Get
Involved in Scouting
Whether
you have children or not, get involved in Cub Scouts or Brownie Scouts. While I
was initially excited when my oldest son joined a local Cub Scout pack, the den
leader had to gradually step down, as he worked full time and was trying to
finish his college degree. As his role decreased, my duties changed from that
of a supporting father to one of a reluctant interim den leader. While I still
feel like I was a hapless victim of the old “bait and switch,” four years later
this group of boys graduated into the more self-directed Boy Scouts. It was
very rewarding to see them grow and to need less of my guidance. Early on, the
boys learned to tie a series of core knots. It is humbling to admit that I had
to learn these knots cold, in order to teach the scouts; the pressure to be an
effective teacher is as good a motivator as any. Essential knot tying,
depending on situation and materials on hand, are invaluable whether tying a
proper fishing knot, securing a climbing harness prior to rappelling, or
securing a load to a trailer while helping a friend move. Deftly tying the
proper knot for a given situation is an art lost to many. Survival depends on
many factors, but fortune smiles on the prepared. Were it not for the Tuesday night
meetings, I would have clumsily tied a bunch of overhand knots until a
sufficient mess was made. Aside from building a strong code of ethics, a sense
of citizenship, and selling overpriced popcorn, the boys learned numerous
outdoor skills that will hopefully carry on into their adulthood. Not only did
pitching tents in the dark, learning to sleep in the cold, and learning to
start a fire with flint and steel become second nature, a whole litany of
life/survival skills were also gleaned. Here is a short list of additional
skills the boys picked up (and anyone should acquire) along the way:
Cooking over a campfire. Even picky kids
learn that scorched food isn’t half bad after a long hike. More importantly,
they learned how to cook healthy and hearty meals with minimal supplies and
primitive cooking tools. To add challenge and adventure, foraging for
supplemental food was also well-received. Since I am not a mycologist,
mushrooms were categorically off the menu. Dandelions, plantains, persimmons,
and triple boiled/rinsed red oak acorns (which were too much work and a weird
consistency) were fair game, and sustainable collection was taught.
Basic First Aid. As one of the skills
that you hope you won’t have to use, basic first aid is a life skill that all
should learn. Well beyond Neosporin and bandages,
children learn basic CPR, the Heimlich maneuver, and how to properly carry an
incapacitated person with both individual (firefighter’s) carry and duo (one
arm and knee joint per side) carry. They also learn how to craft an emergency
stretcher from long wooden poles and a sweatshirt or coat, care for a blister,
remove a fish hook from flesh, and properly cleanse and treat an open cut
wound. Additionally, they learned to use plantain leaves that are
readily available in most of our backyards to make a poultice for application
to a skin wound. Improvisation in the field improves survival odds
dramatically. Mother nature offers us a plethora of medicinal plants; however,
proper plant identification, preparation, and use are imperative, prior to
application.
Map and compass use. In today’s digital
world, finding a proper bearing, maintaining a course, and topographic map
reading skills may seem outdated. However, ask me how outdated these skills are
after a solar flare or EMP attack! Finding your way from point A to point B is
not pre-wired into our being; it is a skill that must be learned. Fortunately,
finding true north by day or night can be a fun skill to master. Teaching some
basic astronomy, along with constellations and their historical names helps
keep the children engaged. Be forewarned, however, for questions regarding how
a certain cluster of stars resembles a mythological beast or Greek hero. My
best guess is that ancient Greeks weren’t mycologist either and may very well
have inadvertently dined on some psychedelic ‘shrooms. Try as I may, I still
don’t see the Great Bear when finding north. Sobriety must inhibit my
creativity.
The importance of teamwork and
completing assigned tasks. Each social group is only as strong as its weakest
link. Even within the family unit, each person brings their skills to the
table. One cannot obtain expertise in all of the skills that may be necessary
after a societal collapse. While welders can create even pools of molten steel,
an abscessed tooth can incapacitate the most unshakable figure. Likewise, a
dentists’ amalgam mixtures, while great for fillings, will not tack a
compromised car frame together. We are social creatures and need one another;
this will be all the more true during TEOTWAWKI. While not necessarily a high
priority for most Boy Scouts, sewing skills can not only keep your clothing and
gear functional but also serve double duty should any emergency medical
stitches be necessary. (Consult proper medical attention, if at all possible.)
Scouts learn to delegate duties to achieve the common good. Scrubbing cast iron
cookware is not glamorous, but if improperly cleaned it can cause food
poisoning, and a little botulism goes a very, very long way! Mix up menial
tasks by making it a challenge. Teach them that a handful of fine gravel/sand
is as effective as a scour pad and that everyone on the team must pitch in to
keep a tidy and sanitary camp site.
Access to learn skills from craftsman.
While many scout leaders take their scouts to visit the local newsroom studio,
volunteering as a scout leader offers ample opportunities to contact local
craftsman to learn about their trade and, hopefully, learn some free “hands on”
skills. Local garden clubs can teach both edible and medicinal plant classes.
Blacksmiths can teach how to create a simple forge and basic metallurgy over a
few hours on a Saturday afternoon. A potter can share how to properly obtain
and work rough clay, how to build a coil pot, etc. 4-H clubs offer their own
opportunities to teach valuable skills, such as animal husbandry, farm animal
care, seed collecting and preservation, and more. Foresters can discuss the
proper way to safely fell a tree as well as the types of wood in your area and
its commercial uses. You can’t make effective primitive bows or darts using the
wrong type of wood! Learn which wood types offer the highest heat output
(British Thermal Units) for heating your home; learn the superior local,
heat-producing woods, such as hedge apple, ash, oak, hickory, et cetera
compared to inferior firewood types, such as pine, cedar, sycamore, et cetera.
Conservation Departments can teach basic firearm safety, animal tracking
skills, and basic plant identification. Universities and colleges may host your
scout troop to learn about alternative energy sources and how they are used.
Numerous possibilities exist, and scouting is a good portal to gain access to
learn from skilled craftsman and build relationships.
Camp
Like You Mean It!
While
proper planning is a must, power down the kid’s electronics and drive to a
nearby lake or river that offers camping. If you want to be bold, take just a
tarp and some sleeping bags. After the initial withdrawal from lack of
electronics, children will eventually show interest in basic camping skills.
Take some fishing gear and teach your children the fishing process from
beginning to end: how to tie fishing knots, bait a hook, and swiftly kill and
clean a fish. Take it a step further by adding the following challenges to the
camping trip:
·
Teach
them how to slowly smoke the skewered fish over a fire. Make bannock bread out
of water, flour, and salt. Wrap the dough around a green stick, and slowly
“bake” it over a fire.
·
Teach
your children alternative means for cooking food. This includes starting a
small fire, building up a hot bed of coals, and placing smooth topped rocks on
top of the coals. Don’t use chert or wet rocks pulled from the lake or river,
unless you like to play campfire roulette; once heat builds up, these stones
can quickly become shrapnel!
·
Try
different ways of sleeping. Cots are a luxury and are cold to sleep on in
cooler climes, due to air flow around your entire body. Thermarest or other
self-inflating sleeping pads are packable, reasonably lightweight, and provide
some insulation off of the ground. Sleeping in a hammock tends to keep
you cool as well; however, they’re perfect for summer or warmer climates.
By
volunteering some of your time, typically a few hours a week, to your local
scout troop, you build not only viable outdoor skills but share in the joy of
molding and providing direction for young lives. The best way to learn a skill
is to practice it and to teach it to others. Instructing others helps cement
the application knowledge for recall when you need it most. Be prepared, the
official Boy Scout motto, is the mantra of not only the scouting community but
the survivalist community as well. By getting involved in scouting, you benefit
by not only investing in your children’s lives and building outdoor and
leadership skills, but you also have the opportunity to hone and teach basic
survival skills. It’s a win-win situation!
From
the SurvivalBlog
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