BSOA - Explorer Challenge

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What is it?
An award scheme designed to encourage young people, by using maps, to venture into the outdoor world

Who is it designed for?

Schools and Colleges
Outdoor Activity Centres
The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
Orienteering Clubs
Uniformed Youth Organisations
Youth Services
Trailquest Clubs (Mountain biking)

What does it consist of?
A five stage incentive scheme based on participants successfully locating checkpoints.
The five stages are as follows:

Acorn Certificate - 10 checkpoints
Tree Award - 25 checkpoints
Copse Award - 50 checkpoints
Wood Award - 75 checkpoints
Forest Award - 100 checkpoints

At each stage an A5 certificate (sample) is awarded. Achievement is monitored by recording checkpoints on a progress card Explorer's Personal Logbook Checkpoints located for one award count towards the next.

Click to show more detailed information about

What outdoor areas are suitable?
This will depend on the age, ability and needs of the participants.

School sites can be ideal for younger children to learn basic navigation skills.
Town and Countryside Parks are good for progression. These sometimes have permanent orienteering courses on them.
Areas used by orienteering clubs are suitable for all but the youngest pupils.
1:25 000 Ordnance Survey maps are ideal for walking, cycling and expedition training with older pupils

Benefits of using 'eXplorer challenge'

Develops the life skills of map reading and navigation through orienteering and expedition training.
Improves self-esteem and confidence.
Permits targets to be set based on the age, ability and needs of the individual.
Develops problem solving and decision making skills.
Is easily linked to the National Curriculum and RoA’s/Progress files.
Adds to the safety of adventurous activity by using checkpoints.
Promotes healthy outdoor adventurous activity which improves pupils’ overall fitness.
Provides instant reward for achievement.

Ways of using the Award Scheme:
The initiative has been designed so that it can be used with most navigation activities. One of the most obvious is Orienteering which is now widely used by schools as an outdoor adventurous activity. It also makes an ideal extra-curricular activity for after school or at weekends

There are two main types of orienteering activity:

Cross country orienteering
Where competitors navigate to control points (checkpoints) in a set order. The courses are usually graded by using a colour-coded system considered suitable for pupils around Year 4 upwards. Competitors on the same course start at intervals of one minute or more apart and the winner is the person that completes the course in the shortest time.

Score orienteering
Up to 25 control points are set out in an area and each control has a set points value depending on the difficulty and distance from the start. Competitors have to locate as many as they can in a given time with penalty points being deducted for a late return. The winner is the competitor with the highest aggregate score.

How the Award Scheme can aid expedition navigation training:
By using checkpoints you can:

Use smaller areas for training by introducing frequent direction changes.
Plan expedition distances accurately.
Introduce more frequent legs to:
- Avoid environmentally sensitive, dangerous, and private areas.
- Improve control by monitoring progress through checkpoints.
- Vary the technical and physical difficulty depending on the age and experience of the participants.
Permit more participants to share the navigation responsibility.
Introduce fine bearing techniques over shorter legs.
Maintain interest by introducing more frequent checkpoints.
Identify and rectify navigation weaknesses quickly and easily.
Improve motivation by rewarding participants with badges and certificates.

Some ideas to show the variety of uses:

Use a Permanent Orienteering course for an inter school challenge.
Using mountain bikes plan an expedition using minor roads or take part in a 2 hour Trailquest score event in a forested area.
Locate “letterboxes” on Dartmoor using the 1:25000 Ordnance Survey map and grid references.

Award Scheme guidelines

Targets should be agreed with each participant based on the age, ability and needs of the individual. Success should be quite easily achievable, especially in the early stages.
Checkpoints should normally only be used once.
Participation can be as individuals, in pairs or in small groups.
Participants do not have to be timed.
It is up to the teacher/leader to decide on the maximum number of checkpoints that can be gained on any one occasion. This should be made clear when setting targets. The suggested maximums are for Tree Award 16; Copse Award 14; Wood Award 12 and Forest Award 10. Exceptions could be on a Permanent Orienteering Course or when engaged on a charity fundraising event when the maximum could be raised to 25 so that the Tree Award could be gained.
It would be expected that the skills used and possibly the distances covered would increase as a pupil progresses.
Progress on the scheme is to be recorded in the explorer’s personal logbook and monitored by a responsible adult whose decision is final!

Can stocks of logbooks and certificates be purchased in advance?
Yes. Details are on the order form.

What outdoor areas are suitable?
This will depend on the age, ability and needs of the participants.

School sites can be ideal for younger children to learn basic navigation skills.
Town and Countryside Parks are good for progression. These sometimes have permanent orienteering courses on them.
Areas used by orienteering clubs are suitable for all but the youngest pupils.
1:25 000 Ordnance Survey maps are ideal for walking, cycling and expedition training with older pupils

Benefits of using 'eXplorer challenge'

Develops the life skills of map reading and navigation through orienteering and expedition training.
Improves self-esteem and confidence.
Permits targets to be set based on the age, ability and needs of the individual.
Develops problem solving and decision making skills.
Is easily linked to the National Curriculum and RoA’s/Progress files.
Adds to the safety of adventurous activity by using checkpoints.
Promotes healthy outdoor adventurous activity which improves pupils’ overall fitness.
Provides instant reward for achievement.

There are two main types of orienteering activity:

How the Award Scheme can aid expedition navigation training:
By using checkpoints you can:

Use smaller areas for training by introducing frequent direction changes.
Plan expedition distances accurately.
Introduce more frequent legs to:
- Avoid environmentally sensitive, dangerous, and private areas.
- Improve control by monitoring progress through checkpoints.
- Vary the technical and physical difficulty depending on the age and experience of the participants.
Permit more participants to share the navigation responsibility.
Introduce fine bearing techniques over shorter legs.
Maintain interest by introducing more frequent checkpoints.
Identify and rectify navigation weaknesses quickly and easily.
Improve motivation by rewarding participants with badges and certificates.

Some ideas to show the variety of uses:

Use a Permanent Orienteering course for an inter school challenge.
Using mountain bikes plan an expedition using minor roads or take part in a 2 hour Trailquest score event in a forested area.
Locate “letterboxes” on Dartmoor using the 1:25000 Ordnance Survey map and grid references.

Award Scheme guidelines

Targets should be agreed with each participant based on the age, ability and needs of the individual. Success should be quite easily achievable, especially in the early stages.
Checkpoints should normally only be used once.
Participation can be as individuals, in pairs or in small groups.
Participants do not have to be timed.
It is up to the teacher/leader to decide on the maximum number of checkpoints that can be gained on any one occasion. This should be made clear when setting targets. The suggested maximums are for Tree Award 16; Copse Award 14; Wood Award 12 and Forest Award 10. Exceptions could be on a Permanent Orienteering Course or when engaged on a charity fundraising event when the maximum could be raised to 25 so that the Tree Award could be gained.
It would be expected that the skills used and possibly the distances covered would increase as a pupil progresses.
Progress on the scheme is to be recorded in the explorer’s personal logbook and monitored by a responsible adult whose decision is final!

Can stocks of logbooks and certificates be purchased in advance?
Yes. Details are on the order form.

What outdoor areas are suitable?
This will depend on the age, ability and needs of the participants.

School sites can be ideal for younger children to learn basic navigation skills.
Town and Countryside Parks are good for progression. These sometimes have permanent orienteering courses on them.
Areas used by orienteering clubs are suitable for all but the youngest pupils.
1:25 000 Ordnance Survey maps are ideal for walking, cycling and expedition training with older pupils

Benefits of using 'eXplorer challenge'

Develops the life skills of map reading and navigation through orienteering and expedition training.
Improves self-esteem and confidence.
Permits targets to be set based on the age, ability and needs of the individual.
Develops problem solving and decision making skills.
Is easily linked to the National Curriculum and RoA’s/Progress files.
Adds to the safety of adventurous activity by using checkpoints.
Promotes healthy outdoor adventurous activity which improves pupils’ overall fitness.
Provides instant reward for achievement.

There are two main types of orienteering activity:

How the Award Scheme can aid expedition navigation training:
By using checkpoints you can:

Use smaller areas for training by introducing frequent direction changes.
Plan expedition distances accurately.
Introduce more frequent legs to:
- Avoid environmentally sensitive, dangerous, and private areas.
- Improve control by monitoring progress through checkpoints.
- Vary the technical and physical difficulty depending on the age and experience of the participants.
Permit more participants to share the navigation responsibility.
Introduce fine bearing techniques over shorter legs.
Maintain interest by introducing more frequent checkpoints.
Identify and rectify navigation weaknesses quickly and easily.
Improve motivation by rewarding participants with badges and certificates.

Some ideas to show the variety of uses:

Use a Permanent Orienteering course for an inter school challenge.
Using mountain bikes plan an expedition using minor roads or take part in a 2 hour Trailquest score event in a forested area.
Locate “letterboxes” on Dartmoor using the 1:25000 Ordnance Survey map and grid references.

Award Scheme guidelines

Targets should be agreed with each participant based on the age, ability and needs of the individual. Success should be quite easily achievable, especially in the early stages.
Checkpoints should normally only be used once.
Participation can be as individuals, in pairs or in small groups.
Participants do not have to be timed.
It is up to the teacher/leader to decide on the maximum number of checkpoints that can be gained on any one occasion. This should be made clear when setting targets. The suggested maximums are for Tree Award 16; Copse Award 14; Wood Award 12 and Forest Award 10. Exceptions could be on a Permanent Orienteering Course or when engaged on a charity fundraising event when the maximum could be raised to 25 so that the Tree Award could be gained.
It would be expected that the skills used and possibly the distances covered would increase as a pupil progresses.
Progress on the scheme is to be recorded in the explorer’s personal logbook and monitored by a responsible adult whose decision is final!

Can stocks of logbooks and certificates be purchased in advance?
Yes. Details are on the order form.

'English Schools Orienteering Association' and 'ESOA'
are working names for British Schools Orienteering Association

'English Schools Orienteering Association' and 'ESOA' are working names for British Schools Orienteering Association

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