Bush craft: How to teach shelter building

In bush craft: how to teach shelter building, you’ll explore the essential survival skill of shelter-building, tailored for early learning and primary school outdoor education. 

Through hands-on activities, you will learn how to engage children in nature play by teaching them how to create safe and functional shelters, all while fostering a deeper connection to the natural environment. This course aligns with nature pedagogy, promoting outdoor learning through practical, experiential methods.

Participants will learn the importance of shelter as a core survival skill and how to create effective, child-friendly learning experiences in nature-based programs. From using tarps and rope to constructing shelters from natural materials, you’ll gain the confidence to bring these activities into your nature play or bush school curriculum.

Key activities include:

• Understanding the importance of shelter in survival scenarios and its relevance in outdoor learning
• Participating in a "Shelter spotters" walk to identify ideal shelter-building locations in the park
• Learning essential knots and using tarps and ropes to create shelters
• Building shelters using natural materials such as sticks, leaves, and bark
• Testing shelters to see if they can withstand the elements with the “water test”
• Engaging children in mini shelter-building activities, including creating animal habitats from natural materials

This course equips educators with practical skills and creative techniques for incorporating shelter-building into outdoor learning, encouraging children’s problem-solving, teamwork, and engagement with nature.