Staplehurst School Bushcraft and Survival Project
Written by Phil Brown, Badger Buschraft Sunday, 28 November 2010 12:26
We were delighted to have recently been contacted by Staplehurst School in Kent who wanted help designing a bespoke bushcraft and survival course for 140 of their pupils.
We were able to liaise closely with one of the schools exceptionally professional teachers, Mrs. Stoker, and after several consultations we were able to devise a series of short workshops that would target and deliver the aims and objectives focusing on shelter building and fire craft
The project also required several documents to devised and written including:-
- Risk Assessment – Subject Specific
- Risk Assessment - Site Specific
- Emergency Procedure – Site Specific
- Risk Assessment Log Book
The day started with Phil arriving early to set up a teaching area in the school grounds which consisted of a large tarpaulin shelter and a small emergency bivouac. Mrs Stoker provided some benches for the pupils to sit on.
Once the pupils arrived Phil went to the school hall and delivered a briefing to the very attentive and polite pupils. It was really lovely to involve an active element of questions and answers into the brief and the young people provided some exceptionally relevant and pertinent answers.
With the briefing complete the first of six sessions commenced with each of the classes learning about shelter and fire craft in the outdoor classroom we had created.
The day concluded with a final briefing around a central fire where there were many songs were sung and marshmallows toasted. Phil wrapped up the event with a final safety brief.
We would like to thank all the teachers, staff and helpers at Staplehurst School for their incredibly proactive support during the day.
Thanks must also be given to the pupils of the following classes:-
- Dolphins
- Turtles
- Seahorses
- Cheetahs
- Orang-utans
- Tigers
You were such a pleasure to teach and at all times you were exceptionally well behaved and a total credit to the school. Thank you for sharing a wonderful day with me and I hope to see you all again soon.
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