Plan half-day scouting and outdoor activities with practical ideas for skills, challenges, adventures and group sessions that make the most of your time.
A woodland walk can be much more interesting when you stop simply walking from one place to another and start looking at what is happening around you. Woodlands are full of clues. Animals may be difficult to see, but they leave behind tracks, feathers, chewed nuts, droppings, nests and other signs. Trees, plants, fungi and…
Survival skills don’t have to be taught through long demonstrations or serious training sessions. For Cubs and Scouts, turning survival skills into games can make learning more memorable, encourage teamwork and give young people the opportunity to practise useful skills in a fun way. These 20 survival games are designed for youth groups and can…
Activity Overview Difficulty: BeginnerTime: 1-3 hours depending on activitiesLocation: Suitable woodland, campsite or outdoor training areaBest for: Scout leaders, Explorers and outdoor instructorsSkills: Survival skills, leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, navigation, shelter building, fire safety and outdoor awareness The best survival activities for Scout leaders are simple, practical exercises that teach useful skills without requiring complicated equipment…
Activity Overview Difficulty: BeginnerTime: 45–60 minutesLocation: Suitable indoor or outdoor training areaBest for: Scouts, Explorers and outdoor enthusiastsSkills: Communication, signalling, observation, Morse code, semaphore, teamwork, concentration Before mobile phones, digital radios and satellite communications, people had to find other ways of sending information over distance. Historical signalling methods included semaphore, Morse code, flags, whistles, mirrors,…
Activity Overview Difficulty: IntermediateTime: 1–3 hours depending on the activities selectedLocation: Suitable indoor or outdoor training areaBest for: Scouts, Explorers and outdoor enthusiastsSkills: Survival skills, historical awareness, fire lighting, shelter building, navigation, signalling, resourcefulness Long before modern tents, GPS devices, synthetic clothing and lightweight camping equipment, people developed practical ways to survive outdoors using the…
Activity Overview Difficulty: IntermediateTime: 1–3 hours depending on the activityLocation: Suitable indoor or outdoor training areaBest for: Scouts, Explorers, leaders and history enthusiastsSkills: Research, traditional camping skills, pioneering, navigation, signalling, teamwork, historical awareness Recreating historical Scout activities can be a great way to understand how Scouting developed while practising practical outdoor skills. Historical activities might…
Activity Overview Difficulty: Moderate–AdvancedTime: 60–120 minutesLocation: Campsites, activity fields and suitable outdoor training areasBest for: Scouts, Explorers, Patrol Leaders and experienced Cubs with appropriate supervisionSkills: Pioneering, teamwork, communication, leadership, knots, lashings, planning and problem-solving Team pioneering involves working together to design and construct a structure or solve a practical problem using poles, ropes, knots and…
Activity Overview Difficulty: AdvancedTime: 2–6 hours or a full activity sessionLocation: Large, level campsites and suitable outdoor activity areasBest for: Older Scouts, Explorers, Patrol Leaders and experienced teams with close adult supervisionSkills: Advanced pioneering, project planning, knots, lashings, structural design, teamwork, leadership and risk management Large-scale pioneering involves building a substantial structure or project from…
A practical half-day survival activity for Scouts combining navigation, shelter, teamwork, observation, problem-solving and outdoor decision-making. This is designed as a larger activity that can fill a substantial morning or afternoon without feeling like one long game. Teams move through a series of connected challenges, with each stage contributing to a final expedition scenario. Activity…
