Frisbee Colour walk
Describe what is found and the colours . Get kids to throw a Frisbee, the grouped follow the Frisbee and investigate where it lands , spotting new colours etc,.  Off course this can be expanded to discussing the tree or plant it falls closest to and many other subjects  - it just needs imagination.


Outdoor Kids

 

Un-Nature trail
Use manmade objects scattered along a trail. Set the objects along the trail on the ground in trees etc and walk along with  kids not telling them and see if they saw anything. Next time ask them to be vigilant.  You can vary this by asking them to set out a course.  The key to this is to remember where you put the items yourself.  If the kids are unprimed you can be sure that on the first pass the kids will spot nothing (especially the older they get) , be it an made or anything else.  Sometimes though with the very young you can barely move as they are so intrigued my the most unlikely objects.


Outdoor Kids

 

Find a leaf discover a tree
Set kids out to fetch as many leaves as possible and then examine each one.   After examining them ask select a leaf and challenge them to find that tree.  On finding thee tree touch feel and teach all about the tree. 


Outdoor Kids, Senses

 

Circle Observation  Excavation
Create a foot diameter circle or square foot for the kids to excavate. See how many different objects they can find, colours etc.  Apart from discovering a huge variety in a small space you can challenge the kids to place all the items back where they found them emphasising at the end how easy it is to destroy and how difficult it is to fix.


Outdoor Kids

 

Stuff a box
See how many nature items you can squeeze into one small box. Match box or tin box is fine.  You can then count them, Most people are amazed. 


Outdoor Kids

 

Making up a Story



 

The Journey Stick Concept - Memory Bag
 Go for walk, use stick to remember what you did on the day.  Attach items to the stick with coloured wool you supplied at the start.  They can then tell a story of the day.



 

 Collect Wood (Faggots)
 This is often a good way to get them to collect enough for a fire or build mini shelters. You can then get them to grade (categorise) the sticks in to small medium and large, dry and wet long and short.  To limit the trips they make back and forward see if they can invent ways to carry more stick such as using rope, roots of trees or bendy sticks.  In days gone by this was an important task and still is in some countries.


Nature & Bush Craft, Outdoor Kids

 

Collect Resources Exercise
Have groups of kids to compete with each other gathering specific resources. Imagine the kids have to survive and to do so they must collect food like, meat nuts, flour and anything you can think of.  Tell them that just for today the meat will be dead sycamore  leaves, the flower will be old acorns or beach nuts or hazel nuts and the flour is any other kind of leaves and challenge the kids to collect the largest piles of each to simulate food collection.


Outdoor Kids

 

Types of Fire
Explain that there are many different types of fires for many different reasons. (I will expand this)
 
A very good old Indian saying "White man build big fire ,sit far away, Indian make small fire sit close."
 



 

Fire Preparation
Inform the kids that they are to make a fire in groups of 2 or 3.  Explain to them only one of the fires will be lit, it being the one that all the others vote as the most likely to catch fire.  Give a demonstration of how to build a tepee fire.  Don't be fooled into thinking this is easy even for an adult.  Advice
First explain that one must locate a safe and practical location for the fire
The identified areas must be cleared of forest debris or if grass a pit created by removing the layer of turf
Show them how to create a base or raft to stop dampness getting to the fire
Explain to them that tinder must be collected before the sticks will light

Explain where to collect kindling wood from and the thickness required and the amount required.

Show them how to create the tepee starting from thin to thicker with the tinder in the middle.
 
Let the kids get on with this activity and then judge all the fires and get them to vote on the best and then get them to nominate a fire lighter and then light it.  Off course you can then go around and light all the others.
 
Finish by extinguishing all fires and making the area good.  (No trace fires)
 



 

Shelter Building
There are many different types you can use with kids.  A good starter is arrive with a number of staves and old tarpaulins and see what they can construct. Alternatively you can get them to build shelter from the sticks and leaves lying around. (I will add some picture and expand this)



 

Make a Hedge Hog
Mud pie sculptured into hedgehog or animal of choice and Sticks to make look like a hedgehog.


Outdoor Kids

 

Make a pencil from elder and charcoal 
Hollow out a piece of elder and split a bit of charcoal from a fire or shop into the end.


Outdoor Kids

 

Stake and Mallet Game
A relay game , each team have  mallet and have to drive a stage into the ground the fastest. Each kid only gets one shot


Team Building, Outdoor Kids

 

Stick race
Example - 10 kids and 9 sticks.  Place the stick all in a heap or spread out .  The kids lie on there tummies in  a line facing the opposite direction of the sticks.  You quietly lay out the sticks and on ready steady go the kids have to find a stick (last is out).  They then help you in the game.


Outdoor Kids

 

Use chalk on slates to draw a map
Get a collection of slates and chalk and use them as scribes for all manner of things


Outdoor Kids

 

Games Outside
Stealth Game
Set out a square - the IT persons stands with eyes closed and counts to 30 aloud. All scatter and find cover.  IT persons opens eyes and try's to locate as many persons as possible (by name).  IT person closes eyes & counts to five, opens eyes and again try's to spot people.  The hiders have to get to the IT persons. 
Stalking Game(water pistol)
Have on e person sitting blindfolded with a water pistol and one or 2 persons have to crawl towards that person and remove a set of keys without been squirted (Tips minimise the amount of stalkers and make them crawl and only allow the blindfolded person a set number of shots.
Camouflage under leaves
Get the kids to cover completely there partner in leaves and see if another couple can find that person.

Hunter

One person is "it or the hunter" . They count to say, 20 and during that time the other kids have hidden. The hunter has 5 mins to find as many of them as he can.

 Camouflage Kids

Challenge the kids to disguise them selves as best they can using foliage and charcoal and earth. Cover self in leaves - smear the juice from elder leaves on there faces.
Kick the Can - One kid is it.  One of the others kicks the can as far as possible.  The IT persons has to retrieve the can to a defined spot.  In the time it takes to retrieve the can the other have to find a hiding place.  The IT person now has to rumble the others. Once rumbled there is a race to the can. The it person has to touch it before the other kicks it.  The others can also save themselves by getting to the can before the IT person has spotted them.
Leg Wrestling - 2 persons lie on their backs  opposite each other same leg intertwined and similar to an arm wrestle they use there leg to roll the person over.
Arm Slapping - Take the press up position facing your partner and try and slap there arms away to make the other fall.
Sock wrestling - 2 persons facing each other on their knees.  Each only wearing one sock half on .  They have to snatch the sock of the other person without getting of there knees. You can create a ring for them to stay in.
Hopping Dodgems - Arms folded and hopping try to unbalance your friends.
Create a ring of diameter approx 2m with 2 person on the outside edge. Each competitor pick up the ends of a rope (with loops) and tries to pull each other into the ring.
Sumo - With out holding push the other out of the ring. Looks good with life jackets worn as pants. 
Who Can place the Can Furthest Out- Ensure that I have a tin of beans or equivalent and the person has to walk out with the 2 cans and leave one as far as they can stretch returning with 1 can out touching the ground.
Follow the clug path through the woods - Drag a bit of wood through the forest and get other group to follow the trail.
Back to back standing up - Back to back arms intertwined , pushing against each other try to stand. Try to build the numbers.
Tug of War - Three way tug of war. Use gloves for this.
Toss the Caber - Acquire mini cabers. Go to a felled forest as there is literally tons of waste.
Capture the Flag
 


Outdoor Kids

 

Bring Kids to there Senses
Walk like a fox - A fox walks very lightly and with much care.
Listen like a wolf (Drum in the woods; Tracking Game)
See like an owl(Water pistol Game; Hide the Mug; Set items along a trail
Feel like a snail (Blind fold crawl)
Hide like a leopard (Bury self in leaves; Stalking Game)


Outdoor Kids, Senses

 

Creating Mini Structures
Ask kids to make a small dwelling for action man/doll sized people or create a fairy land.
Make small houses and a fence , roads and tracks , flags and whatever their imagination lets them.


Outdoor Kids

 

Bamboo Spear
  • Bamboo Stick or source a very straight bit of wood(or straighten on the fire
  • Cork
  • Knife
  • String
  • Scissors
  • Cardboard or collect lots of feathers and tie them on as flights


Team Building, Outdoor Kids

 

Tracking Game
Explain what tracking is all about.  In our scenario it is all about leaving signs in order for others to follow /track us down. For starters you could even give each group different coloured ribbon to follow.  You must be able to see the next ribbon.  Then you can develop the activity by explain that we need to make up track signs for left /right/forward/backwards/look up/wait.  Make sure there is a sign every 10 paces or so , so that the kids expect to find something.  When they get more accustomed to picking out the signs you can space them out and make them more subtle. 



 

Fun from a stick
Find a stick remember your stick intimately and then mix them all up and get them to find it again . You will find they all get very attached to them.
Now ask them to find a stick that could be used for :-
A stick that could be used as a tent peg
A stick that looks like a number (apart from 1)
A stick that has a strange face in it.
A wet stick
A rotten stick
 
Taking the stick activity further each group or person can attempt to determine how the would got to be where it was and the state it is on.  Tell a story about the stick  - When did the stick fall from the tree , how long ago etc -M    MAYBE AN OVERWEIGHT OWL PERCHED ON IT
 
 


Team Building, Outdoor Kids, Untested

 

Log Dragging
Surprisingly kids will do this.  Find or ,pre likely place some long logs 10ft long and quite heavy.  Attach a long rope to each log and split your group in to two teams and ask them to drag it to a point.  They appear to relish the challenge and the competition.  Beware the kid nearest the log doesn't catch their heal on the log.  Alternatively get them to carry it.  Tell them they are going to bring resources to make a bridge.



 

Water - Gypsy Well
Dig a hole in marshy land and watch the water back fill.  Clear the water out if it is very muddy and then let it refill until it is clear and then carefully take the water out with a cup.  This is a reasonably safe way of getting clear water where you only have a marsh and no river.  You can then filter it again.



 

Water - Distillation
Boil dirty water and capture steam in a hanky to put a pipe on the end of a kettle leading to another container. The steam will condense into Walter droplets.



 

Water - Filter
Using a sock or similar 



 

Water Transpiration
Use a solar still or leaves wrapped in poly bag.  A very marginal activity in Scotland.



 

Boil Water in a Coke Bottle
This is a great physics experiment. Why can you do this ?  Make sure its the thicker type of plastic bottle.  Tube links.



 

Larch Branches
Using the young shoots of Larch - coil 3 or 4 together to make a very strong ring and play a game of hoops.
Thread bigger leaves onto the larch to make headdresses. 
This can be used to make a camouflage suit
Tell Kids about it being good for repelling insects.
 


Outdoor Kids

 

Create a Survival Signal Fire 
Create a tripod and create a platform and cover with earth and build your fire on it.
 



 

Hammock Seat
 Fold in half and hang on a tripod and stick thru bottom of hammock



 

Hazel Nut Analysis
Use my charts and pictures to identify what animal has eaten them. Birds, squirrel or mouse.



 

Attracting Animals
Waiting , woodpecker drum sticks , hoot for owls, twitter for birds, ducks  and deer calls, rodent calls



 

Other Camp Projects
Create a washing line & pegs - Using green wood to make a peg.
Create a seat with a tripod with a willow back or canvas
Broom Stick - use broom or birch twigs tied together to make a small hand Brush.
Hanging rack - a bit like a ladder
Carve Project 
- Knife & Fork
- Digging stick
- Spoon
- Chop sticks
- Tongs
- Whistles
Pot Hangers
Snares
Tent Pegs
Cloth Hangers
Priest
Needle
Hook
Spool for chord
Throwing Stick
Rush Lights

 



Types of Woods and Burn Properties

I will add some links in here.

 

Make a seat from Willow Branches 

Search out Adamou

 

Clug rolling game
Get two clugs and select two teams and run as a relay race . Object to roll the clug in and out of an assault course.


Team Building, Outdoor Kids

 

Wood Splitting
Split a piece of larch with wood staves 
Split small diameter stick width a clug and knife
Split with a broke Axe
Using an axe without a clug
Safe ways of using an axe with children


Team Building, Outdoor Kids

 

Elder Whistle



 

Willow Whistle



 

Making a whittle from sycamore twigs
 



 

User elder stick as a straw or ember blower for a bowl
To get clear water from a puddle  - To clear the centre out use a steel cloths hanger or a knitting needle.



 

Bird Box/Bat Box /Bug Box
 This could be for kids parties - There are plenty of web designs out there.  Just buy some lengths of railing ,nails and saws.


Outdoor Kids, Team Building

 

Cooking Ideas without utensils
Fish in Newspaper
Bacon in a Bag
Egg in ashes(peirce a whole in egg and lay in ashes
Egg in a Orange
Bannock - Flour,water,sugar and a bit of raising agent.
Toast on a  stick
Ready Cake & Pancake  Mix and bag it ready for use..
Cooking on Slates are very effective and in my experience don't explode.
Cooking in Ovens - Use an old bin.
Potatoes in Clay , grass bundles, or dock leaves
Sausage on a green stick
Fish on a skewer - needs some practice
Sausage in a banana skin
Banana splits (Chocolate buttons or kit cats)
Smoos - Toasted marshmallow in-between tea biscuits
Bake potatoes wrapped in leaves (dock leaves , lots of them - they will always get charred but not so bad in the leaves)
 



 

Edible Stuff
Any activity of this sort must be done with the utmost care and respect. The kids should always be introduced to basic plant identification activities first.
The importance of good book guides should be emphasised.  Always check whether the kids have any allergies.  If I find they have a string of intolerances
to foods I would avoid giving them anything. This is where the medical history comes in handy.  If you are going to introduce any wild foods you can state the foods
on a form signed by parents.
 
Primrose flower and leaf
Hawthorn leaf and flower (poor mans Cheese and bread)
Tops of Nettle (Full of Iron)
Pignut (Carbo)
Wood Sorrel
Pine needles as a tea or chewed to get vit c
Acorns (boiled , strained and boiled and strained)
Hazel Nuts
Birch Leaves 
Lime Leaves in salads and Flowers in a tea
Inner Barks of particular trees.
Birch Sap - Only in early spring
Water Cress
Dandelion (Flowers and leaves and roots)
Beach - young leaves
Sycamore leaves - Young
Nasturtium - Leaves and flowers
Daisies: the petals are edible
Clover: this grows wild in many fields and gardens. As children we used to look for clover in the fields and try sucking the sweet nectar out of the trumpets. However, the whole flower is actually edible and a high source of protein - though better digested when boiled lightly for 5 - 10 minutes
Yew Fruit (red bit) - The rest of the tree is deadly poisonous
Oak Leaves (young)
Elder - I eat the flowers in summer and the berries in autumn. The flowers infuse in hot water beautifully. This is probably the most popular use of the plant. The leaves are insect repellent, but the rest of the tree should be considered poisoness.
Larch Needles (Medicinal  - insect repellent, rubbed on skin)
Willow - chew a bit of bark as a pain killer.
Cleavers - young shoots
Ground Elder (need to identify carefully)
Chickweed
HOG Weed (need to identify carefully)
Thistles - Root and leaves



 

Setting up a Pot hanger over a Fire
Tripod
On a Long Lever
Cooking in the Oven
Print out laminated examples
Have some pre-cut forked staves to assist
 
 



 

Making Birch Pitch
Use a large can of beans(empty) and a smaller tin (regular size).  Peirce the large tin in bottom. Pack full of birch bark and place on top of the small tin which shall be used to collect the pitch .  Place small tin in a recess in the ground and the large tin on top and stack the fire around it.
Put on the fire for a couple of hours and the resulting liquid is fairly watery and extremely smelly.  This then has to be boiled and reduced down to a tar which can then be used for sealing and gluing.
 



 

Making Charcoal from Paint Tins or char cloth
One 1ltr paint tin stripped of paint and a pieced on lid with a nail 
Small pencil tin and old jeans . Pierce small hole in it and place jean in tin and place on fire.


Outdoor Kids

 

Make a Stretcher
Set Out a Number of poles and a couple of old jumpers
Make an "A frame" also



 

Water Session
Water Filtration and purification (Filtration very important to remove particles where bacteria can harbour and survive a boil.
Water Collection - Dew, leaves, solar stills , gypsy well
Good places , bad places
Animal Sign , agriculture and industry 
Distil to remove heavy metals - Boiling could concentrate them.
Issues - Guardia, crypto sporiduium, water bourne tick disease, various bacteria and viruses.
 



 

Finding North - Sun , tree signs
Stake out some wood and mark the sun (In British summer use 1pm)
Use trees to indicate where South and mosses
Heavy moss can indicate north but often just the wet side of the tree
Trees can indicate the prevailing wind, off course you need to know the prevailing wind direction
Use your watch (point hour hand to the sun and bisect the angle between that and 12. (1pm in British summer time)
What side of the path dries first
Explain the difficulty of finding north
Use stick dial on sunny day
Use watch on Sunny day
Use Prevailing wind.
 

 

 

 Fire Starting Techniques
Cross Lay
Wigwam
Setting a base
Lean to on a driven in stick
Protecting from the wind
Creating a reflector
Tinder bundle Collection ( in wet and dry conditions)
Spark takers - Birch bark, amadou, horses hoof, char cloth, Seed heads, grasses, dried ,barks, Scots pine root.
Using a fire steel
Using a flint and char cloth
Using a 9v battery with some steel wool(demo)
Matches
potassium Permanganate
Magnifying Glass
 



 

 Fire Material Search
Kindling - Enforce the importance of size and dryness and establish where you could find dry stuff.
Tinder Search - birch,grass,bracken,charcoal
Kindling Search - Faggots and bound in rootlets/Fire Sticks
Artificial - Rubber
 



 

Grind some Seeds with a Stone
Docken seeds
 



 

Basic Navigation
Follow A Compass Bearing -Get the Kids in the woods and ask them to Navigate back to base
Loss Proofing - Take on a walk and try and locate there position
Using Nature to Help Us fin ourselves
Blind fold and get to walk in a straight line
Make a Map - Make a forest floor map and hide an object to prove it works
 


Untested

 

Caledonian Candle
Set one alight for each Bushcraft Party 



 

SOAPS
Bracken
Use the root and rub with water (dangers of handling bracken)
Wood Ash
Soak over night and drain.
Horse Chestnut Leaves
Rub Together in water and eventually a slight foam fill be created



 

Sawing Activity for Kids & Safety
Basically this uses three kids to cut a bit of wood and leaves your hands free.  Shear Lash two bit of hazel or similar approx 5ft long and put the pole to be cut through the v . Two hold the wood and one saws.
Using a glove on lose hand


Outdoor Kids

 

Sap from Birch Tree
Use a hand drill with a large bit.
and a piece of elder for a channel


Untested

 

Make Lime Bark Cordage
 


Untested

 

Set Snares for Rabbit and Pheasant
Descent your hands. Check warren is fresh ; check its a rabbit hole.
Hole trap for a Pheasant
Tree Sprung trap for a Rabbit 
Figure 4 trap


Untested

 

 Set Up Trip Wires
Use tin cans with holes punched in them


Untested

 

Build a Simple Bridge
Across the River , even on the wee hike, leave it pre built 


Untested

 

Try and Set a Deadfall Trap 
Use long squared of machined wood for starters to get the hang of it.
 


Team Building

 

 Hudson Bay Ruck Sack
 



 

Sawn Wood Projects
Bird Box - Or the Clug Bird Box (Gordon style)
Bug Hut
Bat Hut 



 

Willow Projects
Cut & Strip the Bark from a willow for Cordage
Strip bark from a live tree
Medical Properties - similar effect to Aspirin
Mystical Properties -
Willow Fish
Will Laurel
Willow Fence /Wind Break
Willow /Rowan Whistle
Willow Candle Holder or other wood adding bit of bark to protect from the wind.
Tongs
Coat/mug hanger



 

Insect Repellent
Elder Leaves
Larch Needles
Cut Nettles for flies
Mint Leaves for mice
Oak mulch to repel slugs



 

Camouflage
Get kids to smear mud and charcoal on there faces. Also try elder leaves crushed until a green juice is extracted.



 

Natural  Chord
Go to the Spruces Tree and find the roosts - Cut and use as a bid 
Go to deciduous trees and look for rootlets.
Look for long rushed or grasses
Look for bendy branches and withies.
Nettles


Nature & Bush Craft, Outdoor Kids

 

Set a Clothes Line and pegs
Use some para chard and some split sticks(use wood splitter) to make pegs or just twist the line. 


Team Building, Outdoor Kids, Tents and Camping

 

Tracking
Identify rabbit runs and the bounding patterns - trampled grass and droppings.
Deer runs and trails - chewed trees and shrubs.
Set a trail with a large Clug to spruce branch and see if a group can follow it.
Set a trail with bits if string and then progress onto string with more natural materials (String with a wooden arrow)
 


Untested

 

Trip Wires
Use Tin Cans and rope for trip wires 


Outdoor Kids

 

Match Burn
Test to see how good are at lighting a match. 
 
Match Relay race
Candle race


Fire

 

Clug Rolling
Ask then to see if they can roll a clug to a point and then get them to retrieve it. 


Outdoor Kids

 

Bug Hunts
So can use special bug boxes with build in magnifying glasses, but they are not necessary.  Hunt centipedes, Bees, Slugs, millipedes, spiders etc and explain the part they play in the eco system of the forest (i.e. Decomposing and food and pollination.) 


Outdoor Kids

 

Follow the Drum or Whistle thru the woods
 


Outdoor Kids, Senses

 

Cutting Tool
  • Potatoes Peelers
  • Hack saws
  • Survival Saw
  • File 
  • Rocks


Outdoor Kids

 

Building Tripods and shear lashing
Can be done under shelter
 


Outdoor Kids

 

Blind Trails
  • All fours trail
  • Blind rope trail
  • Blind partner trail
  • Caterpillar Walk.


Outdoor Kids, Senses

 

Match Colour Charts 
Match a colour on a chart with Nature 


Outdoor Kids, Senses

 

Bug Hunts
Talk also about how important trees are especially oaks and birch.
 


Outdoor Kids

 

Insect Games
Spider Game - add tin cans to web
Butterfly Game - set wine bottles out full of juice and put flowers over them (They look like flowers). Get long straws and get kids to pretend they are butterfly and suck the juice (Nectar ) from the bottles.  The longer the straws the harder , no hands allowed. Make into a relay race.
 
 


Outdoor Kids

 

Rope Coiling and Rope Throwing
 Use to check the strength of rotten branches.



 

Spearing a Floating Sock
Kids stuff a sock with straw or dead grass.  Then get them to make spears and throw them at the socks/fish
 



 

Creating Make Shift Shelters
 Create mini shelters and villages from sticks and leaves.


Outdoor Kids

 

Weapons & Warfare
Find and Throw Sticks
 Get to know your stick - create a hanging targets through the woodland
Catapult
Bow and Arrow
Ball bag
Spear
Camouflage - get mud , leaves charcoal and branches)
Create a warfare chant
Choose a base and barricade it (capture flag)


Outdoor Kids

 

Cast an animal print or your own foot print
Get some fast setting platter and make a muddy bit and then put foot in and take a mould.
 


Outdoor Kids

 

Fire by friction
Use a bow and drill set to get smoke. 


Fire

 

Knife Projects
Knife Law
Safe Handling
Basic Strokes - grips
Storing and sharpening
Different types of knives
 
 
Cutting through a large stick - small cuts all round  - bedding over and cut at tension
Splitting wood with the knife
Sharp point
Notches
Chisel points
Making a hole
 
Pot hanger
Whistle
Tent Peg
Cloths Peg
Deadfall trap
V-notch for arrows and rods
Cutting Holes
How to cut through saplings
Spoon Carving
Hazel and Birch Forks and Knifes finished with pine root.
Tongs
Feather Flower
Feather Sticks
Elder man (Take Man)
Elder Beads
Candle holder
Hook Making from a feather and thorn bush
 
 
 


Outdoor Kids

 

Using a small hand Axe safely
Illustrate how sharp
demonstrate how to cut (only on a clug for young ones)
Make them kneel and mark a spot beyond the centre of the clug to place the wood to be cut.
Keep spectator well away.
Use another stick to stop the stick from falling over , never use the other hand,
explain the Parts of an axe
 
Using a Large Chopping Axe
See my pictures.  Below the knee protection.
 



 

Rope Projects
Timber Hitch - Easy to learn  - a good knot for starting lashings or just pulling logs
Tarp Knots - Evenk
Guy rope tensioned
Prussic Knot - Rope gripper



Constructing Deadfall Traps 
Outdoor Kids

Camp Spirit :: Alternative camping - Swedish tipi

Tents and Camping

Do It Outdoors, Activity Provider; Do


 

Find a Coin Using A planned strategy
There are several different search patterns.  Drop a penny in grass in a fairly large areas and get the kids to search it out.  Try different organised ways to see if it speeds them up.



 

Identify several animals from the Animal Tracking Chart
From a Tracking Chart and scat chart and a tracking stick identify several animals(or as many as you can) 



 

Identify several different animal signage
Scat, hoof/paw prints, hair, broken twigs trails and runs
Use illustrated pictures that they can refer to.  



 

Identify Three Different Trees (more for bonuses)
A clue could be my identification sheets.  The group requires to actually show and explain to the facilitator


Outdoor Kids

 

Spot the Difference (Kim's Game Outdoors)
Ring fence a spot and put in a series of natural objects and then remove them or change the order they are in  - such as the Rabbit and Kestrel. 


Outdoor Kids

 

Create Activity Cards and Reference Books 
 The reference books could complement the task


Outdoor Kids

 

 

 

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