The Chapel Gate Outdoor experience provides you with an excellent opportunity to build reslience, team work and a further understanding of the natural world. Environmental psychology, and the studies surrounding human well-being and connectivity to the environment have shown us that by staying close to nature we feel more grateful and appreciative of what it has to offer (Proshansky 1976).
We can help you develop personal skills that are applicable to your personal and professional life. These skills will be developed by combining camp craft techniques such as fire lighting and safety, tarps and hammocks, knots and hitches, shelter construction, adventure games, forest art, nature walks and education, archery and how to use survival tools like knives, saws and axes safely.
Learn numerous ways to use natural resources wherever you may find yourself, and begin to see a world full of valuable and familiar tools that you can rely upon should you need them.
Our outdoor sessions can be tailored to suit the needs of your group and we’ll work with you to meet your aims and objectives for the session, whether it’s a children’s party or a corporate team building experience.
The outdoor communal area is also available for booking as a meeting space if you are looking for that functional space with a twist. We can provide your team with hot drinks, a short introduction to camp craft skills as an ice-breaker or team builder before or as part of your team meet.
Meeting Spaces are bookable by emailing cgwoodlands@bournemouth.ac.uk or calling 01202 965012.
What does Campcraft include?
Fire safety and lighting
Fire allows us to suvive in regions where it would otherwise be too cold or too wet. It warms us, cooks our food, dries our clothes, and makes our water safe to drink. It illuminates our camp, discourages dangerous animals and biting insects, allows us to signal, and provides the means to manipulate and shape natural materials.
Matches and lighters go out the window in this environment. We will show you how to make fire with minimal equipment, using the materials found in the woods, even in the pouring rain. We also teach how to safely manage your fire, what fuels to use, and even how to structure your fire to meet the purpose you are aiming for.
Shelter building and hammocking
We’ll show you how to select and tie the most common knots and hitches and their applications in relation to setting up hammocks, tarps and shelters. Knots and hitches are an important addition to your repertoire; learning these intricacies helps to develop fine motor skills, patience, persistence and perseverance. Qualities that can easily transmit into other areas of our personal and professional lives.
Forest bathing
Immerse yourself in nature. ‘Forest Bathing’ originated in Japan as a health and wellbeing intervention and has been shown to have positive physiological effects, including blood pressure improvement and the boosting of autonomic and immune functions. It’s also know to help alleviate depression and improve mental health. More recent research has shown that spending time outdoors can have a positive effect on stress reduction, lowering the hormone cortisol (Gidlow, Randall, Gillman, Smith & Jones, 2016) .
Adventure games
Team Building activities such as Tug of War, giant ski walk, blindfold mazes, spider’s web and a selection of other challenges have been designed to test and enhance your team work and leadership.
Nerf Battles: We can offer a selection of NERF based games in the woods. SportBU has their own equipment and eye protection, but you’re welcome to bring your own.
Relive or continue to enjoy your childhood with adventure based games such as Hide and Seek, Capture the Flag, Tracker and Survival Scenarios.
Forest arts and crafts
Woodlands and forests are amazing spaces that boost our imagination and provide endless inspiration. They’re vital places for artists to engage with and make forest art, giving our groups the opportunity to show their creative side.
We offer the perfect environment for you to take inspiration from the raw materials so you can create your own bug hotels, pine cone palaces, bird feeders and even a log pile house.
Nature walks
The knowledge of trees, plants (as well as their uses) is a key feature in camp craft. This starts with developing your ability to reliably identify various useful species as well as understand their potential application and uses.
Knife work
Like with many professions, it’s important to have the right tool for the job. Many of the tasks associated with camp craft are possible without a cutting tool, some of which we cover. However, most are made easier if you have a knife, and a sharp one at that. We cover essential tool choice, safety, handling, use and care, and we include practical tutoring on sharpening safely.
Recent testimonial:
Our team took the opportunity of working together in a different environment by spending a day at Chapel Gate – holding our morning meeting in the woods and working on our laptops in the Garden Room in the afternoon. Layne was really welcoming and had a fire set up for us when we arrived, with bean bags and hammocks around, and hot drinks with water boiled on the fire. It really enhanced our team meeting in allowing us to connect with nature and offered time for reflection in a calm setting.
Thanks again to you and Mark for facilitating this day, we look forward to coming back again.
BU Student Services Team