This stimulating one day event is very popular with youth groups, primary and secondary schools. The day or series of days covers a number of valuable hands-on bushcraft skills that build confidence and teaches life skills and also nature awareness activities that stimulate the imagination and provides knowledge of the countryside.

Natural Pathways works with special educational needs and difficulties and autistic children.

This event is held in beautiful woodlands near the city of Canterbury or we may be able to travel to you, if you have suitable woodland. It may be possible to design the day to fit in with a project that your class or group may be covering.
Out-reach
events available
 

The one-man Debris Shelter and two-man Lean-to shelters are made with standing dead wood and debris from the woodland. This exercise gives the young people hands-on experience of constructing a shelter without the use of tools. Building a structure from scratch provides them with knowledge, skills and a sense of accomplishment.
 

 

Fire is an important element of a survival situation. Group members will learn how to find dry standing dExcellent Team Building Activitiesead wood and construct a tepee fire correctly. Following step by step instructions they will learn how to use a fire steel and blow a tinder bundle into flames and subsequently light their fire. The use and preparation of char cloth will also be demonstrated. Instruction on health and safety of fire will be included and the importance of following these instructions will be stressed.    
 

A more challenging exercise is to successfully use the Bow Drill. Group members will be guided through step by step instructions of the use of the Bow drill set. This exercise requires patience and perseverance in order to create a hot ember, then placing it in a tinder bundle and blowing it into flames. The can be a very rewarding experience.
 

This exciting exercise heightens awareness of the environment and our senses and involves moving through the trees and bushes, whilst being blindfolded, to the sound of a drum. Past participants have often been very surprised by how much they experience from this exercise and have given very positive feedback.


 

During various exercises the group will learn about animal movements and behaviour. Through fun games they will learn how to identifying animal tracks. They will go on to discover how to move so they can get closer to wild life without scaring animals away.
 

 •  Cordage  •

Outdoor learning

String or cordage can be made from many plant fibres. We will demonstrate how to prepare various plants and the group will be able to make their own cordage. This is a therapeutic skill and requires following detailed instructions but, once mastered, can become “Quite addictive” as a previous pupil remarked. We have found this to be a popular activity.

 
 

We use fun nature awareness games such as Fox the Fox, Meet a Tree and Night Hunters to help group members to understand nature and wild life. We use these games to reinforce what they have learnt in other activities and to introduce a new way of exploring the countryside.
 
 

 

• Song Lines• 

 

This exciting and well loved activity discovering how the Aborigines used Song Lines to travel great distrances across the desert and bush without maps or compasses or ever having been there before. This wonderful activity encourages the youngsters creativity to design their own Song Line as a group and then in turn after listening to another groups Sone Line unravel the mistery and travel the journey to find their prize.