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Orienteering type sports are becoming more and more popular and are a great way to teach navigational skills and get kids out in the bush. We currently have one bearing and distance type course designed for younger students or those who are new to orienteering. We are working on the construction of another course for beginners and a harder course for more advanced or older students.
What you will need
Orienteering is best done in groups of 2 or 3. For each group you will need;
- at least one compass (there are 10 available at the Lodge),
- one set of instructions, and
- a pen for recording what you find at each way-point.
It is also a good idea to take water, snacks and a first aid kit and make sure everyone is wearing sturdy shoes for walking through the bush.
How to use the Course
The printout for the course contains a list of the way-points and the bearing to follow and distance to travel to get to the next way-point. At each way-point you will find a letter. At the end of the course, the letters you find should spell out a word.
Orienteering Course – Red Course Printout
Finding a Bearing
Follow this link to a YouTube video that shows you the basics of how to use a compass to find a bearing.
Don’t forget that anything metal or magnetic, including batteries and phones, can interfere with your compass reading so keep them well away.
Other Ways to Practice Orienteering
At great way to test your students navigation skills is to have them make their own course, all you need is compasses, pens, paper and something to use for markers. Once one group has built a course, another group can test it out.
