Children and Bushcraft

From an early age I have been talking about and showing my girls wild and garden plants and trees.  Now they enjoy looking for new ones and identifying them from books.  My eldest daughter is 6 and on a recent school trip the teacher asked if anyone knew what sort of tree it was they had stopped at. (It was a Sycamore ) she shouted out the correct name.

By the end of the day the teacher was having regular  consultations with my daughter on plant Id. She is now the class nature expert.

The key is to make it fun and talk about bushcraft and plant lore in a matter of fact way and use the correct names in normal conversation.  They are like sponges and will take in any info you give them, even advanced botany and Latin names, only to regurgitate it at a later date word for word.

Take them with you.

Thanks

Best Bushcraft Books

Hi all,

I have been absent from the blog for a while but have been busy in the woods. Over the last few years myself and my good friend Paul have built up a bushcraft school which is going from strength to strength.

One of the most frequent questions asked on Bushcraft courses is "What Books on Bushcraft should I buy"?

For the past 30+ years I have been collecting and more importantly reading books on Bushcraft so I have decided to compile a list of my favorite books here. I have included a link to amazon for each recomendation. So here goes...



Bushcraft by Mors Kochanski. This is one of my all time favorites due to the unique content written by the very experienced author. If you don't have his book get it as it will someday be a classic(if not already) 5/5




Botany in a day By Thomas Elpel. Of all the books I own on Plants this is my favorite. The perfect mix of personal information and science makes for an entertaining and educational read. 5/5

Primitive Living, Self-Sufficiency, and Survival Skills: A Field Guide to Primitive Living Skills by Thomas Elpel. Another superb book told in the form of a story or journey. I have read this book many times and always find something new to enjoy.

Essential Bushcraft By Ray Mears. Beautiful illustrations by Ben McNutt too.  A great look at lots of different aspects of bushcraft.

Outdoor Survival Handbook by Ray Mears. Another great book divided by the seasons and more aimed at the temperate climate. I always refer to this one from time to time.

By John Boe (No relation) A great little book about enjoying bushcraft with Kids. I have two young daughters and we all enjoy reading this.

Handmade Baskets: From Nature's Colourful Materials (Search Press Classics) by Susie Vaughan. Great book on a very important and under rated skill. Making containers. I have used the advice contained in this book time and time again. Superb.

The last English Poachers. by Bob and Brian Tovey.

I am all for learning through story and this delivers in bucket loads. A great read and very entertaining indeed.



Norwegian Wood By Lars Mitting . This book is very entertaining in a strange way and educational. If your into bushcraft woodlore is a very important topic and this book has lots of good info on firewood. Highly recommended. I have read it twice.




One of the best herb medical guides I have ever read. Why? Because it is modern and written in a strong structured way. I have bought all of the books in this series and they are as relevent in the uk and Europe as they are in the USA. Afterall dandelions grow everywhere and so do the majority of other plants contained in this book.



Most Books on Friction fire are brief. Not this one Loads of clear photos and good instructions and as an added bonus I wrote it!! Available for Kindle.



How could i forget this classic! I got this book when i was about 8 and have re-read it many times. I was so excited when i saw it in an airport in London I wanted to explode. I have the Bushcraft Bug. I recommend the original manual .

My first good knife

Hello,

I was reading a very interesting post on Paul Kirtley's blog yesterday where he talks about the value of a locking knife for survival. Paul Kirtley's Blog .

The article was excellent as is usual for Paul but what caught my nostalgic nerve was his talk of the knives he used when he was first starting out.

I have mentioned my Rambo type survival knife which I got for christmas when I was a boy. I used to run about with it strapped to my leg 24-7. It was obviously a very cheap peice of steel but I loved it.
The funny thing is that if you are un aware that better knives exist it dosnt bother you and you get on with making huts, skinning rabbits and lighting fires.

However, one year for a holiday our travelled to the Isle of Man. In a small fishing shop there was a glass counter full of the most fancy looking knives. I took a shine to a nice shiny stacked leather handled sheffield steel knife. I remember it was £6.99 which in 1986 was a lot more than it is now. I convinced my dad that i needed it and he let me spend my holiday savings on it. I then proceeded to cut the tip of my finger off with it.  Here is is.

This knife has been lost and found so many times I lost count. It has hacked, chopped and sliced through everything, dug holes, poked fires, killed enemy indians, killed enemy cowboys, been used as a throwing knife, a spear tip, an ember pan, gut rabits, fish, pigeons and bigger. I learned to sharpen knives on it and slept with it under my pillow for a while. Itwas the envy of my friends at the time. A great little knife indeed.

I sometimes think it would be nice to find a picture of myself with it on my belt but sometimes it is better to just remember things.

Cheers

Feathersticks

I do love a nice featherstick and they are good for getting the faimily BBQ going too!
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

A few bushcraft user knives

Excellent review on WM1

Hi,

I personally love this little knife. Very usefull indeed for everything. The only thing i would say is that the handle is quite thin for powerfull cuts. It digs into your hand a little.

I found this review by an experienced outdoors man and he certainly put it through its paces. Makes a change from cutting tomotoes in the kitchen.

Fallkniven wm1 review

Knife porn

Hi,

My F1, a faithfull, used companion.

I was looking at a few lovely pictures of expensive knifes on British blades today. Its all very nice when somone shows a knife and says it is a user when it is plainly not. Any knife that is a user will not look immaculate unless you are using it to chop tomatoes. (why that is a test of a bushcraft knife I will never know) Knifes develop character as they are used.

The pictures that get me thinking are the ones of the old battered things that are functional and used looking and glow with the marks and stains of adventure. When you see one you cant help but wonder where it has been and how the hell it got like that.

Sometimes people are to quick to change knifes hoping to find something better around the corner in the next purchase. Sometimes I think that people buy the woodlores because they think it will imporove their skills.

Our ancestors who used knives on a daily basis would have thought a Mora was the most usefull thing ever I am sure.

There is to much focus on knives in bushcraft I think.I think the problem might be to much choice.

Good example of a used and loved knife is here.

fallkniven-f1-used-abused-loved

The best thing to do if you are starting out is to buy a knife and then use it until it wears out.Then get another one.Thats the way people used to do things but commericalism has taken over big time, we dont feel complete until we have a drawer full of knife shinny blades.

What a rant............................