Knife Education, A perspective

[Ed Schempp]

In Vegas at the SHOT show I had a safety meeting with Warren Osborn, Jim Crowell, Gayle Bradley and Scott Devanna about the ICCT certification. I had an revelation. Here sat some of the most successful cutters in competition and we were all over the age of 50.
I read a Discover Magazine on the way to Europe. One piece spoke of the range of travel and movement of children today in comparison to the range of kids movement in the past. The child of today has a range about 1/9 the size they had in 1970. Growing up in the 50's and 60's I know my range was much greater than the children of the 70's.
With this shrinking of the range of movement the use of wilderness tools has decreased. You just don't see many ten year olds heading to the brush for a day with a machete and a pocket knife and a cantine of water.
Social restraints and well meaning laws have severly limited the range and the tool use of our youth.
I maintain that those activities pursed by our youth before the age of puberty have life long effects on our perseptions and our abilities. Like children raised bilingual rarely have the foriegn accent that accompanies post puberty bilingualism.
If we don't give our children the chance to learn knife as a tool before puberty they are not as likely to have a positive working relationship with cutlery as an adult. These children will grow up to make future knive laws; and without that prepubesant perspective of cutlery we will have very restrictive laws.
By teaching the children knife as tool we ensure an understanding of the future pretaining to knives.
My goal is to present some information and evidence of knife education and age and how that effects the future. Hopefully this will make every reader take some time with a child and let them learn knife as tool; this will affect the future of knives as it ties the past to the present...Take Care...Ed

[Kn00b]

If we don't give our children the chance to learn knife as a tool before puberty they are not as likely to have a positive working relationship with cutlery as an adult.


I think you make a good point here. You can well document a similair phenomenon with guns actually.

Most people I know that were raised around guns and taught proper gun handling tend to own them and be comfortable around them later in life. Those of us (myself among them) raised without exposure don't own and are far less comfortable even being around them.

It makes sense that a similair phenomenon would occur with knives and people's comfort level.


Note: Not trying to change the subject. Just drawing the parallel between the two.

[Hannibal Lecter]

My Dear Friend,

My seven-year old daughter already possesses knife skills and will learn to handle firearms as soon as I deem her old enough. :D

--------
Hannibal

[WORKER#9]

My Son and Daughter both have knife collections and I go out of my way to get them outdoors. :)

Ed you are right, as more of the US population moves or lives in citys this will be the case. In California not a day goes buy where some sort of Restrictive Gun or Knife law is debated in our Capitol. Most of the time these bills pass! Here we are in one of the most violent states in the Union, Does it make sense? No. But these generations of city folk are already in power here and as California goes so does the Nation! It is scary to say the least. More people have been Murdered in California, since the start of the Gulf war, than Soldiers killed in Iraq. California a very violent Disarmed society. Disarmed why because people fear the tool, they have no experience with. So there only soluion to Violence is not to look at are children and there upbringing, or social structures that create it, just ban something else, in a hope that it might help. It's very sad really. But it will continue to the very fabric of are great nation is threatened.


I even read somewhere that one state is ready to ban machetes! :eek:

Worker

[CopilotATS-55]

My Son and Daughter both have knife collections and I go out of my way to get them outdoors. :)

Ed you are right, as more of the US population moves or lives in citys this will be the case. In California not a day goes buy where some sort of Restrictive Gun or Knife law is debated in our Capitol. Most of the time these bills pass! Here we are in one of the most violent states in the Union, Does it make sense? No. But these generations of city folk are already in power here and as California goes so does the Nation! It is scary to say the least. More people have been Murdered in California, since the start of the Gulf war, than Soldiers killed in Iraq. California a very violent Disarmed society. Disarmed why because people fear the tool, they have no experience with. So there only soluion to Violence is not to look at are children and there upbringing, or social structures that create it, just ban something else, in a hope that it might help. It's very sad really. But it will continue to the very fabric of are great nation is threatened.


I even read somewhere that one state is ready to ban machetes! :eek:

Worker
city people should try to survive in the wilderness and see what they have done to soceity

[UK KEN]

Ed

Words of wisdom. I have already said that I feel a dedicated section for the youngsters who use this site would be a great idea. Education is the key. It is so easy for knowledge to be lost from one generation to the next because of cultural, political or legal changes.

As you know this country had a fine tradition of hunting which was rooted thousands of years ago in our history. We became so good at it that we soon ran out of our own beasties and headed off around the world killing everyone else’s! Joking apart, the associated skills like making and using bladed tools are only kept alive today by a few enthusiasts. In a "normal" UK family, it is unusual for a father to pass on any knowledge of how to use and maintain a knife because most these days have lost those skills.

I enjoy going camping with my family, which gives me the opportunity to pass on my knowledge to my lad. He has come home from school with stories of how some children and staff think that he is strange/cruel because he can shoot, skin, gut, cook and eat a rabbit. I understand that in today’s society the need to hunt or gather our own food has gone but I honestly feel that in a survival situation my boy will be well equipped.

We should all take care that in our "secure" environments we don't allow complacency to creep in and let valuable knowledge which was instrumental in our development disappear forever.

Regards, Ken

[Zwaplat]

Jong geleerd is oud gedaan.

It's a commonly known wisdom.

[Echo63]

ed,
i agree entirely
not many people i know here in australia know much about knives
most have been city dwellers most of their lives and have never needed a sharp cutting tool except for cutting their dinner up
everybody i know's kitchen is full of cheap blunt knives
mine has 4 good sharp knives that do everything i ask of them
even my mother (who knows i have an addiction to sharp bits of steel) was a bit shocked when i used my cento3 to cut up my steak the other night
if more kids were allowed out bush and taught to shoot, sharpen knives etc then i believe that we would be a better society

[psimonl]

You really recognize a great mind when you see someone putting two different idea together to explain a phenomenon...

I, for myself, try to do a little bit by informing people that knives are tools and not weapon.

A couple of years ago, I had problem drawing out a knife because people were scared. And just yesterday, at a kid birthday, everyone were asking me my knife (I had the C-83 for the occasion!!!!!! :cool:) to open too well wrapped boxes....

I like to think I succeeded in making them see that a knife is not necessarily scary.

As for my children, they have see my with a clip on my FR pocket for all their lives. I have knives waiting for them in my box for when they get older.
I am not affraid of using them in public (knives, not children ;) ) and like smoking, it has to do with respect of fellow citizen...

Thank you for reading...

And thank you Ed for a new vision of a Mather that has been "threaded" a lot here...

Simon

[spd9075]

I agree completely. I havn't really thought much about it until recently, but for the last 15 years or so, I have carried a knife for work related duties. As a youngster, I was raised on a farm where hunting, fishing and common chores were a part of everyday life. Since then, I have become somewhat of a suburbanite...and now that I am a parent myself, I look back on what it was like for me growing up in that enviroment and how I can pass some of that along. Thanks to the advice on another thread, I just orderd my daughter's first knife in hopes of teaching "knife as tool" to her. I really think youngsters need guidance now more than ever...just because society changes, our roots shouldn't. If we can educate people, not just children, then I, too, believe society would be better and have a good future.

[Ed Schempp]

Food prep is a good place to teach kids with knives. They learn to use a knife to feed themselves; I think that is the start of a real and very historical relationship. Whittling is a good challenge for kids. Sticks for marshmellows or hot dogs, walking stick ornamentation are all good tasks for kids. Have them prepare the sticks long before they get hungry, they will do a better job. Later they test their designs by use. Preparing tinder and starting a fire is another great challenge. Learn to start a friction fire with a bow or hand drive methods; use the knife to make the tools,it will be fun for everybody, and it is empowering. There are many art projects that can incorporate knife. Discuss the edge and sharpness before and after use; teach them how to sharpen their knives. Try and make sure they own their own knife. Being trusted with knife ownership and use builds confidence in people especially children. Teach safety and have bandaids...Take Care...Ed

[spd9075]

Ed, thank you very much for the suggestions...and for starting this thread. I think there is something here for everyone to appreciate.

By the way, I'm a big fan of your work! I am relatively new here, so I just wanted to take this opportunity to let you know your appreciated and admired.

Take care.

[ront]

Great post Ed!! I gave my wife 3 very nice Spyderco knives for Christmas. She is afraid to use them because...they are sharp. I keep trying to explain to her that a sharp knife is really safer than a dull knife. She id starting to use them more, but...


Ron

[sublime422]

Ed

I completely agree with you. I have lived in northern New Hampshire my whole life, and have had a knife sense I was 2 or 3 and know some people that live in mass and have never been out of the city into the “sticks”. They will be the ones to make the up coming generations even less knowledgeable about knives.

Louie

[catamount]

Ed,

great post :) You really got me thinking about when I was a boy vs. my son today. You've inspired me to go out and have some adventures with him.

[JD Spydo]

Mr. Schempp you bring up a great point to be discussed. I have thought about this topic of kids and the way they grow up versus the way I personally grew up in the 60s & 70s. You are right we would get our Boy Scout gear and about 4 to 6 of us would head off to the timber for an entire day. I was trusted with my first pocket knife when I was 9 years old. I got my first hunting knife about a year or so later. I got my first 22 rifle about a year and a half after that. All of that would be unheard of in this day & age unfortunately.

Here's where lies the problem>> it's all this sick media brainwashing. The movies, television, public schools ( public sewers IMO) are all working hand in hand to mold the minds of our young people like "herd animals". Everything they say about guns & knives all has a really negative slant to it. They are even doing a lot of this brainwashing to the adult population as well. These kids wouldn't need to be on mood altering, anti-depressant drugs if they would just let kids be kids. If I had to live in the environment like a lot of these poor kids have to live in I would be pretty depressed myself.

The media is trying to gear all of us to be worker bees in a tyrannically sick system like we are increasingly finding ourselves caught up in. They even go as far as trying to get us to believe that there is something wrong or immoral about self defense. The Neo-con Media is truly the enemy of us all. But you are right they are really targeting the kids>> our next generation :mad:

[spyderknut]

Do your part. Give knives to your kids' friends (with parental permission) for birthdays and events. Cub Scouts still have the opportunity to earn a Whittlin' Chip in 3rd grade. I think the folks here are the choir. I doubt any of our kids won't have a knife and know how to safely use it before age 10. The difficulty is spreading the word.

[Hannibal Lecter]

My Friends,


Do your part. Give knives to your kids' friends (with parental permission) for birthdays and events. Cub Scouts still have the opportunity to earn a Whittlin' Chip in 3rd grade. I think the folks here are the choir. I doubt any of our kids won't have a knife and know how to safely use it before age 10. The difficulty is spreading the word.

My seven-year old daughter handles Kyocera knives in the kitchen (though Spydercos are still a wee bit too sharp for my comfort - soon though) and has better knife technique than most adults. She has an SAK and I am debating which Spyderco to purchase for her birthday as her first. I am considering a colorful Ladybug, or possibly a Nav II. A Delica would probably be perfect, along with a trainer.

I have already obtained permission from my sort-of-in-laws (long story) that knives may be purchased for my sort-of-nephews-in-law for birthdays, special events, etc. I see SAKs and Spydercos in their immediate future. :D

(In fairness, their parents have already obtained Wal-Mart Natives for all three boys and put them aside for when they get older. Their crazy "uncle" will keep the Spydies coming as they become more mature.)

Knut, you make a very good point - I possess enough certifications to do some instruction, and with my daughter being involved in Girl Scouts and some of my friends being involved with the local Boy Scout Troop, I can hopefully do some long-term good for both knives and firearms.

I'll definitely look into it as spring progresses.

--------
Hannibal

[DAYWALKER]

Mahalo Ed,

Odd in that one of my co-workers and I were talking about this sorta thing. I mean, things have changed drastically from when even I was a kid! :p To me, everything is "too easy" and "automatic" for kids nowadays ya know?

I recall the excellent shape my great grandfather and grandfather were in until a VERY late age...this even my great grandfather attributed to his growing up as a plantation worker, and he and my grandfather would do some commercial fishing together, using knives a lot...I dunno...

Like my co-worker, who was born in Angola had a very "physical upbringing". Today, he does a lot of craft work with wood and raises fighting chickens and other animals. He is constantly on the move and has this...I dunno how ot explain it...a very "tough as nails" sorta look about him. Like my grandfather and great grandfather...

Great topic and God bless my friend,
Chad :cool: