The Crean Award: Discovery: Patrol Activity Skills Endurance: Develop Teamwork Patrol activity Skills Terra Nova: Task/Role in Patrol New Skill Patrol Activity Skills Polar: Share Skills Skills Bivvy - Scouter The Activity: Objective: To construct a shelter primarily using natural materials that your patrol can safely spend the night in Activity Type: Patrol/Troop Activity Roles: Activity Leaders Quartermasters First Aiders SPICES Physical Intellectual Character Adventure Skills Backwoods
Plan...Bivvy Building a shelter from natural materials is a challenge in itself, but it also prepares you for emergency survival situations. Plastic sheeting and bivvy tarps are excellent for providing shelter, but need to practice using natural materials in case of emergencies. The design of your shelter is determined by the size of the group and the natural materials and landscape that you find yourself in. The activity is an excellent patrol challenge and works very well as part of a larger backwoods or survival exercise. What equipment you will need: A penknife An overhanging branch to act as a frame for your shelter (alternatively, you could tie a length of nylon rope or paracord between two trees) Various lengths of branches to build the frame/walls Plenty of ferns or other similar foliage to cover the frame A suitable groundsheet such as a tarp or bivvy bag If Scouts are spending the night in the shelter have a suitably qualified/experience person look over it first.
Step 1: Gather your equipment and search for a suitable location. It should be in the driest spot you can find. If it isn t too cold, build a shelter on high ground: if you re in a survival situation it will be easier to see if a search party passes nearby. If a cold wind is blowing, choose a spot sheltered by trees. Do...Bivvy Step 2: Choose a suitable branch to use as the overhead horizontal frame of your shelter. Fallen trees, low-lying horizontal branches or lengths of rope tied tautly between two trees can all be ideal for this. If possible, choose an area of flat ground underneath which should be cleared of any large rocks, fallen branches or twigs.
Do... Bivvy Step 3: Gather long lengths of branches or dead timber to lean against the horizontal frame as supports for the wall of the shelter. As much as possible avoid cutting or damaging live plant life. Step 4: Leaving a small gap to be used as a doorway, fill in the gaps between these supports using plenty of foliage for waterproofing such as ferns. Moss and dried leaves can also be used for insulation.
Do...Bivvy Step 4: Spread your groundsheet down within your shelter and you are good to go! Bad Places to Build a Shelter: 1. Anywhere the ground is damp. 2. On mountaintops and open ridges where you are exposed to cold wind. 3. In the bottom of narrow valleys where cold collects at night. 4. Ravines or washes where water runs when it rains. Make a bed? Your shelter is not complete until you have made a bed to lie in. Dry leaves work well. Make your bed a little bigger than the space your body covers and at least eight inches thick. Step 5: Afterwards, as much as possible, return the spot back to the way it was. Remember Leave No Trace. Check Out: How to build a survival shelter: http://boyslife.org/outdoors/3473/taking-shelter/
Review SPICES Social Relationships Communication Skills Other Cultures Community Involvement Promise & Law Physical Eat Well Personal Hygiene Balanced Lifestyle How Body works Physical Limitations Health Choices Access Help Intellectual Achieving Goals New Ideas Learn from Decisions Team Member Character Promise & Law Friends & Friendships Plan before do Ensuring Fairness Respect Differences & Views Following Dreams Live the Scouting Spirit Emotional Aware of feelings Asking/Giving Help Responsibility for Emotions Controlling Emotions Going Further Beliefs & Values Developing Talents Spiritual Promise & Law Impact on Environment Reflection Changing Beliefs
Patrol Review & Special Interest Badges Adventure Skills Backwoods Special Interest Badge What was your project? _ Patrol Review How did your plan go? What did you learn from it? What will we do next? _
Review Summary This is a focused activity that can be used to develop both practical backwoods and survival skills, as well as teamwork and task completion skills. It would also work well as part of a larger survival or backwoods event. Ideally, the shelter will be build and the scouts would spend the night into, really testing their skills! Physical In terms of the Physical Learning Objectives, the importance of knowing your own and others physical limits and being able to recognise the need for help are essential for any type of activity like this. The activity review should reflect these priorities. Maybe set up a quick survival quiz asking about safety, the important of understanding the capabilities of the team, the necessity to seek shelter and ways of getting help. Intellectual & Character The review of the Intellectual and Character elements should focus on how well the activity was planned and completed. Have both the activity leaders and participating scouts discuss, separately, how they would do things differently if they repeated the exercise. Questions for activity leaders to think about: How did you decide on where to build the shelter? How did you assign the roles? Did everything go according to plan? Could the bivvy comfortably fit and shelter everyone for a night? Questions for participants to think about: Was building the bivvy hard or easy? How would you make it better? Would you sleep in it for a night?