Bushcraft Beginnings

A four-night introduction to bushcraft fundamentals for Cub Scouts. Cubs learn fire safety, basic navigation, knot tying, and emergency preparedness through hands-on games and activities.

Challenge Area
Outdoor
Award Type
OAS Stage Progression
Nights
4
Total Duration
6 hr
Equipment Summary
Australian flag, flag pole or stand, picture cards showing trail vs off-trail, whiteboard and markers, 8 marker cones, clipboards, pencils, A4 paper, 4 compasses, direction cards (N, S, E, W) and 47 more

About this trail

This 4-night trail is designed around the Outdoor Challenge Area, making it straightforward to program outdoor-focused nights that contribute to Milestone credit. Each night follows the Scouts Australia Plan > Do > Review cycle and is structured as a mix of indoor and outdoor nights.

Across its 4 nights, this trail maps to OAS requirements in Bushcraft. The requirements are specific — not just "do some bushcraft" but individual Stage requirements like fire-lighting methods or shelter construction techniques. Tussock pre-loads these requirements into each night's event plan so leaders can sign them off during the activity rather than transcribing them later.

The SPICES developmental domains covered by this trail are: Physical, Social, Intellectual, Character. Programming across multiple domains in a single trail helps Groups demonstrate balanced youth development in their term plans and annual reports.

You can run the four nights in order for a coherent multi-week program, or pick individual nights to fill gaps in your existing term plan. In Tussock, importing a night from this trail pre-fills the Scout Night wizard: Challenge Area, SPICES domains, OAS requirements, and suggested segments are all set. Customise from there to suit your Section.

Import into Tussock

Import this trail into Tussock to run each night with attendance tracking and automatic OAS requirement awarding built in — no manual requirement lookup needed.

OAS Requirements Covered

The following Outdoor Adventure Skills requirements are mapped across this trail's four nights. Import this trail into Tussock to award these requirements automatically when Scouts attend each night.

Bushcraft

The Four Nights

Each night below is a standalone Scout Night session of approximately 1 hr 30 min and follows the Plan > Do > Review cycle. Run them in order for the full Bushcraft Beginnings trail, or adapt individual nights for your program.

Night 1: Safety & Buddy Basics

Cubs learn the buddy system, what to do when lost, and locate the hall emergency exit and muster point.

Indoor Challenge Area: Outdoor Duration: 1 hr 30 min
Physical Social Intellectual

OAS requirements this night: bushcraft.s1.plan-1, bushcraft.s1.plan-2, bushcraft.s1.plan-3, bushcraft.s1.plan-4, bushcraft.s1.do-5, bushcraft.s1.do-6

  1. Opening Ceremony Ceremony

    Grand Howl and flag break. Akela welcomes the pack and introduces the Bushcraft trail — "Over the next four nights we are going to earn our Bushcraft Stage 1 badge!"

    Social Character
    Equipment (2 items)
    • Australian flag
    • flag pole or stand
  2. Trail Talk — Staying Safe Outdoors Instruction

    Akela leads a short discussion using picture cards. Topics: why we stick to trails (protecting the environment and ourselves), the buddy system (never go anywhere alone), and what to do if lost (STOP — Sit, Think, Observe, Plan). Each Cub shares their home address and practises saying it clearly.

    Intellectual Social
    Equipment (2 items)
    • picture cards showing trail vs off-trail
    • whiteboard and markers

    OAS: bushcraft.s1.plan-1, bushcraft.s1.plan-2, bushcraft.s1.plan-3, bushcraft.s1.plan-4

  3. Buddy Relay Game

    Cubs pair up as buddies. Each pair links elbows and races to a cone, calls out their buddy's name, and races back. If a pair separates they must return to the start. Reinforces the buddy system in a physical, fun way.

    Physical Social
    Equipment (1 item)
    • 8 marker cones

    OAS: bushcraft.s1.plan-2

  4. Emergency Exit Hunt practice

    Cubs walk through the hall in pairs identifying every emergency exit, fire extinguisher, and the outdoor muster point. Each pair sketches a simple map of the hall showing the exits. Akela checks each map.

    Intellectual Physical
    Equipment (3 items)
    • clipboards
    • pencils
    • A4 paper

    OAS: bushcraft.s1.do-5

  5. Compass Relay Race Game

    Cubs split into patrols. Each patrol member runs to a compass laid on the ground, finds the direction called out by the leader, and runs back. First patrol to complete all four cardinal directions wins.

    Physical Intellectual
    Equipment (2 items)
    • 4 compasses
    • direction cards (N, S, E, W)

    OAS: bushcraft.s1.do-6

  6. Lost in the Bush Scenarios discussion

    Akela reads three short "what would you do?" scenarios (e.g. "You look around and can't see anyone from your group"). Cubs hold up green cards for safe choices, red cards for unsafe ones. Quick debrief after each scenario.

    Intellectual Character
    Equipment (2 items)
    • scenario cards
    • green and red cards for each Cub

    OAS: bushcraft.s1.plan-3, bushcraft.s1.plan-1

  7. Closing Ceremony Ceremony

    Pack circle. Akela asks each Six to share one thing they learned tonight. Close with the Cub Scout Prayer or reflection.

    Social Spiritual

Total night duration: 1 hr 30 min

Night 2: Shelter & Knots

Cubs learn why shelter matters outdoors, practise tying a clove hitch to hang a clothesline, and learn to pack ropes correctly.

Indoor Challenge Area: Outdoor Duration: 1 hr 30 min
Physical Intellectual Character

OAS requirements this night: bushcraft.s1.plan-5, bushcraft.s1.do-7, bushcraft.s1.do-8, bushcraft.s1.do-9

  1. Opening Ceremony Ceremony

    Grand Howl. Quick recap: "Who remembers STOP?" Cubs call out the four letters. Introduce tonight's theme — shelters, knots, and camp gear.

    Social Character
    Equipment (1 item)
    • Australian flag
  2. Why Do We Need Shelter? discussion

    Akela shows photos of different weather conditions (rain, wind, hot sun) and asks Cubs to brainstorm why shelter matters when sleeping outdoors. The pack agrees on at least three reasons: protection from rain, warmth at night, and shade from sun. Cubs stick the photos on a poster under the matching reason.

    Intellectual Social
    Equipment (4 items)
    • printed weather photos
    • A3 poster paper
    • glue sticks
    • markers

    OAS: bushcraft.s1.plan-5

  3. Knot School — Clove Hitch practice

    Each Cub receives a 1.5 m length of rope and practises tying a clove hitch around a broomstick or chair leg. Akela demonstrates step-by-step, then Cubs practise in pairs, checking each other's knots. Once confident, each Cub ties a clove hitch to hang a short clothesline between two chairs.

    Physical Intellectual
    Equipment (3 items)
    • 1 x 1.5 m rope per Cub
    • 4 broomsticks or dowel rods
    • 4 short clotheslines (2 m each)

    OAS: bushcraft.s1.do-7

  4. Rope Coiling Race Game

    Each patrol receives a 10 m rope in a tangled pile. On "Go!" the patrol must untangle and coil the rope neatly using the over-under method Akela demonstrated. First patrol with a tidy, secure coil wins. Akela checks each coil can hang without unravelling.

    Physical Social
    Equipment (1 item)
    • 4 x 10 m ropes (pre-tangled)

    OAS: bushcraft.s1.do-8

  5. My Mess Kit practice

    Akela lays out a collection of items: plate, bowl, mug, cutlery, tea towel, scourer, small soap. Cubs identify which items belong in a dilly bag / mess kit. Then each Cub practises washing a plate and mug in a wash-rinse-sanitise station, drying with a tea towel, and packing into a drawstring bag.

    Character Physical
    Equipment (6 items)
    • mess kit items (plate, bowl, mug, cutlery per Six)
    • tea towels
    • scourers
    • biodegradable soap
    • 2 wash basins
    • drawstring bags

    OAS: bushcraft.s1.do-9

  6. Kim's Game — Camp Gear Edition Game

    Akela places 12 camp items on a tray (rope, compass, mug, match box, bandage, torch, etc.). Cubs look for 30 seconds, the tray is covered, and each Cub writes down as many items as they can remember. Reinforces familiarity with camping equipment.

    Intellectual
    Equipment (4 items)
    • tray
    • tea towel for covering
    • 12 assorted camp items
    • pencils and paper
  7. Closing Ceremony Ceremony

    Pack circle. Each Six demonstrates their best clove hitch to the pack. Akela previews next week — "We're going outside for campfire night!" Close with Grand Howl.

    Social Character

Total night duration: 1 hr 30 min

Night 3: Fire & Campfire Skills

Cubs learn to collect kindling, strike a match safely, behave around a campfire, and practise stop-drop-and-roll.

Outdoor Challenge Area: Outdoor Duration: 1 hr 30 min
Physical Intellectual Character

OAS requirements this night: bushcraft.s1.do-1, bushcraft.s1.do-2, bushcraft.s1.do-3, bushcraft.s1.do-4

  1. Opening Ceremony Ceremony

    Cubs gather in a horseshoe near the fire circle. Akela sets three ground rules for fire night: no running near the fire, always approach from upwind, and ask before adding wood. Brief flag break.

    Character Social
    Equipment (2 items)
    • Australian flag
    • flag stand
  2. Campfire Safety Talk Instruction

    Akela demonstrates the "safety circle" around a campfire — one big step back from the fire ring. Cubs practise walking around the outside of the safety circle. Discussion covers what to do if your clothes catch fire and why running makes it worse.

    Intellectual Character
    Equipment (3 items)
    • fire ring or designated fire area
    • fire extinguisher
    • bucket of water

    OAS: bushcraft.s1.do-3

  3. Stop, Drop & Roll Practice practice

    On a flat grassy area, each Cub practises the three-step sequence: stop (freeze), drop (to the ground, cover face), roll (back and forth to smother imaginary flames). Akela calls "Fire on your sleeve!" and each patrol races to complete the drill correctly. Repeat three times.

    Physical Character
    Equipment (1 item)
    • flat grassy area clear of sticks

    OAS: bushcraft.s1.do-4

  4. Kindling Scavenger Hunt Game

    Each patrol is given a paper bag and 10 minutes to collect dry sticks and leaves suitable for starting a fire. Rules: sticks must be no thicker than a pencil, must snap cleanly (dry), and only collect fallen material. Akela judges each bag for quality and quantity.

    Physical Intellectual
    Equipment (2 items)
    • 1 paper bag per patrol
    • sample "good kindling" stick for reference

    OAS: bushcraft.s1.do-2

  5. Match Striking Station practice

    At a supervised station (two adults present), each Cub practises striking a safety match. Akela demonstrates: hold the match midway, strike away from your body, hold it until the flame steadies, then place it in a fire-safe container. Each Cub strikes three matches under direct supervision. Emphasise: matches are tools, not toys.

    Physical Character
    Equipment (4 items)
    • 2 boxes of safety matches
    • metal fire-safe container
    • bucket of water (safety)
    • fire blanket

    OAS: bushcraft.s1.do-1

  6. Campfire Sing-Along Game

    Using the kindling collected earlier, Akela lights a small campfire (or uses an existing one). Cubs sit around the safety circle and sing two camp songs. Between songs, Akela reinforces the campfire behaviour rules. Cubs observe fire behaviour — what burns first, how flames move.

    Social Emotional
    Equipment (5 items)
    • pre-laid campfire
    • matches
    • fire extinguisher
    • bucket of water
    • song sheets (laminated)

    OAS: bushcraft.s1.do-3

  7. Closing Ceremony Ceremony

    Cubs stand around the campfire for a moment of reflection. Akela asks: "What was the most important safety rule you learned tonight?" Each Cub answers. Extinguish the fire together (drown, stir, feel). Grand Howl to close.

    Character Spiritual
    Equipment (1 item)
    • bucket of water for extinguishing

Total night duration: 1 hr 30 min

Night 4: Navigation Game & Review

Cubs play a large navigation game using compass skills, then reflect on everything they have learned across the Bushcraft Stage 1 trail.

Outdoor Challenge Area: Outdoor Duration: 1 hr 30 min
Physical Intellectual Social

OAS requirements this night: bushcraft.s1.do-6, bushcraft.s1.review-1

  1. Opening Ceremony Ceremony

    Cubs form up in the park. Akela announces: "Tonight is your final Bushcraft night — show us everything you've learned!" Flag break and Grand Howl.

    Social Character
    Equipment (2 items)
    • Australian flag
    • portable flag stand
  2. Compass Treasure Hunt Game

    A course is set up across the park with 6 stations. At each station Cubs receive a compass bearing and a distance (paces) to the next station. At each station there is also a trivia question about something learned in the trail (buddy system, STOP, campfire safety, clove hitch). Patrols rotate through the course. The patrol that answers the most trivia questions correctly and finds all stations wins.

    Physical Intellectual Social
    Equipment (4 items)
    • 4 compasses
    • 6 station markers (cones with numbered cards)
    • trivia question cards
    • pencils and answer sheets per patrol

    OAS: bushcraft.s1.do-6

  3. Bushcraft Skills Carousel practice

    Three quick-fire revision stations, 7 minutes each, run by Leaders or parent helpers. Station A: tie a clove hitch and coil a rope. Station B: demonstrate stop-drop-and-roll and recite the STOP rule. Station C: identify mess kit items and match safety rules to pictures. Patrols rotate on a whistle.

    Physical Intellectual
    Equipment (5 items)
    • ropes (1 per Cub)
    • broomstick
    • mess kit items
    • picture cards
    • whistle
  4. Trail Reflection Circle Reflection

    Cubs sit in a circle. Akela passes a "talking stick" around. Each Cub answers: "What did you enjoy most about our navigation game?" and "What was one new thing you learned on this Bushcraft trail?" Akela records key themes on a clipboard for the pack record.

    Social Emotional Intellectual
    Equipment (2 items)
    • talking stick
    • clipboard and pen

    OAS: bushcraft.s1.review-1

  5. Bushcraft Badge Moment Ceremony

    Akela congratulates the pack on completing the Bushcraft Stage 1 trail. Each Six gives their Grand Howl. If badges are ready, present them; otherwise, let Cubs know they will receive them at the next ceremony.

    Social Character Emotional
    Equipment (1 item)
    • Bushcraft Stage 1 badges (if available)
  6. Closing Ceremony Ceremony

    Final Grand Howl for the trail. Akela previews the next adventure — "Next term we tackle Bushcraft Stage 2!" Pack dismissed.

    Social Character

Total night duration: 1 hr 30 min

See also

OAS Framework Reference

Full breakdown of all 9 OAS streams and their stage requirements.

Browse OAS framework →

More OAS Stage Progression Trails

Find other trails with a similar Outdoor focus.

All Night Ideas →