What is bushcraft?
Bushcraft is all about the skills and knowledge required to survive and thrive in the natural world without the use of modern tools and technology. Bushcraft skills include: firecraft, tracking, shelter building, the use of tools such as knives and axes, foraging, hand carving, container construction from natural materials and rope and twine making. Discover Bushcraft can introduce you to many of these elements of bushcraft.
Do you do parties in the winter?
Definitely! We do parties all year round! In fact we think slightly inclement weather can make for a very satisfying experience. As long as all participants have adequate clothing all of the activities can take place.
So you do parties in the rain?
Oh yes, and the snow! The most challenging weather is likely to be the wind! If we risk assess the conditions and decide the weather is too bad we will communicate with you as soon as possible and will either work to reschedule the party or offer you a full refund. Please note that if the party is booked on an external site this payment may not be refundable.
If you cancel because of the weather even after we have risk assessed it to be safe and appropriate to continue we will treat this as a late cancellation by yourself and will not be able to offer a refund.
Where do the parties take place?
In your garden, unless you don’t have one or would prefer to use one of our alternative locations (Thaxted or Chelmsford area). Most gardens will be suitable.
My garden isn’t very big – can I still have a party?
Definitely – mine isn’t very big either (24ft x 30ft or 7 x 9meters) and we had a great party with 7 children, 2 adults, 2 fabulous shelters, a campfire and all the fun of individual fire lighting and knife work. We might need to think about numbers in a smaller garden; but one of the main purposes of Discover Bushcraft is to bring it to you, so we will make it happen!
Do you need other adults to be at the party?
Yes – at least one, and if it is a group of 10 it would be great for a second to be
present throughout the party too. This is to provide additional eyes on the fire and to ensure there are enough adults to deal with toilet visits for example and to help supervise any camp fire activities.
Aren’t these parties dangerous?
We take safety very seriously. Fire lighting is done with full adult supervision and in a very managed way. Safety dos and don’ts are very much part of the package. The parent/guardian consent form includes addressing behaviour – if a child or young person’s behaviour is such that it puts themselves or others at risk they will be asked to sit out of the activities. (Helen has worked with some tough cookies in the past, so is confident in managing exuberant behaviour safely.)
Knife work too is treated with the utmost respect for safety and wellbeing. The knives used are especially designed for younger folk and as with fire lighting, safety is an integral part of using a knife. Helen reserves the right to decide whether knife work takes place within a group.
Will the fire damage my lawn?
No – we endeavour to LEAVE NO TRACE! We like to think you would never know we have held a bushcraft party in your garden. We use a portable fire pit for our main campfire and we bring surfaces and vessels for the young people to light smaller fires, this way no fires happen on the ground.
What should party goers wear?
Not their best frock! Clothes that are weather and activity appropriate, comfortable and you don’t mind them getting muddy or smelling of wood smoke. We provide a ‘kit list’ on the invitations. It is important the participants are appropriately dressed, it keeps them safe and enables them to have a fab time.
What’s the minimum age?
The minimum age for Discover Bushcraft parties is 7 years. We understand that a child celebrating their 7th birthday may well have friends aged 6 years. This is the only exception we make to the rule and will not accommodate anyone younger (this includes younger siblings). This is about keeping the party safe and age appropriate. For Discover Bushcraft Holiday Club the minimum age is 8 years.
What’s the maximum or minimum numbers?
The maximum number for a Discover Bushcraft party is 10 (this includes the birthday child / young person) . There is no minimum number. (we could deliver a lovely one to one session if this was preferred.)
What is a wide game?
A wide game is played over a large(ish) space, usually outdoors and is bags of fun. Great for teams, they can include problem solving, racing against time, strategy and general running around getting excited. We do a mean version of the ‘Hunger Games’ for example. Think camouflage paint, water pistol wielding instructors and a bunch of challenges to complete whilst not getting caught!