Sitting outside to get some reading done today.  It’s not always easy to concentrate with nature going on around me though.  So much to see. There were housemartins swopping, red admiral butterflies floating past, and strange unfamiliar beetles to pursue through the long grass.

It’s been cold of late and we haven’t been out much.  Too cold to do anything much and yet not cold enough for snowy fun.  The lure of the playstation was just too great for the kids.  Luckily all that changes when the temperature increases just a little bit and you can’t keep them indoors!

It’s good to be back after a long while away from this site. Several readers have been in touch to ask where I’ve been. Suffice to say, life sometimes gets in the way of what you want to be doing - whether that’s enjoying the outdoors or writing this blog post. And left long enough you don’t even have your want or desire to draw you back in.

I see humans as creatures that are driven by want. Everything we have achieved is because someone wanted something. Without that it’s just back to what we need. But getting what we need is called survival, rather than bushcraft. Your mind is focused on just fulfilling your immediate and basic needs. Which I guess sums up what I’ve been doing for the last seven months … surviving.

Bushcraft is an altogether more stylish activity than mere survival - it’s about wanting rather than needing to be in the outdoors. Luckily for me we’ve had some amazing weather lately to remind me what I’ve lost and rekindle the desire to get back out there. Frosty in the mornings. Clear skies at night, and warm sunshine during the day.

I couldn’t have asked for better medicine!

Just a quick note to wish Tony and all the BCUK gang a great time and fine weather at this year’s BCUK Bushmoot starting on July 27^th through to 31st at Merthyr Mawr in South Wales, UK. 

Last year, like previous years, was brilliant, so this year will I’m sure be no exception.

Sadly we can’t make it to the moot this time, but we will be thinking of you all and feeling downright envious of the campfire chatter, walks, talks, demonstrations, friends and above all that wonderful Bushmoot atmosphere! 

Have a great time guys and gals!!

This the first in my long-promised series about getting kids into the outdoors, bearing in mind that I’m talking about outdoors being the backyard here and not the wilderness! 

The backyard is a great place to learn bushcraft skills and the great thing is that it gives kids a long-term interest, rather than just an occasional thing like backpacking or trecking that you can really only do when the time is right and when everyone has the time to do it together. 

So where to start?  Well the fire is always a good place!  It keeps everyone warm and serves as a focus for all. A lot of parents want to teach their children about fire and how to use it responsibly but they have no idea how to go about it.  Well this is what has worked for me over the years. (I will try to include as many of the steps as I can remember, but it’s just a guide – all kids are different and will ask different questions and need different lessons so use your judgement!)

So how do you teach kids about fire?  Well I like to start by teaching kids about the dangers of fire.  That way everyone knows what they’re dealing with from the start.  Don’t just assume everyone is on the same page in knowing about the dangers of fire – it’s surprising but not all kids have learned about the danger of fire from their parents or school or TV.  Many kids just don’t ever come into contact with fire in their daily lives, making a simple message like ‘don’t run around a campfire’ totally new to them. 

It helps to get their attention.  I have done this by pulling out some strands of my hair and showing how easily they catch fire (not to mention what it smells like!)  Next I take some fabrics, preferably a good mixture that will easily demonstrate how different materials behave near heat and flame.  This promotes a discussion of the types of clothing they are wearing and what is likely to happen to it. 

Many kids are surprised that hair and clothes burn as easily as they do so the obvious question to ask how can we avoid this. 

Kids will come up with plenty of solutions (some good, some not so good) give positive approval for the good ones like keeping hair tied back, wearing hats, buttoning jackets, sleeves etc etc.  It’s also a very good time to discuss appropriate behavior around fire eg. don’t touch matches without adult supervision, don’t run near a fire/stove, don’t fool around with fire, always keep fire at arms length.

Before proceeding any further anyone that’s wearing synthetics that would melt onto the skin needs to go change.  Likewise anyone wearing clothes that hang down, ie dangly cuffs that could easily catch fire, needs to go change. 

Read on … Page 2: Fire Prevention and Protecting the Environment

It’s campout time at the moment.  The kids want to sleep out and we’re trying to vary shelters each night progressing from tents, tarps and bivvy bags through to natural shelters and plain ol’ sleeping under the stars with nothing at all.  Of course we need a really warm and breeze-free night for the last one.  (It took me a few years of learning how to sleep without any kind of covering over me, but hot nights make it much easier to sleep the night through.)  I like to change shelters/coverings in this way because it encourages a sense of journey even if you’re only staying in the same place (the backyard in our case).  The kids do chicken out of the latter stages sometimes of course, but that’s allowed (there are no rules and if there’s a drawback to backyard [tag]bushcraft[/tag] it’s that the Xbox and the TV are only yards away!)

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