Outdoor Skills

Knowing your pace count turns any trail or open field into a map you can read with your own two feet. This lesson shows families how to measure a personal 100-meter pace count and use it to estimate distance on the go. Five minutes of practice is all it takes to carry this skill for life.

Plant a stick in the ground on a sunny day and the shadows will hand you a compass. This five-minute skill teaches kids to read the sun's movement across the sky and find true east and west with nothing but a twig and two pebbles.

A topographic map holds the shape of the land inside its lines — you just have to know how to read them. This lesson teaches families how contour lines work, what crowded lines mean versus spread-out ones, and how to practice before you ever hit the trail.

A baseplate compass is one of the most satisfying tools a kid can hold, and taking a bearing is easier than it looks. In ten minutes your family can learn to point, box the needle, read the degree number, and walk a straight line to any landmark in sight.