Squirrel Outdoor Skills
🐿️ Squirrels: Your Outdoor Adventure Starts Here
Being a Squirrel is all about trying new things, having adventures and learning how to look after yourself, other people and the world around you.
You don’t need to be an expert.
You don’t need to know everything.
You just need to be ready to have a go.
Whether you’re learning how to put up a tent, following a trail, cooking outside or discovering what lives in the woods, every new skill is another step towards becoming a confident adventurer.
💡 Squirrel Tip
You don’t have to get something right the first time.
Have a go → Learn → Try again → Get better!
🌳 What Can You Learn?
There are loads of things you can discover as a Squirrel.
Here are some of the adventures you might find on SurvivalGuidesUK:
🏕️ 1. Camping
Learn how to enjoy spending time outdoors.
You could learn about:
- Tents
- Sleeping outdoors
- Campsites
- Camp cooking
- Staying warm
- Looking after your kit
🔥 2. Fire & Cooking
Fire is exciting, but it needs to be treated with respect.
You could learn about:
- Fire safety
- Camp cooking
- How fires work
- Safe places to have a fire
- Looking after the environment
REMEMBER
Never light or approach a fire without a responsible adult.
Your leader will decide when and where fire activities are safe.
🧭 3. Exploring
Get outside and discover what’s around you.
You could learn:
- How to follow a trail
- How to use simple maps
- How to recognise landmarks
- How to find your way around
- How to explore safely
🌿 4. Nature
The outdoors is full of things to discover.
Look for:
- Trees
- Flowers
- Birds
- Insects
- Animal tracks
- Different types of leaves
You don’t need to know the name of everything.
Sometimes simply noticing something new is the start of an adventure.
🐾 5. Become a Nature Detective
Next time you’re outside, choose a small area.
It could be:
A garden
A park
A woodland
Your Scout meeting place
Now stop and look around.
Can you find:
Don’t touch animals or disturb nests.
Your job is to look, listen and discover.
Nature Detective Tip
Look carefully.
Some of the most interesting things are tiny!
Get down low and look underneath leaves, logs and plants — but only when it is safe and with permission.
🗺️ 6. Can you Follow a Trail?
Following a trail is one of the easiest ways to start learning about navigation.
A trail might use:
Arrows
Stones
Trees
Coloured markers
Clues
Your challenge is to follow the clues and reach the finish.
But don’t just rush ahead.
Look carefully for the next clue.
Navigation Tip
If you can’t see the next marker:
STOP!
Don’t keep walking randomly.
Look around and work out where the trail is likely to go next.
👣 7. Follow the Footprints
Animals leave clues behind them.
You might find:
- Footprints
- Feathers
- Nibbled leaves
- Holes
- Droppings
- Broken twigs
You don’t have to touch anything.
Instead, become a detective.
Ask:
“What happened here?”
Maybe an animal walked past.
Maybe a bird was looking for food.
Maybe something has been digging.
DID YOU KNOW?
You can often learn about an animal without ever seeing it.
Its tracks and other signs can tell you that it has been nearby.
🏕️ Your First Camping Challenge
Imagine you’re going camping.
You have room in your bag for five important things.
What would you choose?
Write down your five items.
Then compare your choices with your friends.
Did you choose:
Warm clothing?
Water?
A torch?
Food?
Something for shelter?
There isn’t necessarily one perfect answer.
The important thing is thinking about:
“What might I need outside?”
🎒 What Goes in Your Adventure Bag?
When you’re going outdoors, you need to think about what you’ll need.
Depending on the activity, this might include:
- Water bottle
- Waterproof jacket
- Warm layer
- Hat
- Sun protection
- Torch
- Food
- First-aid supplies
- Map
You don’t necessarily need to carry all of these yourself.
Your leader or parent will tell you what you need for the activity.
Packing Tip
Before leaving, ask:
“What will the weather be like?”
“How long will we be outside?”
“What are we going to do?”
Your answers will help you decide what you need.
🌦️ Become a Weather Watcher
Before heading outside, look at the sky.
What can you see?
☀️ Sunshine?
☁️ Clouds?
🌧️ Rain?
💨 Wind?
You can become a Weather Watcher by recording what you see.
Try it for a whole week.
Monday
☁️ Cloudy
Tuesday
☀️ Sunny
Wednesday
🌧️ Rainy
Thursday
💨 Windy
Friday
☀️ Sunny
At the end of the week:
Which type of weather did you see most often?
WEATHER TIP
The weather can change.
If you go outside when it’s sunny, that doesn’t mean it will stay sunny all day.
Always listen to your leader about what clothing and equipment you need.
🔥 Fire Is Fun – But Fire Is Dangerous
Campfires can be one of the most exciting parts of outdoor adventures.
You might learn how a fire works, help collect suitable materials or even cook something.
But fire can cause serious injuries.
Your fire rules:
FIRE SAFETY
Fire is a tool, not a toy.
Your leader is responsible for deciding whether a fire activity is safe.
🧭 Can You Find Your Way?
You don’t need to be an expert navigator to start learning.
Try this simple game.
Stand somewhere safe with your leader.
Look around.
Can you point towards:
The tallest tree?
The nearest building?
The highest hill?
The entrance?
Where you came from?
You’re already using landmarks to navigate!
SKILL BUILDER
Good explorers don’t just look straight ahead.
They look around and remember what they see.
What If Something Goes Wrong?
Sometimes adventures don’t go exactly as planned.
You might:
- Get separated from your group
- Fall over
- Become worried
- Get lost
- See someone who needs help
The most important thing is:
TELL AN ADULT
Find your leader, parent or another responsible adult and tell them what’s happened.
Remember
You never need to deal with a serious problem by yourself.
Tell an adult.
That’s not being scared.
That’s being sensible.
🌱 Look After the Outdoors
Being an explorer means looking after the places you’re exploring.
Take your rubbish home.
Don’t damage plants.
Don’t disturb animals.
Stay on paths where you’re asked to.
Leave things where you found them.
Follow your leader’s instructions.
EXPLORER RULE
Leave it as you found it — or better than you found it.
Your Squirrel Adventure Challenge
Here’s your first big challenge.
Can you complete five Explorer Missions?
🌳 Mission 1 — Nature Detective
Find five different natural things.
🧭 Mission 2 — Landmark Finder
Identify three landmarks around you.
🌦️ Mission 3 — Weather Watcher
Record today’s weather.
🎒 Mission 4 — Adventure Bag
Choose five things you’d want for an outdoor adventure.
🐾 Mission 5 — Animal Detective
Find evidence that an animal has been nearby.
You don’t have to do all five in one day.
⭐ Bonus Challenge
Ask someone older:
“What was your favourite outdoor adventure when you were my age?”
Then ask:
“What did you learn from it?”
You might discover that the best adventures aren’t always the ones that go perfectly.
What Have You Learned?
You’ve already started developing some important outdoor skills.
You can:
And remember:
You don’t have to know everything to be an adventurer.
Every time you try something new, you’re learning.
🐿️ A Note for Parents & Leaders
This section is written for Squirrels to read themselves, but activities should always be completed with appropriate adult supervision.
Some outdoor activities, particularly those involving fire, cooking, water, tools, heights or navigation away from a controlled area, require proper supervision and risk assessment.
This website is an independent educational resource and isn’t an official Scouts website.
🔒Ready to test your survival skills?
Join Survival Guides UK for free, complete challenges, earn badges and increase your Survival Level.
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CRAIG BURR
FOUNDER · SURVIVAL GUIDES UK
I'm Craig, the person behind Survival Guides UK. I created SGUK because I wanted somewhere people could learn real outdoor skills in a practical, straightforward way — from lighting a fire and tying knots to navigation, campcraft and everything in between.
You can read more about the story behind SGUK here as well as our approach here.
