I read a similar thing from another post and I thought it would make a great new thread.

So the topic here is I have three small children all under the age of 6. One has been camping with me numerous times but the other two have not. What skills should I be teaching my children to prepare without going overboard? I like the appraoch little by little. For instance the one child that goes camping with me I have begun teaching her the basics such as compass whistle fire shelter etc.

Input and your suggestions would be appreciated. Also my soon to be ex really isn't on the same page so any ideas on how to deal with a soon to be ex sheeple would be great.


Thanks

[edit on 12-1-2009 by photobug]

Some fo the best skills can be learned in the scouts IMHO.

Its a good basic primer for survival skills.

They are a bit young yet for scouts, but for sure swimming would be a great skill.

As far as camping stuff what you are doing is just fine and a great way to get started. The younger kids should be taught at the same time even if they are not getting it at first. Kids do well with repititon and when they get older the stuff will not be new concepts.

I believe your best bet is to teach them to run fast and play hard as a suppliment to survival know-how. To be able to, anyways. Not that you should turn your daughters into little brick houses, just so thier muscle reflexes are tuned. Very handy.

Modern parents like us have to buck the modern trend of knee jerk hysteria over certain issues. Children of survivalists and preppies need to be taught safty and correct handling and use of knives and other cutting impliments, safehandling and use of guns, be taught that animals are not all cute and cuddly, we need to start early teaching them about safety issues, not run away from the stranger type, but more like how to find your way home from school if the bus does not turn up, how to dial 999 or 911, what their adress is. How to set off a fire extinguisher, why they should get out of the house if their is a fire etc etc. Being a scout is good, being in a gang is bad etc

[edit on 13-1-2009 by Northern Raider]

We started scouts with my son this year, he isn't learning much about survival at the age of 7 but they did do archery and shooting at the campouts.

We got him a bb gun for Christmas, to be used only under strict supervision, but he is good at shooting it, and it is a valuable skill building tool.

We are also teaching him to build a fire, and how to respect fire. Along with discussing other skills such as following a creek to find a road if he is ever lost, always having a whistle in the woods to help yourself be found.

I also keep a good pair of boots, some changes of socks, a stuffed animal, coloring books, a wind up flashlight and some snacks in a backpack for him at all times, should we need to leave the house quickly.

I have one for all of us including each dog in a closet that are ready to grab and go.

I would say that you are on the right track already.

Basic campcraft stuff, later get them to join the Scouts or Cadets. As someone has already mentioned, swimming should be a priority as well as basic 'home safety' type stuff.

When they are older, perhaps a basic first-aid course.

Other skills/hobbies to consider imo, would be sailing/boating, archery, horse riding, fishing, hiking .... practically any of the outdoor sports or hobbies.

Introduce various survival skills into your campcraft teaching, including map-reading.

The secret is to not overload them, especially with scare type things, but most importantly make it fun.

I would also include for the times that you cannot go outdoors, some more academic subjects such as Geography and its sub-disciplines like weather, terrain etc and Biology, especially plant and animal identification. Also perhaps include a foreign language as children are very quick to learn these ... pick one that you would think useful to where you live in the world. Mum, could get involved by teaching some basic cooking techniques or of sewing basic things like badges onto their shirts/jackets.

The one thing I did with my kids, and still do, is the " go without" scenario.
Earlier this year, we turned off all electricity for one week.
That meant, no tv, or video games, no cooked meals, and laundry was done by hand, and all washing up done with water that came cold out of the tap.
Even if you don't believe in end of the world type stuff, any natural disaster could put you in this position.
Keeping young children happy and comfortable can be a challenge.
The more I do this with them, the less of a shock an actual incident will be.
Camping is great, but you may find yourself "camping in" so best to prepare for that too.

Just remember they are kids. Their attention span is short so repetition and making it a game will help them retain what you show them.

If you're taking the kids camping I would start with basic safety/survival things... For instance, if you get separated try to stay dry, don't panic, listen to your surroundings, pay attention to where you step, etc.. Depending on where you live there may be any number of dangerous critters around. Of course there maybe bears and other big animals, but they should also learn to watch for other things like wasp nests, snakes, scorpions, poison ivy etc...

How far you go really depends on the child. Some can handle more than others. I've seen some really bright kids who can do much more than most would think, then I've seen some who could barely feed themselves without sticking a fork in their eye.

Scouting (cub then boy scouts) is the way to start. Not only will they learn basic survival skills: camping, first aid, fire building, knot tying, how to make a shelter, forage for food, safety skills (incl hunting safety later on) but they will have fun with other kids of the same mindset as well. Plus they will build skills in setting and accomplishing goals (merit badge) which will help them to be more successful later on in life.

Great suggestions, but I'd like to add, teach them how to entertain themselves without video games, mp3 players, or television. Boredom leads to discontent. When people get bored they may take unnecessary risks to stimulate themselves.

Humans are social animals, and require the companionship of others. Being cooped up day after day with the same individuals becomes monotonous when you there's nothing to do. It's amazing how even a simple board or card game can lighten up even the worst of situations.

Something my parents did as a child, and something I used to do with my kids, was say if we had to go right now what one thing would you grab? When they were small they thought this toy or that, it progressed to I dont have shoes on I want my sneakers, from there it went to entertainment. If you asked them now days the answer would probably be the BoB or the INCH bag. Even today that is something I think about. If I had to get up right now and leave the house what would I grab. I'm the bug in type of person, however I have a get home bag in the vechicle. My EDC is not anything like what it was when I had small children.

Spiritowl

These are all great ideas thank you for them. I think a little later on I will try and consolidate some of them into a list and post here.

Another thing I was thinking as I begin preparing my children is that in addition to the basic survial items we have been talking about I think it's of the utmost imprtance also to teach them to live properly in the current world. What I mean by that is we need to be teaching them to live debt free and teaching them the value of life and the beauty of the things in this world. To appreciate the non material aspects that give us the greatest snese of purpose and fullfillment.

I think one thing that survivalist type people have in common is a love of freedom and a love or at least the knowledge that life is more than Ipods and myspace. Those are the things designed to keep us as slaves and prevent us for learning the skills that make life truely worth living.

Got to agree with Wotan here, the best thing you can do is make it fun for them.

Obviously your not going to start explaining why your teaching them how to read a map or start a fire i.e. your not going to talk about Sit X and how you could possibly be injured or even killed.

Make it fun, enjoy teaching them and let them enjoy themselves. At the end of the day even if SitX doesn't happen in your life time the skills you teach them can help them later on in their lifes.

The other plus side is that teaching them these skills is a great way to spend quality time with your children. I have fond memories of going shooting, fishing etc with my father!

Great thread.

I have two young daughters, well 10 and 11yrs, and they love getting involved in learning things like this either in the backyard or over the forest.

Even the basics, when we go for a walk in the woods, they know to have some food, drink shelter and fire lighting gear.

I've lost count of the amount of times we've been caught in a downpour over the forest, and whilst others are hurrying past drenched, tryng to get back home, me and the kids have been sat under a shelter getting hot stew down our necks lol. We just carry a couple of groundsheets or tarp sheets, and maybe add to them with surrounding debris from the woods. for warmth.

So at least i know that even if they are just playing over the woods and something goes wrong, they can at least get themselves sorted for the time they are there.

One of my girls fave activities is sitting around the homemade firepit in the garden, practising how to start a fire. Most of the time it's just with a flint and steel lol, but it's a start.

They know how to use a knife safely, i bought them the cheap but excellent Frost Mora bushcraft knives to get to grips with. A nice little knife to practice skills with.

Most important though as someone has said, is to keep it fun. Don't emerse them in it if they are not overly keen, they'll end up hating it.

CX.

How to dial 999 or 911, to tell grown ups if they find medicines, drugs, needles, guns or anything sharp or burny, BUT NEVER TO TOUCH THEM.To run to the nearest uniform if they are lost and afraid, never talk to strangers, tell mummy if they see a fire or tornado funnel etc.