Are you looking for some fun bushcraft activities that your pupils can try at home? Well, we’re here to help. Pupils can try some of these activities on their own and with their parents. Developing bushcraft skills is great for helping pupils learn more about the environment, nature and the world around them. How can they use nature to their advantage? Can they learn how to stay warm and dry in the wild?
Bushcraft activities at home
Here are 5 bushcraft activities that they can try at home!
Tracking
This one can even be done in the garden. Tracking is all about identifying the animals that roam about in a certain area. Using footprints and other clues, your pupils can try and find evidence of animals in their garden, or even on a walk in their local forest. Think about where the animals might be looking for shelter — perhaps somewhere quiet and out of the way?
Some animals they can expect to be visiting their garden include birds, foxes, badgers, rabbits, squirrels, and mice.
Den/Shelter building
Shelter building is a valuable skill to have, and your pupils can work on this either in their gardens or in a local forest. If they don’t have the natural materials to do this in their garden, they can always build a den from things that they do have. But if they can, then heading to their closest area of woodland and trying to build a shelter can be super fun!
Using sticks, twigs, logs, leaves and anything else they can find, they can attempt to pitch up their very own shelter in the wild!
Nature scavenger hunt
What can your pupils find in their garden or their local park? You could set them on a task to find certain items or allow them to explore and find natural items first before researching. This is the perfect activity for younger children when on a walk, as they’re usually very inquisitive about things that they find.
Navigation
This is one of the best bushcraft skills to practice at home! They can grab a compass and/or a map and head for an adventure with their parents. Encourage them to learn the basics and then they can begin challenges like finding the way back to the starting point. It’s a fun skill to learn and will always come in handy!
Campfire & safety
This should always be an activity done with adults. If they have a pit or anything else suitable to put the fire in, then your pupils could collect bits of wood and bring it back for the campfire. Wood gathering is one of the most important steps for creating a campfire, and this way allows them to see what works and what doesn’t.
Develop bushcraft skills at PGL!
Our residential MASTER! programme offers Year 5 pupils an experience they’ll never forget, where they can learn a variety of bushcraft skills and try a fantastic range of adventurous activities such as zip wiring, archery, and much more!
We provide residential school trips for primary schools and secondary schools that are all about outdoor education!
At PGL, we have an exceptional offering of trips, locations and activities to enjoy, so get in touch today to discuss your next school trip.
