Australian children spend just over two hours a day on screen-based activities while sitting or lying down. Fewer than a quarter of those aged 5 to 14 reach the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity. Those figures describe a generation growing up indoors in a country defined by its outdoors. The case for teaching bushcraft in schools starts there, and it grows stronger with every new data point. This is an editorial position worth stating plainly. Australian children should learn bushcraft skills, and schools are the right place to teach them.
The Comfort Crisis Is Real
Former Army commando Gordon Dedman, founder of Bushcraft Survival Australia and survival consultant for the television programme Alone Australia, has become one of the most vocal advocates for this shift. His warning is direct. He argues that over-dependence on screens means kids will grow up unable to do anything for themselves. Dedman has taken his curriculum-aligned survival programmes into six schools and taught bushcraft to more than 1,000 children. His philosophy is straightforward.
“Skills and knowledge trump technology, always.” That framing matters for educators. Dedman teaches environmental stewardship through bushcraft to build resilience. Fire lighting and shelter building are vehicles. The destination is a child who trusts their own judgement. Participants in his courses describe the same realisation. As it turns out, stepping outside a comfort zone and doing hard things is a reliable way to grow. Children deserve access to that lesson early, in managed and supervised settings.
Safety Knowledge Saves Lives
The safety argument is the hardest to dismiss. In May 2026, ABC News reported that the most difficult, deadly and preventable searches involve people missing in the bush. Australian National Search and Rescue Council chairman Alex Barrell noted a rise in people taking up outdoor activities, including four-wheel driving and camping. More Australians are heading into the bush. Fewer of them know what to do when things go wrong.
Outdoor instructor Bonnie Woods, who runs Riverina Bush Kids, sees the gap up close. Her programmes cover first aid and snake bite response, knowledge she notes is rarely taught in schools. Woods brings 11 years of experience running outdoor programmes across Australia and the UK, working with councils, school holiday programmes and homeschooling networks. Meanwhile, new offerings are emerging to meet the moment. Everyday Bushcraft launched Lookout in 2026, a situational awareness programme built for classrooms, camps and excursions. It teaches habits that transfer to any setting: eyes up, ears open, pause at edges, check in when unsure. Crucially, these skills apply on the walk to school and at the local park, well beyond remote bushland.
Teachers Want This. They Need Support.
Here is the encouraging part. Educators already believe in the approach. Research from the University of South Australia surveying 50 schools found that every teacher agreed nature-based play and learning delivers major benefits. The numbers are striking. A full 98% of teachers recognised mental health benefits. Ninety-six per cent cited cognitive development, connection to nature and healthy risk-taking. Yet 68% said their own knowledge and confidence limited their ability to embrace these opportunities.
The good news is that the gap is training, and that gap is fixable. Furthermore, the infrastructure already exists in many places. A related study found that 63% of South Australian public primary schools have a purpose-built nature play space, with another 25% planning or building one. Researchers noted, however, that these spaces are used mostly for free play rather than curriculum-based learning. Schools have built the classroom. Now they need to teach in it.
What Comes Next
Fortunately, the path forward is practical, which suits this subject. To begin with, policymakers can fund professional development so that the 68% of teachers who lack confidence receive structured training in nature-based pedagogy. In addition, school leaders can partner with established providers like Bushcraft Survival Australia and regional operators such as Riverina Bush Kids, whose programmes already align with curriculum outcomes.
Educators can start small. A fire safety unit, a navigation lesson using the sun, or a first aid session covering snake bite response, each one builds toward something larger. The next decade will test whether Australian education treats the bush as a risk to be managed or a resource to be used. The evidence points clearly toward the second option. Children who learn to build a shelter, read the landscape and stay calm when lost carry those capabilities into every future challenge, whether academic or otherwise. Ultimately, bushcraft education builds resilient children, environmentally literate citizens and safer communities. Schools that move first will set the standard the rest follow.
