Session plan: TFLON2 Bushcraft – Sat 8th & Sun 9th Feb 2014

Objectives

  • Get participants outside to break up their type of learning
  • Give participants ideas of bushcraft sessions that they could run – for different ages, give examples, tips etc
  • Provide overview of safety
  • Give brief introduction to tools – what you can do with them, how much they cost, where you can buy them
  • Allow space for questions

Equipment & Resources

  • 11 knives (box and mine)
  • 5 palm drills
  • Crook knife
  • Wood (green)
  • First aid kit
  • Bushcraft books
  • List of links and contacts
  • Examples – snail, spoon, pyro disks
  • Pyro pen
  • Handsaw
  • String (at least 20 cut pieces)
  • Scissors

Timings

Pre session – Put up sign up sheet (max 10, ask for previous knowledge and age group they work with), set up tarp, stools to sit on (11), forest curtain string?

00:00 – Meet group in place they know (pref indoors). Say we’ll do names later.Brief intro of session – positives of bushcraft (change of env, getting group outside, getting ready for camp, building friendships, motor skills, fun).

Risks – we might’ve been out a million times, but we can’t assume everyone has and risks change with seasons/env, therefore ask the group to run through the risks themselves before going into the place where these risks are! Ask them to describe why/in what way these are risks. Include what to pick/not to.

00:15 – Set walking challenge. This can take as much or as little time as you wish. As we are walking find 2 things that are soft/white/shiny/you don’t know/you like…Reminder about what to pick.

Walk to site.

00:30 –Sit in circle on stumps. Go round, everyone says their name and talks about one of their objects.

00:50 – Hang up objects on curtain.

01:00 – Back in circle, go through knife safety (don’t get knives out until you’ve gone through it, make sure everyone understands that they’re following the same rules, i.e. others may have done it differently before, but for this session it’ll be run how everyone agrees, blood bubble).

01:10 – Pass knife around the circle in the proper way. Once back, go through safe knife use and seated positions. No walking etc with knife. Good vocal communication.

01:15 – Give out knives to group and allow them to use them. Time and space for thinking and asking questions. Discuss other resources or tools.

01:40 – Pack up. Count in equipment and state importance of doing so. Ask people to carry equipment.

01:50 – Walk back.

Resources to share

On Facebook: WoodcraftFolkForestSchoolGroup

Elfin/Pioneer/VenturerBushcraft Way Education Pack

Brighthelmstone district site:

Tools:

Palmdrills, £5.50 each from

Billhooks around £40 each from

Tarps around £30-£40 from

Knives (easy starters like Mora Clipper 860F), around £12 from somewhere like

Fire steel £8.95 from

Things to remember

University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust,City General, Newcastle Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 6QG

The Emergency Centre is located in the South East corner of the City General Hospital. Although it is part of the Main Building (locatedon Lower Ground Floor 1)it has separate entrances for ambulance patients and walk-in patients. If travelling by car, please use Car Park G located immediately outside the department.

For more details on how to travel to University Hospital of North Staffordshire, clickhere.

To contact the Emergency Centre telephone 01782 674455. Children's A+E can be contacted on 01782 674445

Things to remember for next time…