Author Topic: Help! 6 year old firefighter needs to learn knots  (Read 7308 times)

Mrs G Chew

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Help! 6 year old firefighter needs to learn knots
« on: December 21, 2005, 12:22:16 AM »
Dear IGKT
    Congratulations on the website, the best forum entry layout I've ever seen.
    We have been members for a year now on behalf of our 6 year old son Tim, who is fanatical about being a firefighter.  His favourite games consist of cliffside rescues, emergency vehicles with sirens wailing, warehouse fires, and so on.  Personally, I'm ok with this, it's better than Harry Potter or Power Rangers/Spiderman etc.  I enrolled hoping to be able to teach him a few knots he could use, but we ran into some problems: ancient, mud-caked rope skipping rope does not knot well with ancient, mud-caked (used-to-be-one-inch-thick-but-it-stretched-a-lot) skipping rope.  I have no idea about the difference between one nylon cord and another: they all slip when wet (these only see the inside of the house on their way between the front and back gardens) and in any case I'm doubtful that I can get to a source of what you would all consider decent rope anyway.
    Can anyone recommend me a book which has knot headings such as "Use this for hauling your scooter to the top of the six-foot climbing frame", or "This one will make your skipping rope swing for sure", or "Fireman Sam would have used this one to rescue Naughty Norman when he got stuck on Pontypandy Mountain"?  (He constructed the skipping rope swingat the top of the climbing frame when he was four: by the grace of God it held for about a week until I had to undo it.  Next time, it didn't hold 20 seconds...)
    The instructions have to be suitable for a six year old with an attention span ranging from "pout" to "I can't do that" to "I know" and running off to do what he only half-knows.  I have seen Mr Budworth's Hamlyn Book of Knots, and Book of Decorative Knots (my 14 year old daughter liked a couple of those for her skoobie things) but in a family of five which home-educates and the youngest is 20 months, I don't get much time for really sitting down to learn myself.
    Looking forwards to some encouragement and wisdom...
    Regards,  Glenys Chew (1 Corinthians 15:10 By the grace of God I am what I am)

roo

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Re: Help! 6 year old firefighter needs to learn kn
« Reply #1 on: December 21, 2005, 02:30:30 AM »
To get right to your basic question, I haven't seen a good knot book with headings designed to stir the imagination of a six-year-old.

What you might choose to do is cut and paste some simple knot diagrams, and give them headings of your liking.  I tried to get one knot per "page" on my website, so you might look around there:

http://notableknotindex.webs.com/knotindex.html

With such a young kid, it'd probably be best to stick with the very elementary knots, such as the Timber Hitch or Pile Hitch.  Also, it's prudent to stick with easy-to-untie knots and to keep your young-un under supervision when he has a rope so that he doesn't bind off circulation to his limbs.

Nylon rope is fine, and shouldn't be terribly slippery when wet.  It's also nice and soft.

Good luck.
« Last Edit: October 28, 2009, 05:10:50 PM by roo »
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PatDucey

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Re: Help! 6 year old firefighter needs to learn kn
« Reply #2 on: December 21, 2005, 03:46:49 AM »
There are Boy Scout handbooks that show the eight "Boy Scout Knots".  These are good, basic knots that were the first knots I learned how to tie.  Several Boy Scout websites like: http://www.troop452.com/knots.html have animations that show how to tie the knot.  Many Boy Scout websites have more than the basic eight.

I have found that knots are best taught one-on-one.  The IGKT-PAB has several public events where we have a booth where we teach knots.  In the Seattle, Washington area, we do about three events a year, and in Los Angeles there are about the same.  Mostly these are in the summer.

If you are looking for good string, there are websites that sell line like www.SupplyCaptain.com that has some brightly colored paracord.  They also sell rappelling rope, which if you are going to let a six-year-old climb, you will want some good rope.

Pat Ducey

Dan_Lehman

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Re: Help! 6 year old firefighter needs to learn kn
« Reply #3 on: December 21, 2005, 06:00:23 AM »
Quote
They also sell rappelling rope, which if you are going to let a six-year-old climb, you will want some good rope.

A quick read of this 6-year-old's nature tells me that the last thing one should
do is provide him with the means of his own ruin.  Rappelling is one of the most
dangerous activities; it is where most of the climbing accidents occur--and this
is among adult climbers.

--dl*
====

KnotNow!

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Re: Help! 6 year old firefighter needs to learn kn
« Reply #4 on: December 21, 2005, 08:10:29 AM »
I know our membership has some firefighters and some rescue workers.  Pile on folks.  Most 6 year olds can keep up so don't be shy.  This is he age when you can pour the information in with a funnel.  The cautions are apt.. but the original post suggests we need not worry too much.  Encourage your firefighter to learn to walk before running... but you have seen what supervised young folks can do?  Have you visited the firestation where you live?  Here, where I live,  our fellows would put in plenty of time to help a new recruit.  Of course ours are all volunteer so it is their time.. not public funds.  For safe climbing there may be a "climbing wall" at some commercial location.. but I am not sure if they have a age requirement.  Frankly 6 year olds can do a lot.  I was operating a car, truck, tractor, horse team, typewriter, calculator (the huge thing before the 10 key adding machine), and so much more... I am not bragging... far from it.  I am saying at 6 the world is your oyster.  Maybe I've kept a childish outlook and can remember being 6 but I had the wit to do almost anything and was so frustrated to be so physically weak... so feats of strenght may be delayed for a time.  Now, at 60, I am experiencing the same frustration.  Yeehaw.  As all have suggested, there is no book aimed at this person.  If his reading level is good, maybe any of the great books will work.  If not then many of the photo books surely will.  Most are in the public library.  If not someone will help.  Alan Grogono has animated knots on line.  These are great.  Sorry not to have the link on hand.  Tomorrow I'll post it.  Mr Budworths Books and Mr Philpotts books are excellent photo books and I think one could learn from them and not even speak the language... good stuff.
ROY S. CHAPMAN, IGKT-PAB BOARD.

squarerigger

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Re: Help! 6 year old firefighter needs to learn kn
« Reply #5 on: December 21, 2005, 08:46:56 AM »
Dear Mrs Chew
Brava!  You have an excellent idea to encourage your child's adventures and I heartily encourage the aforesaid supervised activity with line of almost any cheap variety.  Round these parts we get cotton rope for horses at the local hardware or feed store - great stuff for kids and very easy on the hands.  Pat and Roy both make excellent points and, if you are ever in the Seattle, Washington or California areas, please stop by and look us up.  Our meetings and events are posted at www.igktpab.org (the next one in SoCal about which I know is occurring in March at the Festival of the Whales in Dana Point).  We also have monthly meetings in San Pedro as you can see from the web-site, at which you and your 6-year old adventurer Tim are most welcome.  Joy to you all!

Lindsey

Roy - thanks for the mention - very much appreciated!

Jimbo_The_Kinky

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Re: Help! 6 year old firefighter needs to learn kn
« Reply #6 on: December 21, 2005, 05:43:38 PM »
Hail and Howdy, Mrs. C!

If it makes you feel any less overwhelmed, yours truly has naught but neices to whom I hope to pass on what knot knowledge I can...  <sigh>  No "Sea Scouts" in my future!

Anyway, this guy seems like a bird of your feather, and he has one of the better online "reverences" to knotting:

The Most Useful Rope Knots for the Average Person to Know ( http://www.layhands.com/Knots/ ).

As to the selection process, perhaps it would be helpful for the Teacher to play the part of "Fireman Sam", and create such a list based on the Student...  Just a thought.

Jimbo

drjbrennan

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Re: Help! 6 year old firefighter needs to learn kn
« Reply #7 on: December 21, 2005, 07:37:11 PM »
Hello Mrs Chew,

I don't know where you live, but in my neck of the woods they have a fire brigade cadets scheme running, and they get a minature uniform and learn many rescue techniques such as cliff rescue, river rescue, ice, estuary mud etc. I have helped out with some of the knot tutorials for that.
There may be a similar scheme in your area.

The best book for children, on the subject of knots, IMHO is the "Learnabout Knots" by Ronald A L Hinton, published by Ladybird books ltd  0 7214 0467 7.
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knudeNoggin

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Re: Help! 6 year old firefighter needs to learn kn
« Reply #8 on: December 21, 2005, 08:26:53 PM »
Quote
... yours truly has naught but neices to whom I hope to pass on what knot knowledge I can...  <sigh>  No "Sea Scouts" in my future!

Is this so, that Sea Scouts is male-only?
So the next global circumnavigation record breaker Ellen MacArthur will have to
originate elsewhere?!

cf www.teamellen.com/en/article.asp?artid=3032 for misc. Team Ellen news
Here's an excerpt, a "day in the life of ..." insight--not for the timid!

Quote
Yesterday and last night we had over 65 knots, which makes it Force 11-12.
[Violent Storm-Hurricane (Beaufort Scale)--not kite weather]  I have to say that
I felt pretty glad to be in a 120' boat, but all the same we still turned round for a few hours
to avoid the worst of it.  It was pretty full on.  Getting the final piece of mainsail on the
foremast in over 60 knots was quite interesting. [!!!]  You could barely stand up
on the deck.  The crew are all nice people, however the star of them all so far has
to be Helene who is the cook.  Not only is she always of amazingly good humour,
but she manages to make cakes, bread and 4-course meals even in a force 12!

Okay, Sea Scouts, aspire to that!

*knudeNoggin*

Jimbo_The_Kinky

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Re: Help! 6 year old firefighter needs to learn kn
« Reply #9 on: December 26, 2005, 11:22:31 PM »
Quote

Is this so, that Sea Scouts is male-only?

No, that my nieces are less interested in Sea Scouts than I would be in tatting lace doilies.

No disrespect to Scouts, Sea Scouts, nieces, doilies, or those who "tat".  Just incongruous, that's all.

(PS: I was taught to sail by a female.  And never met a Sea Scout.  Just so you'll know.)
« Last Edit: December 26, 2005, 11:25:42 PM by Jimbo_The_Kinky »

KnotNow!

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Re: Help! 6 year old firefighter needs to learn kn
« Reply #10 on: December 29, 2005, 07:46:15 AM »
Hi Mrs G.
 I hope you made some contacts from the posting.  If not then post again and someone will come forward.  I've been thinking a lot about being 6 yoa since your first post.  My grand dad had me splicing rope the size of my arm.  And I loved it.  Hope it works out as well for your boyo.
ROY S. CHAPMAN, IGKT-PAB BOARD.

 

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