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- Mar 27, 2009
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I went to a 2-day survival course last weekend with my 2 sons aged 9 and 11. The course was given by Trueways, a survival school founded and still run by Lofty Wiseman, author of the SAS Survival Handbook.
The course was intended for kids aged 7-12, and went into topics such as protection (shelter building), signaling (fire, mirror), water and food aquisition (finding, cleaning, purifying) and navigation (button compass, sun compass).
Each child or group of children had one guardian (usually a parent, me in this case) who came along for free.
I am not a novice at survival but the course was still educational for me as well. My boys had a great time. The staff were very professional, knowledgeable but knew how to deal with these kids. I was the only foreigner there but my sons speak English well enough to be able to follow the lessons.
Brewing nettle tea, starting their own fire totally from scratch with nothing but a fire steel, building a solid lean-to, building a huge signal fire, it was all a great experience for the boys. I sometimes had trouble impressing upon them that this was stuff that might one day be the difference between life and death.
They were simply having too much fun (as if there is such a thing). And I was too.
The course was also a good opportunity for my sons to carry their knives. They were the only ones totally accustomed to carrying and using knives, both folders and fixed blades, but I am happy to say, most if not all the parents there allowed there children to handle knives.
Trueways Survival School is highly recommended. I will be attending their 5-day course in the not too distant future.
Edit: added a few pics
My sons + fellow dad Nigel and his son in our lean-to.
My youngest thinks it doesn't get any cooler holding a Cold Steel Master Hunter...
My oldest (in the camo pants) next to a newly made friend (carrying a Mora).
The course was intended for kids aged 7-12, and went into topics such as protection (shelter building), signaling (fire, mirror), water and food aquisition (finding, cleaning, purifying) and navigation (button compass, sun compass).
Each child or group of children had one guardian (usually a parent, me in this case) who came along for free.
I am not a novice at survival but the course was still educational for me as well. My boys had a great time. The staff were very professional, knowledgeable but knew how to deal with these kids. I was the only foreigner there but my sons speak English well enough to be able to follow the lessons.
Brewing nettle tea, starting their own fire totally from scratch with nothing but a fire steel, building a solid lean-to, building a huge signal fire, it was all a great experience for the boys. I sometimes had trouble impressing upon them that this was stuff that might one day be the difference between life and death.
They were simply having too much fun (as if there is such a thing). And I was too.
The course was also a good opportunity for my sons to carry their knives. They were the only ones totally accustomed to carrying and using knives, both folders and fixed blades, but I am happy to say, most if not all the parents there allowed there children to handle knives.
Trueways Survival School is highly recommended. I will be attending their 5-day course in the not too distant future.
Edit: added a few pics
My sons + fellow dad Nigel and his son in our lean-to.
My youngest thinks it doesn't get any cooler holding a Cold Steel Master Hunter...
My oldest (in the camo pants) next to a newly made friend (carrying a Mora).
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