Knife Safety - How did you learn it, or how did you/are you teaching your kids?

Thank you everyone for your awesome responses! I'm on my phone can't sit down tonight on my computer and respond :)
 
Oh man Wowbagger, the story with the exacto knife.... *cringe*

This is really great advice everyone. gadgetgeek, I think you made a great point about kids being kids. She's really attentive and smart, but I can't expect her to be as responsible as an adult. Since she's only 7 I wanted to make sure I start her off right. I do think that one on one we did super good, but she gets distracted by her sister/cousins. Then the knife gets put away. She'll be able to handle choices like that later, such as when she's 12.

I didn't do any kitchen stuff with her B34NS, but that's something I think we should do in the future. I want to make sure she learns to try and not catch the knife if it drops.

Cute kiddos TBL! I hope that when I have kids I can get them started learning young like that. :)

GSOM, yeah, paying attention is critical. I've had stitches from a BK9 before... so yeah. I've got that experience to share (which I haven't told her about yet haha), despite how embarassing it is.

I hope she doesn't end up with too many scars - but I too have a couple from childhood days. Just seems to be part of the experience. Regardless, I hope to prepare her with a decent set of skills.

Brad and 22-rimfire - yeah, she may have a chance to learn to skin animals, her dad hunts a little. But yes, that is a fantastic way to learn knife skills.

Thank you everyone for your awesome input on this thread!
 
Its great that not only does your niece have someone who wants to help her learn a thing, she also has someone willing to put in the time. We often forget that things we learned at that age took weeks and months to master, and constant reminders. So many times I meet parents who are frustrated that their kid isn't able to preform the task presented, when the reality is, the kid has no related skills, is freaked out or so excited they can barely function, and I've got 20 minutes to teach them. Its all about time. The more a thing becomes normal, the more those skills and behaviors bleed over into other skills. You can be responsible with a knife, or an ax, or power-tool, then a car or a six pack is not a big deal. Because we all know people who can use any of those things, but responsibly? Not so much.
 
Hi! I have been allowed to play around with SAKs since when I was 4-5 yrs. old. We used to spend summer holidays in the Alps and hiking, camping, fishing, wild edibles picking, etc. were the everyday fun activities. My parents have always encouraged us to learn outdoor skills and proper use of tools. It was my Grandpa who gave me my first “real” knife when I was 7-8 yrs. old. An Opinel :). I still remember that day, out fishing with him. Yeah, knife safety was taught, basics at least (cut away from yourself, pass a closed/sheathed knife, don’t “swing” knives around, etc.) but mainly I have learnt by doing and, of course, Mom first aid kit was often in use :D. We now do the same with the three of us, trying to expose them to challenges and learnings we think they can manage, based on their respective ages. But we tend to let them learn by doing (and also our first aid kit is always at hand :D).


But this thread again lead me into thinking how “over sheltered” our kids are today. Just for fun (and there are funnies about this in the web as well), but how different has been my childhood in the 70ies-80ies compared to my kids! Sometimes I wonder how I survived :):

We regularly travelled by cars with no seat belts, children seats or air bags, simply they were not there. We did not have children safety locks for medicine cabinets, for household cleaning agents, no safety gates for the stairs. The toys were made of any kind of material, non-certified, some definitely toxic, full of small parts. When we rode bicycles, we did not have any helmet. We were all out playing, with the only obligation to get back home before sunset. We cut ourselves a number of times, we broke a bone here and there, we lost a tooth, but there was no big fuss or official complaint about these incidents. We blamed ourselves, learned the lesson and moved on. When we were doing something really bad, Mom and Dad gave us a good thrashing and no one has ever called the helpline or have Social Services involved, simply we avoided to behave that way again. We ate biscuits, white bread and tons of Nutella, butter and sugar, fried potatoes, candies, drank hectoliters of soft drinks and we had never grown overweight because we were always out and about to run, climb, jump, bike, build shelters or tree houses, etc. At the age of 8 yrs. old, I had to learn how to cook basic stuff by myself unsupervised, got the house keys on a lanyard around my neck and took care of my little sister. We are now afraid of being infected with horrible diseases, at that time we shared drinks in four or five, drinking from the same bottle and nobody ever died for this. We didn’t have any PlayStation, Nintendo, Xbox, video games, cable television with a million channels, Dolby surround sound, personal cell phones, computers, internet, etc. (OK, I had an Atari). But we had friends! We were out, we just grabbed our bikes and go to a friend's house, we rang the doorbell, or simply knocked and we were let in. We had a snack and we were out to play together. Yes! Out there! Alone! In the cruel world! Without a watchful eye! With no CCTVs! No nanny whatsoever! How did we do? How did we survive? :D Many times, when teams were formed to play e.g. football, we have been discarded, not chosen, but no one suffered such bitter delusions that turned into psychological traumas. We simply played something else, even alone sometimes, with no psychiatric help! As students, at times, we have not been as bright as others, someone lost a school year or two and they had to repeat it. Nobody went to the psychologist, no one that I know turned into a psycho! We all just had been granted a second chance and adapted to circumstances and let own very different talent to blossom. As kids, we were lucky to have freedom, failures, success, responsibility and we had to learn how to handle them.
 
Herlock you were lucky to have what you did. But the truth is that you also had far more support than you realize. a smaller community where more people knew each other, if one of your peers had spent too much time alone, or looked like they couldn't handle their temper, someone would have stepped in. The unfortunate part is most kids don't have that anymore, anywhere in the world. When I was growing up lots of kids did really dangerous stuff, I suppose I was more sheltered than most, but I survived. Not all of the kids I went to school with did. They might still be alive, but brain damage takes a lot from a person.

In fact, as much as people think kids are over-sheltered, its not as bad as most people think. Yes kids have fewer opportunities in some ways, but have far more in others. I would say that there is a big move towards letting kids do more stuff. All the people I know who are in their 30s with kids are way more relaxed than most parents even 10 years ago. Of course there are exceptions, but if you met those people, you'd see they were crazy even without their kids. Its hard to say how much is too much, the fact is the world is changing faster and faster than ever before, so while your parents could probably ask their parents about a lot of things, my parents have no idea about half the stuff the kids I work with face. But for all that, most younger people I know are not as freaked out about the world ending as the cold-war generation. So why not live. If you look at all the people who run around wringing their hands about protecting kids at all costs, you'll find they are in their 50-60s.

It will make you feel good to know that a lot of people are pushing hard to get failure back into schools. It will get there. People have realized that protecting kids from everything doesn't work. The problem is it will take 20 more years for those people to get into positions of power. but it will get there.
 
I learned with some guidance about not cutting towards yourself but I was more of a trial by fire type. Learned how to clean small wounds and clean up blood. With my son, we had the Boy Scout manual method. I let him carry his knife with the rule being he had to ask to use it. I made sure to say yes and make the time to watch him when he asked. We never had any issues. Now he teaches sharp use for his Scout troop and I don't believe he has ever cut himself with his knife:)
 
My first knife was a Barlow folder 2 blade. Still have it. Bought new when I was about 8. I closed it on my finger one time in church. (We were not allowed to bring to church.) So I bled quietly in my handkerchief. Dad gave me a few pointers, and left me learn. I am taking a more involved role in teaching my 8 year old daughter how to whittle and use a knife... As I did with the others... The outdoors is a great teacher, and good on you for teaching her...
 
I wonder why it is that girls tend to listen, boys tend to need to hurt themselves. Don't know why that is, but as a whole, boys are pretty dumb.
 
gadgetgeek said:
Herlock you were lucky to have what you did. But the truth is that you also had far more support than you realize. a smaller community where more people knew each other, if one of your peers had spent too much time alone, or looked like they couldn't handle their temper, someone would have stepped in. The unfortunate part is most kids don't have that anymore, anywhere in the world. When I was growing up lots of kids did really dangerous stuff, I suppose I was more sheltered than most, but I survived. Not all of the kids I went to school with did. They might still be alive, but brain damage takes a lot from a person.

In fact, as much as people think kids are over-sheltered, its not as bad as most people think. Yes kids have fewer opportunities in some ways, but have far more in others. I would say that there is a big move towards letting kids do more stuff. All the people I know who are in their 30s with kids are way more relaxed than most parents even 10 years ago. Of course there are exceptions, but if you met those people, you'd see they were crazy even without their kids. Its hard to say how much is too much, the fact is the world is changing faster and faster than ever before, so while your parents could probably ask their parents about a lot of things, my parents have no idea about half the stuff the kids I work with face. But for all that, most younger people I know are not as freaked out about the world ending as the cold-war generation. So why not live. If you look at all the people who run around wringing their hands about protecting kids at all costs, you'll find they are in their 50-60s.

It will make you feel good to know that a lot of people are pushing hard to get failure back into schools. It will get there. People have realized that protecting kids from everything doesn't work. The problem is it will take 20 more years for those people to get into positions of power. but it will get there.
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I think you hit the nail on the head. I understand where Herlock is coming from, but the severe lack of community that we experience these days really puts a damper on that nostalgic childhood experience that we all had as kids, where we had freedom and looked out for each other, and didn't have all of the crazy safety precautions that we have these days. Even I (I'm 26) had a pretty free childhood because I grew up in a very awesome small community in the country.

I know that when I get around to having kids, I think they will have a lot more freedom than "kids these days" in a lot of ways, but they're going to be more restricted in others. Yes, I want to protect them from things they can't control such as toxins in food (just like trans fats and stuff, nothing crazy), but I'm not going to deprive them of experiencing owning their own knives and such.

Bill Siegle said:
I learned with some guidance about not cutting towards yourself but I was more of a trial by fire type. Learned how to clean small wounds and clean up blood. With my son, we had the Boy Scout manual method. I let him carry his knife with the rule being he had to ask to use it. I made sure to say yes and make the time to watch him when he asked. We never had any issues. Now he teaches sharp use for his Scout troop and I don't believe he has ever cut himself with his knife:)
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I think this is great - do you ever think your son has cut himself and not told you? Cause I totally did that as a kid :P

gadgetgeek said:
I wonder why it is that girls tend to listen, boys tend to need to hurt themselves. Don't know why that is, but as a whole, boys are pretty dumb.
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Haha! I don't think that's true all of the time. Some people, boys or girls, just gotta learn by doing. I think one of my nephews will be a good listener. The other... Well we shall see! XD
 
I'm all over the place with my reply on this one. I'm going to have to have a think session on it before I reply!
 
fuzzsticks.jpgfuzzsticks.jpgA good project for young ones is to make feathersticks, Always cutting away from there body. Then give them some watercolor paint to make flowers.
 
I was a kid , mum gave me a pen knife , small old fashioned slip joint that would close on my fingers if I was doing it wrong .. I would have been 5 I think ..
Learned to not do it wrong pretty quick ..
We lived on a farm , raised out own meat and stuff .. so I learned a lot of hand on knife skills and safety watching grandfather slaughter stuff , and again when he taught me how to do it properly .. .
No way Id let a regular kid do what I did tho .. I could drive the farm 4x4 at 6 yr old , slaughter an animal , butcher the carcass and tan the skin at 8 yr old , oxy weld and braze by 12 yr old mig and stick came later ...
 
Being the "expert" that I am, my attention was diverted and closed a small slip joint nicking my finger... ouch. It drew blood. Tis life and every kid that carries a knife will cut themselves. You can't be too overprotective about these things. You have to learn and some of us "experts" never learn. ;)
 
I utilize a blended methodology of training which consists of my personal experiences, along with my training from my BSA days. I am currently the instructor for my Cub Scout Den, and made sure they all earned their Whittling Chip, and have been slowly doling out extra instruction on beginning whittling, along with all of the things that can be done with a knife while out camping.

It's pretty awesome.
 
You'll just have to provide as many opportunities as possible for your niece to see you use one safely and she will take it from there. In the 50s and early 60s, I grew seeing the older men in the family use pocketknives for everything from fingernails to radiator hoses. We don't have so much of that culture anymore. By the time I finally asked if i could have a pocketknife, one of them handed me one and just said, "don't cut yourself" and that was pretty much it. I learned from observation and having the thing in my hand.
 
I was taught the basics, no running with a knife, walk with the blade pointing down, do not hand someone the knife blade first, while growing up. I was given my first knife, and old slipjoint stockman with a broken main blade, when I was around 7-8 years old, the rest of knife safety I learned through trial and error (I learned to stash bandaids in my bedroom so my mom would not know when I cut myself).

I gave my niece a pocket knife for her 10th birthday, after she had used mine under supervision many times. Sadly my sister threw it away because my niece "Kept wanting to use it" to whittle sticks and open packages.
 
I learned it in cub scouts like some here did. I found it hard to teach knife saftey when I was a camp counselor. I basically told them "knives are sharp, knives will cut skin very easy, and you will likley cut yourself". I would then demostrate the sharpness that a knife is by using one of my own knives to shave hair from my arm. I don't think that the female counselor that was with me approved of my little knife saftey discussion. I also had a habbit of treating injuries of the campers I was responsible for instead of letting them go to nurse for a minor scrap or cut, unless it was serious of course. If they went to nurse, they would usually try to stay with her all day. Nice lady and all, but was a bit too gulible. I wasn't exactly a soft handed person for treating cuts. It was mostly rubbing alcohol, bandage, then your done, go play.
 
saxon said:
You'll just have to provide as many opportunities as possible for your niece to see you use one safely and she will take it from there. In the 50s and early 60s, I grew seeing the older men in the family use pocketknives for everything from fingernails to radiator hoses. We don't have so much of that culture anymore. By the time I finally asked if i could have a pocketknife, one of them handed me one and just said, "don't cut yourself" and that was pretty much it. I learned from observation and having the thing in my hand.
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I really like this answer a lot. Leading by example is something I can do.
 
I first started using pocket knives when I was about 4 or 5 years old. My early training in safe knife/tool usage was rather simple. When I started first grade my grandfather gave me my first knife. It was a small "peanut" folder, saying "Now that you're in school, we can't have you borrowing everyone else's knife." I NEVER went to school with out at least 1 knife. After August 1965, I never went anywhere without at least 2 knives.

I have never had kids of my own, but I have trained nieces and nephews using the same techniques and they are all still alive.

My grandfather was of the belief that one should always use the proper tool for the job. He stressed that it was better to spend a little time going back to the shop for the right tool than trying to make do with what you had and maybe getting hurt. This was because he grew up in a very rural area where it was a 5+ mile mule ride to the nearest doctor.

Essentially the knife safety boiled down to just 5 rules
- always carry a knife (he was 50 years ahead of "Gibbs' Rule #9)
- keep your knife sharp
- always cut away from yourself
- never use a knife for anything other than cutting
- cut slow

After that it was basically, "go have fun, cut stuff but not yourself and nothing that will make your mother or grandmother mad."

My grandfather was a great one for teaching with stories to make a point. Take the "cut slow" rule. He said something like "Cut slow to save time." and followed it with stories as examples.
- many stories about himself, his brothers, cousins and friends being in a hurry and cutting themselves, some dying or requiring amputations due to infections.
- the time he decided to save time and cut open several sacks at once before dumping them into the hopper. The row of full, opened sacks fell over and spilled.
- the time when Uncle Fred was digging too fast and put a pick through a water pipe.
- the time when Aunt Isabel was trying to carry 2 milk buckets that were too full and tripped, spilling it all.
- the time when he didn't cork the beer right and a bottle exploded in the cellar, setting off a chain reaction, ending with 30+ busted bottles.
- the time when his youngest brother, William, was killed at age 13 by a widow maker because no one spotted a loose limb up in the tree they were felling.

Trying to use a knife for a pry bar or screw driver was literally "Verboten." He was old school German. "Nein!!! Ist verboten!!!" :D (or something like that) would rumble across the shop if I did something really wrong. "Dummkopf" would pop out if I screwed up something I had already been shown how to accomplish. He was definitely not a "coddle your kids" type, but neither was he a tyrant.

Whether working with wood, leather, electrical wire, feed sacks, inner tubes (great galvanized pipe patching material by the way) or something else, his way of training was to show me what he was doing and how he used the knife/other tool to do it and then have me do it. I learned how to strip insulation off wires when I was about 9 y.o. by being given a well used, but sharp as a razor, butcher knife and several hundred feet of old wire from the 1920s (rubber coated, cotton jacketed, single solid strand) and was told to "clean it". Did I forget to mention that my training in being a recycling pack rat began at an early age as well?? :D

All the adults and most of the kids in my life carried knives, including my mother and grandmothers. I learned by watching and emulating them in how to properly use knives

Later, in Cub Scouts, I learned all the "proper rules", like the "blood circle", not letting go of a knife/tool until the other person said "Thank you" or "Thanks" or "Got it", only passing a knife if it was closed (folder) or handle first (fixed blades and open folders), among others, but by then I had already absorbed those habits from daily exposure to "tool etiquette" as practiced by everyone around me, whether at home, school or the family businesses where I worked as well.

I feel that a lot of "knife usage" for daily tasks has fallen by the wayside because of a lot of subtle things - easy opening containers, zip-top resealable bags, most people not working on their own cars/trucks anymore, so no exposure to cleaning/opening/stripping stuff in a real-life mechanical situation, and so on..... Plus the banning of carrying knives at school hasn't helped. Back in the 60s and 70s, I would say that 99% of the boys and 75% of the girls carried pocket knives at school. There were a couple of guys that were so clumsy, they shouldn't have been allowed to use spoons, much less knives. The girls % may have been higher, but I never did a purse inventory. :D During 12 years of elementary, middle and high school there was never a single instance of anyone cutting themselves or others badly enough to require stitches or someone else, whether by accident or on purpose.
 
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