Brownie Adventures: Knot-Tying

Our Brownies have started to learn knot-tying! This may seem like a major undertaking due to the fact that the girls are between 7 and 9 years old, and some still wear Velcro shoes. I say go for it and practice, practice, and practice!

To prepare, start by purchasing Poly Rope, also called Para Cord. This can be bought at any hardware or outdoor store. However, I am a huge fan of the dollar stores, especially when trying to budget unit funds. The great thing is that once purchased and prepared, your unit will have the materials for years! Knot-tying can be incorporated into regular weekly meetings, and is a great on-the-spot camping activity for rainy days.

I remember being in grade 1, and still being a Tweenie. Part of becoming a Brownie was to learn how to tie a Reef Knot and tie my own scarf. It took a lot of practice and chanting "left over right and under, right over left and under".

This knot is still part of the Brownie program over 30 years later! It is covered in the Key to Brownies under Being a Brownie (Brownies Can Do it! The Brownie Program Book - Girl Guides of Canada).

Remembering the pride I felt learning to tie my scarf, I felt it was important for our girls to learn too! To make this even more of a project, we have decided to learn 1-2 knots every month. Girls will practice at meetings, at home and at camp. At the end of the year they will earn the Camping Special Interest badge.

The monthly knots will start off simple and build up to more complex knot-tying in the hopes that girls will have the basic skills rig a shelter and to tie a Bow-line, Clove Hitch, Taut-Line and a Ridge-line Knot. Our first week we started with the Reef Knot and the Cow Hitch. It went surprisingly well! After about 10 minutes, the girls were doing it.

There are many different diameters of rope, but 3/8" (9.5 mm) Poly Rope has worked best for smaller hands. Begin by measuring and cutting 5 foot lengths of rope. Each 5 foot length will only cost 40-45 cents each. Next singe the ends to prevent fraying. A candle works well when cutting and scortching multiple lengths.

Reef Knot

One of the first knots learnt in Guiding is of course the Reef Knot (Square Knot). This knot is used to tie the ends of a single line together to secure around something with two overhand knots, such as a box or bundle. It is also used for marine purposes for reefing and furling sails. More importantly, it is used to tie the Brownie scarf! Using two different coloured ropes can help to see the weaving between the ropes.

Cow Hitch

The Cow Hitch (Lark's Head) Knot is used to attach a rope to an object. Quite often as the name indicates it is used to tether animals. The cow hitch is a pair of half-hitches tied in opposing directions. A simple version is demonstrated here.