Pathfinders — Navigation

Four nights learning compass and map skills — cardinal points, bearings, map reading, and a park orienteering challenge. Cubs build confidence finding their way.

Challenge Area
Outdoor
Award Type
General Skills
Nights
4
Total Duration
5 hr 35 min
Equipment Summary
flag, flag pole, N/S/E/W/NE/NW/SE/SW wall signs, tape, compasses (one per pair), compass diagram poster or handout, compasses, sticky notes to mark walls, whiteboard with compass rose drawn, bingo cards and 24 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, Bushwalking. 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: Intellectual, Physical, Social, 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

Bushwalking

The Four Nights

Each night below is a standalone Scout Night session of approximately 1 hr 24 min and follows the Plan > Do > Review cycle. Run them in order for the full Pathfinders — Navigation trail, or adapt individual nights for your program.

Night 1: Compass Introduction

Parts of a compass. Cardinal points game — run to the N/S/E/W walls. First experience holding and turning a compass.

Indoor Challenge Area: Outdoor Duration: 1 hr 25 min
Intellectual Physical

OAS requirements this night: bushwalking.s1.do-1, bushwalking.s1.do-2, bushcraft.s1.do-6

  1. Opening Ceremony Ceremony

    Grand Howl. Flag break. Introduce the Pathfinders trail: "Over four nights we learn to find our way anywhere."

    Character
    Equipment (2 items)
    • flag
    • flag pole
  2. Cardinal Points Game Game

    Tape N, S, E, W signs on the four walls. Leader calls a direction; Cubs run to that wall. Speed up. Add NE, NW, SE, SW for corners. Cubs who go to the wrong wall sit out for one round.

    Physical Intellectual
    Equipment (2 items)
    • N/S/E/W/NE/NW/SE/SW wall signs
    • tape

    OAS: bushwalking.s1.do-1

  3. Parts of a Compass Instruction

    Hand out compasses (one per pair). Walk through the parts: baseplate, rotating bezel, magnetic needle (red end = north), direction-of-travel arrow, orienting lines. Cubs find each part on their compass.

    Intellectual
    Equipment (2 items)
    • compasses (one per pair)
    • compass diagram poster or handout

    OAS: bushwalking.s1.do-2

  4. Find North in the Hall practice

    Each pair uses their compass to find which wall is closest to north. Mark it. Then find south, east, and west. Compare with the wall signs — are they close?

    Intellectual Physical
    Equipment (2 items)
    • compasses
    • sticky notes to mark walls

    OAS: bushwalking.s1.do-1, bushwalking.s1.do-2

  5. Compass Degrees Introduction Instruction

    Explain that a compass has 360 degrees. North = 0/360, East = 90, South = 180, West = 270. Cubs turn their bezel to each number and point the compass in that direction.

    Intellectual
    Equipment (2 items)
    • compasses
    • whiteboard with compass rose drawn

    OAS: bushcraft.s2.plan-5

  6. Direction Bingo Game

    Bingo cards with compass directions (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW) and degree numbers. Leader calls out a bearing (e.g. "90 degrees") and Cubs mark the matching direction.

    Intellectual
    Equipment (3 items)
    • bingo cards
    • counters
    • caller cards

    OAS: bushcraft.s1.do-6

  7. Closing Ceremony Ceremony

    Each Cub points their compass north one last time. Next week: bearings and treasure hunts. Grand Howl. Dismiss.

    Character

Total night duration: 1 hr 25 min

Night 2: Compass Bearings

Follow a simple bearing. Treasure hunt using compass directions. Cubs take their first bearing walks indoors and outside.

Indoor Challenge Area: Outdoor Duration: 1 hr 20 min
Intellectual Physical Social

OAS requirements this night: bushcraft.s2.plan-5, bushwalking.s2.do-2

  1. Opening Ceremony Ceremony

    Grand Howl. Flag break. Recap: N=0, E=90, S=180, W=270. Tonight: "We follow the compass to find treasure."

    Character
    Equipment (2 items)
    • flag
    • flag pole
  2. Taking a Bearing Instruction

    Teach the three-step process: (1) set the bearing on the bezel, (2) hold the compass flat, turn your body until the needle sits in the orienting arrow, (3) walk in the direction-of-travel arrow. Cubs practise: "Set 90 degrees. Walk 10 paces east."

    Intellectual Physical
    Equipment (2 items)
    • compasses (one per pair)
    • instruction card

    OAS: bushcraft.s2.plan-5, bushwalking.s2.do-2

  3. Indoor Bearing Walk practice

    Set up an indoor course: Cubs follow a sequence of bearings and paces (e.g. "Walk 10 paces at 0°, then 8 paces at 90°, then 5 paces at 180°"). If done correctly, they end up at a hidden letter. Collect all letters to spell a word.

    Intellectual Physical
    Equipment (4 items)
    • compasses
    • instruction sheets
    • hidden letter cards
    • tape on floor

    OAS: bushwalking.s2.do-2

  4. Compass Treasure Hunt Game

    Outdoor treasure hunt (if possible, in the area around the hall): each patrol receives a card with 5 bearing-and-distance clues. Follow each clue to find a numbered marker. Write down all marker numbers to prove completion.

    Physical Intellectual Social
    Equipment (4 items)
    • compasses
    • clue cards (one set per patrol)
    • numbered markers (hidden outside)
    • pencils

    OAS: bushwalking.s2.do-2, bushcraft.s2.plan-5

  5. Back Bearings Instruction

    Teach back bearings (opposite direction: add or subtract 180). Cubs practise: "If you walked at 45°, what bearing do you follow to go back?" Game: leader gives a bearing, Cubs calculate and shout the back bearing.

    Intellectual
    Equipment (2 items)
    • whiteboard
    • compasses

    OAS: bushcraft.s2.plan-5

  6. Direction Charades Game

    Fun wind-down: one Cub faces a direction with their compass. The rest guess the bearing. Rotate quickly. Points for closest guess.

    Social Intellectual
    Equipment (1 item)
    • compasses
  7. Closing Ceremony Ceremony

    Next week: maps! Grand Howl. Dismiss.

    Character

Total night duration: 1 hr 20 min

Night 3: Map Reading Basics

Read a simple map. Identify symbols. Navigate a short orienteering course in the local park using a map.

Outdoor Challenge Area: Outdoor Duration: 1 hr 25 min
Intellectual Physical Social

OAS requirements this night: bushcraft.s1.do-6, bushcraft.s2.do-6

  1. Opening Ceremony Ceremony

    Grand Howl at the park. Buddy up. Safety brief: stay in your patrol, within sight of a leader. Tonight: "Maps show us the world from above."

    Character
    Equipment (1 item)
    • flag
  2. Map Symbols Game Instruction

    Hand out a simple park map to each patrol. Teach common map symbols: path, road, building, water, tree, hill. Quick quiz: "Point to the playground. Point to the toilet block." Cubs find each feature on the map.

    Intellectual
    Equipment (2 items)
    • simple park maps (one per patrol)
    • map symbol legend cards

    OAS: bushcraft.s1.do-6

  3. Orient the Map practice

    Show Cubs how to orient a map using a compass: line up the map north arrow with compass north. Cubs practise orienting their maps. Then find "Where are we standing on this map?"

    Intellectual Physical
    Equipment (2 items)
    • maps
    • compasses

    OAS: bushcraft.s2.do-6

  4. Short Orienteering Course Game

    Set up 6 control markers around the park. Each patrol receives a map with the controls marked and must visit them in order. At each control, punch a card or write down the code letter. Return to base when complete.

    Physical Intellectual Social
    Equipment (4 items)
    • maps with controls marked
    • control markers (laminated cards on stakes)
    • punch cards or code sheets
    • pencils

    OAS: bushcraft.s1.do-6, bushcraft.s2.do-6

  5. Thumbing the Map Instruction

    Teach the "thumb" technique: place your thumb on your current location on the map and move it as you walk. Cubs practise while walking back to the meeting point.

    Intellectual Physical
    Equipment (1 item)
    • maps
  6. Map & Compass Reflection Reflection

    Circle up: "What was the hardest part of using the map? What would help you get better?" Cubs share tips with each other.

    Social Intellectual
  7. Closing Ceremony Ceremony

    Next week: the big navigation challenge combining compass and map. Grand Howl. Dismiss.

    Character

Total night duration: 1 hr 25 min

Night 4: Navigation Challenge

Combine compass and map skills in a park orienteering competition. Patrol teams navigate a multi-checkpoint course. Celebrate Pathfinder completion.

Outdoor Challenge Area: Outdoor Duration: 1 hr 25 min
Physical Intellectual Social Character

OAS requirements this night: bushcraft.s1.do-6, bushcraft.s2.plan-5, bushcraft.s2.do-6, bushwalking.s1.do-1, bushwalking.s2.do-2

  1. Opening Ceremony Ceremony

    Grand Howl at the park. Buddy up. Safety brief. Final night: "This is the ultimate navigation test."

    Character
    Equipment (2 items)
    • flag
    • whistles
  2. Warm-Up: Cardinal Points Sprint Game

    Leader points a direction. Cubs use their compasses to identify it and shout the bearing. Fastest correct answer gets a point. Five rounds.

    Physical Intellectual
    Equipment (1 item)
    • compasses

    OAS: bushwalking.s1.do-1, bushcraft.s2.plan-5

  3. Navigation Challenge — Phase 1: Bearing Legs practice

    Patrols receive a card with 4 compass bearings and distances. Follow each to find a hidden control marker. At each marker, collect a code letter and a new bearing clue.

    Physical Intellectual Social
    Equipment (4 items)
    • compasses
    • bearing cards
    • control markers (4 per course)
    • code letter cards

    OAS: bushcraft.s2.plan-5, bushwalking.s2.do-2

  4. Navigation Challenge — Phase 2: Map Course practice

    Patrols receive a park map with 4 controls marked. They must orient the map, plan their route, and visit each control to collect more code letters. No compass needed for this phase — use map features only.

    Physical Intellectual Social
    Equipment (3 items)
    • park maps with controls marked
    • control markers (4 per course)
    • punch cards

    OAS: bushcraft.s1.do-6, bushcraft.s2.do-6

  5. Decode the Message Game

    Back at base, patrols arrange their collected code letters to spell a secret message (e.g. "SCOUTS ARE PATHFINDERS"). First to decode wins bonus points.

    Intellectual Social
    Equipment (2 items)
    • collected code letters
    • pencils
  6. Trail Celebration & Closing Ceremony

    Announce results. Celebrate all patrols. Every Cub is now a Pathfinder. Reflect: "Compasses and maps give you the confidence to explore." Grand Howl. Dismiss.

    Character Social Emotional
    Equipment (1 item)
    • trail completion certificates (optional)

Total night duration: 1 hr 25 min

See also

OAS Framework Reference

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

Browse OAS framework →

More General Skills Trails

Find other trails with a similar Outdoor focus.

All Night Ideas →