Young'uns First Knife!

[Thumbcrusher]

My five year old, Finn, has been pestering me for his own knife for some time now and as he has been doing well at school I decided to treat him to the Hultafors safety knife.

My dad was a scout leader and gave me my first knife at five when I started going to scout camps with him. Mind you it was a bit bigger and pointier than my lads but H&S and all that wasn’t heard of when I was young!

Anyway his knife came in the post from Heinnie, (excellent service by the way!) and he was ecstatic so today we had to go up the local hills to test it out and hunt down a suitable walking stick to whittle away at.

After doing the safety routines, what to do and what not to do, he was away and sat happily for about an hour cleaning off the bark from his new walking stick.

A few pics of the journey!

Destination ahead…..
http://i43.tinypic.com/2yknhxu.jpg

Upwards and onwards….
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Nearly there!
http://i40.tinypic.com/289v2ba.jpg

At last I can have a go….
http://i44.tinypic.com/2d8rjq0.jpg

http://i44.tinypic.com/34odfrd.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/206j1w3.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/mk0va.jpg

Off home to show mam what I’ve made…
http://i40.tinypic.com/2iw653k.jpg

All in all a great few hours spent with a very keen and safety conscious new knife owner! Got home and cleaned our knives then put them safely away for our next trip.

[Metal mug]

Looks like a well spent day. :)

[Fletching]

Brilliant! See the the look of concentration on his little face there! :)

[Roadkillphil]

Awesome! Great pics and an inspiring thread. My son, Corey, is six and he is well keen into bushcraft and has also been badgering me for his own knife. I've been holding off as I'm not confident of his dexterity, but maybe with the right tool I'd now consider entertaining his plea's
Thanks for sharing :D

[paulthefish2009]

Nice one,well done you,I think it's great to teach young ones things like this. Looks like little one had a great time,tell him the stick looks great. Paul

[dave budd]

Excellant,always good to see folk giving their kids knives and teaching them to use them properly :happy-clapping: T^

My first knife (4yrs, apparently) was a chinese version of a swiss army knife. I still have it and the blades are still pretty sharp, though very worn since I used the back step of my old house to sharpen it!). I got my first fixed blade at 8 when I persuaded my old man to take me fishing. never looked back! :)

[LandRoverMatt]

My first little Knife was just a cheap one from my local farm shop, was about 9 or 10 because never really wanted one but then got into using a knife on the farm and outdoors.
still got it but dont use it as its special. :D

[jus_young]

Nice one. Its always a little nerve wracking letting the kids have their first knife but kind of nice knowing that the enthusiasm you hold is passing on to the next generation. My two were given their first knives last year, Opinel No 7's, just before we went to the Cornwall RV. Before we went they were sat out in the front garden and told the do's and don'ts and observed whilst they whittled away for what seemed like hours. They sat by the fire when at the RV just chipping away at sticks and it kept them happy.

The Wilderness Gathering is another event attended where the kids took their new prized possesions and its nice to know that the organisers promote children using knives at the event but any child wishing to carry a blade have to attend their knife safety session at the beginning of the stay. They are taught about safe use, body position and 'the blood bubble' which is keeping a safe area around you clear of other folks when the knife is being used. All we had for four days was children shouting 'BLOOD BUBBLE' telling us that the knives were out and they were whittling again. Good to know the lessons sunk in.

[Primerib]

I believe it is important to teach children already at an early age to treat tools like knives with respect and to learn how to use them! My father and grandfather let me use blades under supervision at a similar age and taught me the "how to's" etc. Just like thumbcrusher ist doing. I think my first blade must have been a SAK. At the age of 8 i recieved my first fixed knife for my birthday. I was allowed to keep it but was aware not to take it outside on my own. My grandpa gave me a blade that was very sharp which taught me quickly that blades are cutting tools and in general not made for levering, chopping (there are knives that are made for these purposes) or fooling around. Everyone needs a few cuts to learn this lesson :zombie-fighting: Curiously i have a strange rule - i will cut myself with every new blade by accident sooner or later but just then it becomes MY blade. Kinda awkward i now.

Good on ya and keep encouraging your son!

[Thumbcrusher]

Thanks for all the positive comments folks!

My philosophy is that if kids aren't exposed to risk then they will never learn to consider the daily dangers in life. As long as they are supervised and given advice to minimise any risk to themselves or others then giving them tools and knives etc is fine. I also think that they respond well to the fact that you have given them some responsibility.

Sadly there are too many parents who wrap their kids up in cotton wool these days:rolleye:

[rossbird]

Thanks for all the positive comments folks!

My philosophy is that if kids aren't exposed to risk then they will never learn to consider the daily dangers in life. As long as they are supervised and given advice to minimise any risk to themselves or others then giving them tools and knives etc is fine. I also think that they respond well to the fact that you have given them some responsibility.

Sadly there are too many parents who wrap their kids up in cotton wool these days:rolleye:

Couldn't agree more Thumbcrusher, kids thrive on a little responsibility.
The only caveat I would add is... each child is different and needs to be judged accordingly.
As you have obviously done with your son, he looks completely at ease with his knife.
Well done to you both.

[KaiTheIronHound]

Excellent to see people passing on skills and not getting wrapped up in the "wrap your kids in bubble wrap, cotton wool and kevlar" fever that seems to have struck since i was a kid. I got my first knife when i was 4, a little folder, and my dad spent hours with me showing me how to use it. Still have it, dont use it though, its important. Those safety knives are an excellent idea, i believe opinel do a kid-friendly version aswell. The lad looks well pleased with himself too!

[Thumbcrusher]

Cheers Kai!

yeh i looked at the opinel kids knife first before getting the one i did and it just looked a little flimsy to me to be honest. I know loads of people like opinel knives but it just didn't strike a chord with me. The other selling point for the Hultafors was the size and colour. Kids being kids i thought there was less chance of the knife being lost! Also the Hultafors was only £4.99 with free post as opposed to about £14.00 for the opinel!

[KaiTheIronHound]

Cant argue with the price, or the choice mate! I love opinels, but i still prefer my fixed blades!

[FishyFolk]

My first knife was helle scout knife :-)
4175

My dad gave it to me when I was six. My son is 1,5 years old, so he will have to wait until pre-school .... He will be in a nature based kinder garden from the autumn, where they give knives to the three year olds and up.

The sami will start them at one year old, letting them use a butter knife. Then at tree the give them a Mora knife, and then a full blown samii knife at the age of 6...

Anyway here:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp4Nny_rIiw

[Tony1948]

Wot a great pree school and vidio,

[m0txr]

Brilliant film and ideas.

[AL...]

My kids got there first knives when they reached the grand old age of 7 :)
I used to take them shooting and fishing and camping every weekend. Now that they are all grown up and doin there own things they still respect knives and have never been stupid with one ( that I know of) lol..
Its a good thing you are doing and a new knife is wy better a present than a damn gameboy.
The time you spend with your kids outdoors stand them in good stead for later life IMHO.
My 3 still talk about the camping shooting and fishing trips we used to go on.

Well done and a great walking staff he made for himself :D

Cheers
AL

[Roadkillphil]

Well I had a look at the hultafors safety knife as Ravens youngun Ryan had one with he last weekend. For the price it's awesome. I'm gonna get a couple for my kids. I'd like to get them something a little nicer looking so I'm thinkin, once they've got the hang of whittlin those all important pointy sticks and have a bit more sense, respect and dexterity about the blades, then I'll treat them to summit nicer. A svord peasant each mebbe... Wood handle for Corey, and a pink handled one for Erin!!

Cheers

Phil

[Martin]

My daughter has had a Mora since she was 9 or 10. It's just another tool for her these days and she never touches it unless she has something to cut. It doesn't hold any fascination for her whatsoever. I think this is the purpose of getting kids used to tools like this early, it blows away any mystique that there may be about such tools. I'm sure the same goes for guns.

Martin

[FishyFolk]

My daughter has had a Mora since she was 9 or 10. It's just another tool for her these days and she never touches it unless she has something to cut. It doesn't hold any fascination for her whatsoever. I think this is the purpose of getting kids used to tools like this early, it blows away any mystique that there may be about such tools. I'm sure the same goes for guns.

Martin

Sure is. I was fascinated with guns since before I started school. At the age of 12 I was in the local Sharpshooting club and had a 6,5x55 cal Mauser hanging on my bedroom wall, and kept the ammo under my bed! I never touched it unless it was for shooting it at the range, or for cleaning it afterwards. But I had to keep it chained to the wall as my mates did not have it that way, and they where a tad to curious...

On the other hand, the reason why I never played wit the gun was that my dad would have made it very hard for me to sit for a couple of weeks, had i caught me fooling around with it. But then again, he must have thought it perfectly okay for me to have it in my room, and to trust me with keeping under lock. God knows what he said to my mom to persuade her to let me have it.

Anyway the rifle was a loan from the sharpshooting club and the ammo was sponsored by the Norwegian army!

[MikeWilkinson]

Nice to see little 'uns being taught the correct use of toolsT^

My eldest (5 now) has had her opinel since she was 4, only uses it when out with me and we do skills lessons - making tent pegs etc... I put a review on it somewhere on here last year.