LATEST OUTDOOR GUIDES
Keep up to date with the latest guides, activities and resources from Survival Guides UK. Explore new articles covering outdoor skills, survival, Scout activities, camping, navigation, knots, fire safety and practical skills.
Our latest posts are designed to help Scouts, youth groups, leaders and anyone interested in outdoor learning develop practical knowledge and confidence. From new activity ideas and survival skills to useful how-to guides, check back regularly for the latest resources.
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60-Minute Activity Plan: Signal Station
Looking for a practical signalling activity for Scouts? Signal Station introduces Beavers, Cubs and Scouts to the challenges of communicating without relying on normal conversation. Through simple codes, visual signals and team challenges, young people practise accuracy, observation, teamwork and clear communication. Teams learn a few simple signalling methods, then use them in a series…
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60-Minute Activity Plan: The Great Gear Sort
Looking for a practical Scouts equipment activity that teaches more than simply naming outdoor kit? The Great Gear Sort challenges Beavers, Cubs and Scouts to choose, pack and prioritise equipment for different outdoor situations. As the weather and circumstances change, teams must rethink their choices and explain why particular items are important. Rather than simply…
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60-Minute Activity Plan: Survival Shelter Challenge
Looking for an engaging outdoor survival activity for Scouts? The Survival Shelter Challenge gives Beavers, Cubs and Scouts a practical way to explore shelter building, weather awareness, teamwork and problem-solving. Using simple materials, teams design and build a shelter before testing how well their ideas cope with different weather conditions. Teams have to design and…
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60-Minute Activity Plan: Map Memory Mission
Looking for a practical map reading activity for Scouts? Map Memory Mission turns basic navigation skills into an engaging 60-minute team challenge. Young people practise map symbols, route planning, memory and decision-making while working together to solve increasingly difficult navigation problems. Learning to use a map doesn’t always have to involve a long hike. Map…
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60-Minute Activity Plan: The Silent Expedition
A teamwork challenge with a twist: teams must complete a series of outdoor tasks while communication is restricted. The activity encourages young people to think carefully, use non-verbal communication and adapt when their usual way of working isn’t available. It needs very little equipment and works particularly well when you want an energetic session without…
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60-Minute Activity Plan: Campfire Challenge – Build, Light and Manage
A practical outdoor session that introduces young people to the basics of building and managing a small campfire. Rather than simply seeing who can light a fire fastest, this activity focuses on preparation, safe decision-making, teamwork and understanding how a fire behaves. It works particularly well as a supervised outdoor session and can be made…
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60-Minute Activity Plan: The Missing Kit Mystery
A fast-moving team activity where young people investigate a fictional outdoor incident, study clues, remember details and work out what happened. It needs very little equipment and can be adapted easily for Beavers, Cubs or Scouts. Activity Overview Time: 60 minutesGroup size: 6–24 young peopleSuitable for: Beavers, Cubs and ScoutsLocation: Indoors or outdoorsMain skills: Observation,…
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30-Minute Activity Plan: Nature Detective Challenge
The outdoors is full of clues. A broken twig, a feather, a footprint or a chewed leaf can tell a story about what has been happening nearby. Scouts don’t need to be expert naturalists to start noticing these details. The Nature Detective Challenge encourages Scouts to slow down, observe their surroundings and look for signs…
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Grid Reference Cheat Sheet – Free Printable Guide
Knowing how to give and find a grid reference is one of the most useful map-reading skills for anyone learning outdoor navigation. Grid references allow you to describe a precise location on a map using the numbered grid printed across it. They are widely used in Scouting, hiking, outdoor education, navigation training and the Duke…
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OS Map Symbols Cheat Sheet – Free Printable Guide
Whether you’re learning navigation for Scouting, hiking, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award activities, outdoor adventures or simply exploring the countryside, knowing how to read map symbols is an essential skill. An Ordnance Survey map contains a huge amount of information. Roads, paths, buildings, rivers, woodland, contours, boundaries and other features are represented using symbols and colours,…
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