Description

TSU Kids and Family 101

Outdoor Survival Skills and Adventure Training for Children and Parents

Join us for TSU Kids and Family 101, a fun and engaging introduction to outdoor skills for children and their parents. Families can take TSU Kids and Family 101 and TSU Kids and Family 201 in any order—there’s no prerequisite between the two.

This course is perfect for adventurous families who want to build outdoor confidence, develop essential kids survival skills, and reconnect with nature through play, stories, and hands-on learning.

How Enrollment Works

When signing up, you only need to register and pay for your child. Parents or guardians attend for free and are encouraged to actively participate. This creates a supportive, collaborative environment where both kids and adults learn valuable outdoor and survival skills together. This is not a drop-off program. Parents or guardians are required to remain on-site with their child for the duration of the class. Please note that this course is not structured as childcare or daycare—active participation is part of the experience.

What This Course Is All About

We designed the TSU Kids program to plant seeds of confidence, curiosity, and outdoor safety in young adventurers. Developed in collaboration with teachers, youth leaders, child development specialists, and SAR professionals, the program uses storytelling, games, and exploration to make learning survival fun, not scary.

Kids ages 5 to 12 will learn age-appropriate wilderness survival skills through activities designed to build resilience and self-reliance. From making fire to staying found, this course helps prepare children for safe and enjoyable experiences in the outdoors—on hikes, camping trips, or even a walk through the park.

We believe that children are capable of far more than we give them credit for. Throughout history, kids used practical survival skills simply to make breakfast or play outside. We’re here to help them return to that legacy of competence, connection, and joy in the natural world.

What Your Child Will Learn

Because nature always has surprises, each class includes a core curriculum plus spontaneous learning opportunities based on the environment. A sampling of skills includes:

• Staying found (lost-proofing basics)

• Fire safety and building fires with natural materials

• Primitive and modern shelter-building

• Signaling for help

• Safe hiking and animal encounters

• Fun hiking games to boost endurance

• Camp setup, camping games, and outdoor storytelling

• Beginner woodcraft and tool safety

• Understanding weather and how to prepare for it

• Natural bug repellents and smoke safety

• Water collection and basic purification

• Confidence-building through real hands-on experience

Will This Class Challenge My Child?

While TSU Kids and Family 101 is accessible for ages 5 and up, even experienced young outdoorspeople—such as scouts or kids with prior outdoor experience—find the course fun, engaging, and educational.

Here’s a simple test:
If your child can already do all of the following, they may be ready to jump into a more advanced class like Kids and Family 201.

• Make fire with soaked wood and no modern fire starter

• Navigate with a map to find specific landmarks

• Safely carve a spoon

• Bake bread at the fire

• Build a waterproof shelter with limited rope

• Make cordage from natural materials

• Purify water without a filter or bottle

• Signal long distances with handmade tools

• Respond to animal encounters calmly and safely

• Treat common outdoor injuries like hypothermia, bleeding, or broken limbs

If not—this course is a perfect fit to build those foundational skills in a supportive and exciting way.

Recommended Age

Ages 5–12
Parent attendance is required.

Family discounts apply to immediate family members only.