Practical resources for Scout leaders, including badge guidance, activity ideas, teaching tips, safety advice and resources to help Scouts develop essential skills.
Activity Overview Difficulty: EasyTime: 15–30 minutesLocation: OutdoorsBest for: Groups, patrols, family activities and outdoor sessionsSkills: Observation, awareness, concentration, memory and nature appreciation Nature observation games encourage young people to slow down and pay attention to the natural world around them. Rather than simply walking through…
Activity Overview Difficulty: EasyTime: 10–20 minutesLocation: Indoors or outdoorsBest for: Small groups, patrols and activity sessionsSkills: Observation, memory, concentration and attention to detail Kim’s Game is a simple observation and memory game in which participants are shown a collection of objects for a limited time…
Activity Overview Difficulty: EasyTime: 10–30 minutesLocation: Indoors or outdoorsBest for: Small groups, patrols and activity sessionsSkills: Observation, memory, attention to detail, communication and teamwork Observation games are simple activities that challenge young people to notice, remember and communicate details about their surroundings. They can be…
Activity Overview Difficulty: BeginnerTime: 45–60 minutesLocation: Suitable outdoor training areaBest for: Scouts and ExplorersSkills: Navigation, route planning, situational awareness, map reading, decision-making, group management The best way to deal with becoming lost is to avoid becoming lost in the first place. Good navigation is not…
Activity Overview Difficulty: IntermediateTime: 45–60 minutesLocation: Suitable indoor or outdoor training areaBest for: Scouts and ExplorersSkills: Emergency procedures, leadership, communication, headcounts, search planning, risk assessment A lost-person situation should be treated as an emergency that needs an organised response, not as an excuse for everyone…
Activity Overview Difficulty: IntermediateTime: 45–60 minutesLocation: Suitable indoor or outdoor training areaBest for: Scouts and ExplorersSkills: Decision-making, navigation, emergency planning, situational awareness, risk assessment When something goes wrong outdoors, one of the most important decisions is whether to stay where you are or move to…
Campsite Selection Checklist – How to Choose a Safe Campsite Choosing the right campsite is one of the first and most important decisions you make when setting up camp. A good campsite isn’t simply somewhere that looks comfortable. You need to consider ground conditions, weather,…
Activity Overview Difficulty: IntermediateTime: 30–45 minutesLocation: Suitable campsite or woodland camping areaBest for: Scouts and ExplorersSkills: Campcraft, survival skills, insulation, resourcefulness, outdoor safety Improvised ground insulation is a way of reducing heat loss between your body and the ground when you do not have enough…
Activity Overview Difficulty: BeginnerTime: 30–45 minutesLocation: Suitable outdoor cooking areaBest for: Scouts and ExplorersSkills: Stove safety, fuel handling, camp cooking, fire safety, risk awareness Camp stoves provide a controlled way to cook outdoors, but they still involve flames, hot surfaces and potentially hazardous fuels. Safe…
Activity Overview Difficulty: BeginnerTime: 30–60 minutesLocation: Suitable campfire or outdoor cooking areaBest for: Cubs, Scouts and ExplorersSkills: Camp cooking, fire safety, food hygiene, heat control, teamwork Campfire roasting is a simple outdoor cooking method where food is held over the heat of a campfire using…
Activity Overview Difficulty: AdvancedTime: 30–60 minutesLocation: Suitable outdoor woodcraft or campfire areaBest for: Scouts and ExplorersSkills: Axe safety, woodcraft, fire preparation, tool control, concentration Quick Answer Splitting firewood means using a suitable hand axe to divide small pieces of prepared wood into smaller sections for…
Activity Overview Difficulty: IntermediateTime: 30–60 minutesLocation: Campsite or suitable outdoor activity areaBest for: Scouts and ExplorersSkills: Knots, ropework, pioneering, teamwork, problem-solving, communication Pioneering knot challenges turn basic rope skills into practical team activities. Instead of simply tying knots from memory, Scouts have to choose the…
