Outdoor Skills
Outdoor Skills
Join us as we go through different tiers of outdoor living skills for all ages. Follow along while you watch the videos and then give it a try!
We’ll help you to develop your basic fire-building skills! Learn about safety, what materials you’ll need, how to prepare and start your fire, and then how to put it out.
Basic Fire Building
- Matches,
- Bucket of water
- Tinder
- Kindling
- Fuel
We’ll take your fire building to the next level! Learning how to start a fire without matches. You’ll start a fire using flint and steel, steel wool and a battery, and a magnifying glass.
Advanced Fire Building
- Knife
- “Flint” / Ferrocerium Rod
- Magnifying glass
- Steel wool
- 9v battery
We’re going to “rope” you into tying several knots with us! Follow along and see how many you can remember. Like any skill, practice makes perfect!
Basic Knots
- Two pieces of rope
Practice your clove hitch and take your outdoor skills to the next level as you learn how to lash. You’ll try square, shear, tripod, and diagonal lashing.
Lashing
- 2-3 sticks about a foot long
- Twine, string, or thin rope
What if you had to spend the night outdoors without a tent? Here’s a few ideas on building a temporary shelter using a tarp and some rope!
Beginner Shelter Building
- Tarp
- Twine or rope
- Knife or scissors
If you were hiking and discovered you were lost near nightfall, what would you do? Today we’ll learn some tips and techniques to building a primitive shelter – what to look for and what to use when you don’t have any supplies with you!
Learn from Jigsaw how to put up a tent in no time at all!
Do you ever feel like there are too many things to think about when packing your pack? Have no fear, Vicki is here! Vicki will share her tips and tricks and show you what she includes in her pack.
As Girl Scouts, respecting the outdoors is always on our minds. The 7 Leave No Trace principles teach us minimum impact practices while we are exploring the outdoors. Ember is going to teach us more about them and great ways to remember each principle.
You’ve conquered stick cooking, pie irons and dutch ovens, but have you ever used a box oven? You could use a box oven to make a variety of delicious foods—cookies, nachos and more. Yakker will walk you through the steps to make a box oven.
Making a Box Oven
- A paper box
- Foil tape or duct tape
- Aluminum foil
- 4 cans
Learn the basics of knife safety and make your own paper pocket knife. Then, join Duckie as she shows you how to carve a soap sculpture using a plastic knife!
Beginner Knife Safety
- Butter knife
- Bar of soap
- Paper knife template
Take your pocket knife skills up a notch as Yakker teaches you how to whittle safely.
Whittling
- Pocketknife
- Stick
Join a letterboxing adventure! You’ll learn how to solve clues, search for letterboxes, and even how to make your own stamp for your letterbox.
Letterboxing:
- Small notebook
- Plastic container
- Ink pad
- Sticky foam
- Plastic bottle cap
- Zip lock bag
- Paper
- Markers/pens/pencils
Have you ever wondered how to collect water with just a piece of plastic and a container? Check out this below-ground still made with a trash bag and a bowl – then try making your own!
Below-Ground Still:
- Tarp or trash bag
- Plastic cup or bowl
- Small rocks
- Shovel
OR
- Large bowl
- Plastic wrap
- Rock
- Small plastic bowl/container
There are a variety of ways to make your water safe for drinking – learn about a few of those ways, and then decide which one would be your favorite!
Water Filtration
- Water Filter
- Potable water purification tablets
Learn how to make your own first aid kit so you can be ready for a variety of situations.
Personal First Aid Kit:
- Quart-sized zip-top bag
- 2 colors of fun duct tape
- Assorted Band-Aids
- Gloves
- Gauze
- Alcohol wipes
- Triangle bandage
- Safety pins
- Optional: other first aid supplies from around the house
Join Yakker as she teaches you how to dehydrate your own food using a dehydrator or the oven.
Dehydrated Food
- Apples
- Lemon Juice
- Baking Sheet
- Wax Paper
- Dehydrator (Optional)
Thanks to a grant from the Elliott Wildlife Values Project, GSUSA has created outdoor skill-building videos especially for volunteers newer to Girl Scouts and older Girl Scouts as they take younger girls outside.
These videos can help volunteers give girls a sense of empowerment in the outdoors, show them how to use natural resources more wisely (including respecting our environment and wildlife), and help them become lifelong stewards of the land and our natural resources.
At Girl Scouts, we work to build girls’ outdoor skills and inspire girls to care for the environment as they grow. The Girl Scout Outdoor Progression Chart (PDF) is a tool you can use as you advance girls’ skills in an age-appropriate way.
It’s easy to take a Girl Scout Journey outside. Each Journey is full of fun, interactive activities that can easily go outdoors and inspire girls to love and protect the planet. Watch this video to find out how!
In order to have a great campout, you need to plan ahead—and be prepared. This video will give you plenty to think about as you plan your next outdoor adventure with Girl Scouts.
A safe, efficient campsite is important when camping. Watch and learn how to set up a proper camp!
Propane, charcoal, box ovens—there are so many choices when cooking outside. This video shares ideas about the delicious possibilities. Tasty!