Best Taught skills?

[goofycj7]

As a Scoutmaster of a Boy Scout troop:
What would be the best survival skills that could be taught to boys in a Boy Scout troop?
I remember what I learned as a scout from campouts and basically making mistakes and learning from them.
Like wear wool socks, not cotton on a campout. Bring an extra blanket, rain gear and extra warm clothing, ect. Learn First aid because you will use it, scouts in my troop did and it helped save lifes in motorcycle crashes, car crashes and heart attacks.
What could/should this post 9/11 generation learn?

 

[Andy in NH]

Front country: Teach them to be an active participant in the democracy. This however, is just the start.

Back country: Teach them (including preparation) to build a fire under all weather conditions using only their non-dominate hand. This however, is just the start.

 

[C-pher]

No DOWN sleeping bags. That was a hard one I learned in Scouts.

Fire starting is a good one.

I think that one that people don't learn anymore is orienteering and map reading.

knot tying

gathering foods, making fishing poles from stuff in the woods, trapping, etc...

like Andy said, it's just a start.

 

[Mike-Mike]

Knots
fire
basic navigation
signaling
marking trails
shelter building
water purification

These are all "first day lost" essentials.

Food comes way later

 

[nanerclip]

Fire... proper execution of flint/steel & bow and drill; different fire set ups and tinder selection.
Water... where to find and how to make safe.
Shelter... building a debris hut using no tools but something to cut (knife) with AND proper camp set up.
Traps... simple snares and baited/non baited dead falls.
Land Nav... how to read a map and use a compass.
Basic First Aid/First Aid Kits... what to pack and how to use, CPR, wounds, broken bones, and personal hygiene, etc.

 

[Raoul Duke]

Christ sake teach them how not to whine....

that way, in 20 years, we'll live in a better world.

 

[BillK]

Fire starting is a good one.

I pissed off my scout master on that one when I was a kid.

"here is one match, now make a fire"

"OK" I said and as he walked away on that rainy morning, I picked up a 1/2 gallon of white gas that was used the night before for our lanterns..poured it on the soaked wood and.. BINGO! One match, a hell of a fire and a pissed off scout master, my morning was complete!!

I never did get my scout book signed off that day for my fire badge..

 

[depicts]

I always called white gas "Boy Scout Water."


One of the most useful things I learned in scouts was how to recover from a tipped over canoe. By diving down under the canoe and pushing it straight up out of the water in a fast motion, you empty most of the water from the canoe. Then you have to practice reaching across the canoe to the far side and pulling yourself up onto the canoe without tipping it. After that, bail whats left.

I've only needed that skill once, but I'm glad I had practiced it.

Another real good skill is foraging for food, and knowing what you can eat when you don't think you have anything, like roots, nuts, fungi, and bugs.

 

[colt_fan]

Encourage them to try to become an Eagle Scout, the required merit badges should at least give them an understanding on how to survive. When they go to camp to earn merit badges, have them or encourage them to do 2 Eagle required and then 1 that is not.

The Troop I was part of always made a point to do a 2 week back packing trip to somewhere less traveled. I got to do a point to point trip in Montana, probably the best trip I did during my adolescence. On years we did not do a high adventure trip, we did a week long canoe trip during the summer. We also camped in all kinds of weather, they made it a point to take us on a Freeze Out; a nice weekend in sub-zero temps in Newport NH. Every year we went eggs would freeze green even inside our tents and we woke up with a dusting of snow on our sleeping bags from us just breathing!

My Troop's Scoutmaster and Assistant Scout Master always went out their way to take us camping and to show us survival skills. I'm surprised their wives put up with them going camping every month and then taking their vacations during the summer with us. If you are enthusiastic about it, the kids in your troop will be as well. I think that our Troop had some sort of record for producing the highest amount of Eagle Scouts as a result. There were 3 of us that got Eagle during my last year.

On a side note, I hated going to Camporees and Jamborees. Yeah, you can show off your skills in competition with the other troops. But I always thought they were a waste of time and pretty nasty to attend. Having that many people camping in a confined are is just not hygienic! I think this was the general consensus with the rest of our Troop as well. I only recall going to 2 when I was in Scouts

 

[TimJ]

I always teach them, Tiger Cub and up, the first thing to do- DON'T PANIC.

Make sure they are carrying the right gear- firestarter, knife, whistle, rainjacket/poncho, first aid kit, water minimum.

A map and compass are only usefull if they have some skill and a reasonable idea of where they are.

 

[dwarven1]

The Cub Scout merit badge I'm most proud of - and the skills I still use 40+ years later - was Knife & Axe.

For survival in today's world? Let me echo Andy in NH's comment - teach them to parse the BS that issues from politicians' mouths and to understand what they are REALLY saying... and to vote.