This month we’re learning one of the most important outdoor skills: how to make a good place to sleep and stay protected outdoors.
A good shelter doesn’t have to be fancy. It needs to protect you from the things that can make you miserable (or even put you in danger) like wind, rain, cold, and wet ground.
By the end of class, you’ll know a lot more about choosing a good campsite, setting up shelter, and making yourself comfortable outdoors.
And we’ll be doing a lot more than talking about it. Come ready to build!
Read: My Side of the Mountain
Read from the beginning of the book through “The Old, Old Tree.”
That includes these chapters:
- I Hole Up in a Snowstorm
- I Get Started on This Venture
- I Find Gribley’s Farm
- I Find Many Useful Plants
- The Old, Old Tree
As you read or listen, pay particular attention to where and how Sam decides to live.
Think about this question:
Could you actually do what Sam does?
Explore: Bear Grylls Survival Skills Handbook
Take a look at:
- Tents (pages 10–14)
- Other Types of Shelter (pages 15–20)
This isn’t a textbook assignment. Look through the pictures, read the parts that interest you, and learn what you can.
Come to class with one shelter idea or tip from the book that you thought was interesting.
Try This at Home
Sometime before class, go outside and look around your yard, neighborhood, or somewhere you visit.
Imagine you had to spend the night outside.
Where would you put your shelter?
Look at the ground. Look overhead. Think about wind, water, shade, trees, slope, and anything else that might matter.
You don’t have to actually build anything yet. Just see if you can find what you think would be a good campsite and a bad one.
We’ll see how good your instincts are when we get together!
Come Prepared
Bring your Outdoor Skills Kit if you have it ready. Make sure your name is clearly marked on your bag and your gear.
For this class, especially make sure you have your:
- Paracord
- Work gloves
Also bring your Bear Grylls Survival Skills Handbook.
Dress to be outside, working, and possibly getting dirty.
Come ready to build, experiment, and learn some skills you could actually use outdoors.
Could you survive like Sam? Let’s find out.
September 24 Juniors To-Do List
