Whittling in Forest School - EverWild’s Guide to Pocket Knifes

Pictured above one of EverWild’s Nature Immersion classes can be seen practicing their whittling skills!

What is whittling?

Whittling is the act of using a knife to scrape, shave, or carve wood into a desired tool or sculpture. Forest Schoolers are typically just beginning their whittling journey! EverWild has certain guidelines set in place to provide a safe environment to practice this earth skill.  

What are the benefits of whittling?

Whittling supports children with self-regulation and helps them advance their fine motor skills. Creating a whittling project helps children use their imagination, focus and skill to create something new from a discovery in nature, like a stick! Typically a longer project, whittling teaches patience and focus. Whittling has an infinite amount of possibilities -  from fishing poles to walking sticks - this hobby can easily lead to even greater creations like spoons, bowls and more! 

Pocket Knives for Forest Schoolers:

Folding knives are great for children who are brand new to whittling and are often used with children Pre-K to 7yrs (depending on their level of experience). Mentors often have to help children open folding knives because they don’t have the fine motor skills yet so if you go this route it’s a great idea to explore the knife at home first. Children using folding knives are often whittling twigs or small sticks, cutting grass, leaves, etc. Options for folding knives include Opinel or Swiss Army. We recommend folding knives that have a safety lock so the knife can stay locked in place when in use and locked in the folded position when not in use. There are also blunt tipped choices for these knives. 

For children with whittling practice and experience such as safety and form (typically ages 8+ but DOE), we recommend a fixed blade bushcraft knife like the blunt tipped Morakniv. If a child is bringing one of these to class it’s important to either dedicate the knife to its own pocket in the backpack or give it to the mentor at drop off to carry. The sheaths are prone to coming off when knocked around in a backpack. Alternatively, a better sheath would solve this issue. EverWild mentors carry with them and share with the kids a Morakniv Blade (ours are often pointed tip to allow for more advanced bushcraft skills).

Interested in gifting your forest schooler a pocket knife this holiday season? Shop with EverWild’s Amazon Smile!

Amazon Smile contributes .5% of all purchases directly to EverWild when you log into Amazon Smile and make purchases just as you typically do (no additional cost/sign-ups necessary- donations are made on behalf of Amazon at checkout). If you are a prime member and are logging into amazon smile, your prime membership will continue. Click the Amazon Smile logo to login and begin donating with each purchase.

Happy whittling!