Wild about Bushcraft Word Guide
On the audio guide for Wild about Bushcraft we use words that you might be familiar with and some that might be new to you.
To help expand your bushcraft knowledge, use this glossary of words and terms when you are borrowing and enjoying the Wild about Bushcraft Touch to See book.
To give ideas and inspiration we’ve also included links to websites where you can find out more about the words and terms. For example, for Bushcraft we have listed websites where you can find out more about practical skills for camping in the wild
Biodegradable Something which can be rotted down by bacteria or other living organisms and which therefore doesn’t pollute the environment.
Bushcraft Learning practical skills to surviving in a natural environment, such as making a fire and building a shelter.
Ray Mears is a leading expert in Bushcraft. https://www.raymears.com/
Bear Grylls is another well-known name in the world of survival, although his trips are rather more extreme!
http://www.beargrylls.com/
Bear is also currently the Chief Scout. Check out their website and resources for useful information about knot tying, camping, campfire cooking and songs and much more.
http://scouts.org.uk/home/
some other good websites:
http://www.backwoodsurvival.co.uk/
http://www.woodlandsurvivalcrafts.com/
Camping Spending your holiday living outside in a tent or other shelter. Here’s a good website which tells you about interesting countryside campsites in the UK
https://www.coolcamping.co.uk/
Compass An instrument used for navigation and orientation. It shows you directions i.e. north, south, east and west.
Embers The hot wood and coal that remains when a fire has burned down.
Fire steel A metal (steel) striker and a rod of manmade material called a flint. An easy and reliable way to create sparks to light a fire.
Forest School A way of learning through hands-on experience in a woodland or natural environment with trees.
The Ernest Cook Trust runs an outdoor education programme which you might like to find out more about
http://ernestcooktrust.org.uk/learning-outside-the-classroom/
Green wood Wood that has been recently cut and hasn’t had time to season (dry). It is harder to light a fire with green wood.
Grey water Water that’s left over after you’ve cleaned your dishes or had a wash. It’s relatively clean although it might contain soap products and should still be disposed of carefully in the wild.
Hammock a bed made of canvas tied between two trees or poles.
Kindling Small bits of wood that burn easily, used to start a fire.
Parachute cord Lightweight nylon rope. Useful for making knots, tying things together and building shelters.
Pot holder Three long sticks lashed together at the top to allow a cooking pot to be hung by a rope or chain over the campfire.
Purify to clean water so that it doesn’t contain bacteria which can make you ill.
Ridgepole The horizontal pole of a long tent or leaf hut shelter
Solar still A hole in the ground covered with plastic, used to collect clean drinking water
Tarpaulin A sheet of heavy-duty, waterproof material. Useful for making a shelter with.
Terrain A piece of land and what it’s like – rough, hilly, boggy for example.
Teepee A conical (shaped like a cone) shelter traditionally made of animal skins draped over wooden poles which have been tied together at the top.
Tinder nest Dried vegetation, such as seed heads, small twigs and wood shavings which are used to start a fire.
4