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Volunteering at Scouts is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing at Scouts. Read more

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Survival Themed Camp

Why not have a go at a survival themed camp with you group? Go back to basics to learn some new bushcraft skills.

Running a survival themed camp

Here are some ideas for how you could plan a survival themed camp around our Scouts Survival Skills Activity Badge, supported by Victorinox.

We’ve included some activities to complete throughout the weekend, but you can also find more in our Scouts Activity Finder.

 

    

Friday Evening

It's time to set up camp, why not have a go at setting up your tarps and lighting a fire to keep warm.
Learn how to light a campfire

Collect fuel, spark flames, and learn how to craft the perfect fire. Don’t forget to safely extinguish it too.

Prepare to flare >
Play survival bingo

Learn the survival essentials needed on an outdoor adventure with a game of bingo.

Number five, skills for life >

 

    

Saturday Morning

On a survival camp, it's important to stay safe and know what to do if something happens. Before taking on some more challenges, be prepared and make sure your first aid kit is correct. 
Learn to plan for emergencies

Things won’t always go to plan - explore the benefits of having a backup ready to go.

Plan B prepared >
Try some survival style first aid

Put your first aid skills to the test in these survival style situations.

Treat your team >
Make some clever tarpaulin shelters

Can you find 10 ways to turn a tarpaulin into a survival shelter fit for a good night’s sleep?

Tarp ten ways >
Pioneer a camp gadget

Use knots and lashings to create camp gadgets that take your site to the next level.

Tripods ten ways >

 

    

Saturday Afternoon

Why not try some survival activities. You could build some shelters, practice your knife skills or make some water filters.
Get to grips with learning basic knife skills

Learn how to safely use and take care of a knife, then put your skills to the test by creating a simple peg.

Knife skills >
Make a survival toothbrush

Search your surroundings and use natural materials to clean up your water source.

Hygiene hijinks >
Become a wild builder and make a natural den

Work in small teams to build dens using materials from the environment around you.

Wild builders >
Learn to make some survival shelters

Build shelters from natural and manmade materials. Which one will you prefer?

Survival shelters >

 

    

Sunday Morning

Keep practising those skills, have a go at some pioneering projects and build yourself a camp gadget
Make a water filter from natural materials

Search your surroundings and use natural materials to clean up your water source.

Foraged filters >
Get to understand some basic knots

Be dope with rope and build to your heart's content with these smashing knots and lashings.

Knot your average pioneer >

 

    

Sunday Afternoon

It's time to head home, remember to leave your campsite as you found it and take everything home you brought with you.
Create a DIY survival kit

Create your own personal survival kit to make sure you’re prepared.

Create a DIY survival kit >
Learn how to send SOS messages

Practise different ways to send messages and stay safe in a survival situation.

Signal and survive >

 

    

Evening activities and time fillers

Here are some games and activities you could use during the camp if you have some spare time.

Try magnetising a compass

Magnetise before your eyes to create real working compasses from scratch!

Compass crafting

Go on a tracking treasure hunt

Spice up mealtimes in the outdoors by following trails in this tasty tracking trial.

Tracking down dinner

Play a wide game

Try playing this classic wide game, Capture The Flag, and try not to get caught.

Capture the flag

Learn what to wear in any weather

Choose the correct clothing for the outdoor activity, but watch out for the weather.

Learn what to wear in any weather

Try some campfire cooking

Discover our campfire recipes and cook up lots of delicious dishes.

Take a look at the recipes

Have a campfire sing-a-long

Did you know singing can help keep spirits up and increase your chances of survival? Singing as a group may help rescuers to locate you!

Take a look at our exciting list of campfire songs

Staying safe on camp

All Scout activities must be safely managed, including on camp. All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible too.

You must complete a risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. You can use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity.

Remember to always get approval for the activities, have consent forms in place, have suitable adult supervision on camp, and have an InTouch process in place.

Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.

When planning a camp, make sure you have completed a Nights Away Notification form and have all the relevant Nights Away permits in place. You may need an Adventurous activity permit, too.

For a survival camp, some areas to consider include: