Friday was ‘Bushcraft Day’ at St Lucy’s Primary School in Abronhill in Cumbernauld. We spent the day with around 45 P7 children for a special end of term, fun-packed day of outdoor learning.
Arriving at the school first thing in the morning, the sun was shining. Our first activity of the day was learning how to make natural cordage with different natural materials like raffia, nettles and soft rushes. The children worked together in groups of three to make friendship bracelets.
Next up was testing natural tinders. We learned about the properties of different natural materials like seedheads and punk wood, grass and birch bark. With a fire steel the children used thistle and reed mace seedheads to make a tiny fire. For the fast finishers among the P7s we had fun making bugs from playdough!
After the break, we went on a bushcraft walk, exploring the neighbouring woods, collecting birch bark and grass for fire-making in the afternoon, and finding a site for a shelter-building challenge.
Stop the bus! You are stuck on a desert island, and a hurricane is coming! With just a tarp, some paracord, and any sticks and natural materials you can find, you have 15 minutes to build the best shelter you can! With that, the childen got to work and constructed some fantastic shelters.
In the afternoon, we walked to a different woodland site for our fire-making and cooking session. Here, the children applied what they had learned in the morning to make a small fire. The children learned about risks, how to keep safe, how to construct a fire lay, how to make a tinder bundle, and how to safely and responsibly extinguish a fire and leave no trace.
The children also enjoyed a session where they cooked over a fire: marshmallows, pancakes, hot chocolate, and popcorn. There was also some time for some storytelling!
It was great to see the children have so much fun. Many thanks to St Lucy’s Primary School for allowing us to share the day with them.
