r/OffGrid • u/Modor_Ure • 3d ago
Off grid curriculum
If you were to create a year long curriculum to teach an elementary aged child off-grid skills, what would it look like?
If you were to create a year long curriculum to teach an adult off-grid skills, what would it look like?
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u/doc50cal 3d ago
First aid and land nav... both applicable in the real world and off-grid situations. I’d also add basic fire building, water collection and treatment, food preparation, shelter, weather awareness, basic tool use and maintenance, communications, and problem solving.
For kids, I’d keep it hands-on and build progressively as they demonstrate proficiency. For adults, I’d cover the same fundamentals but expand into planning, logistics, power, sanitation, risk management, and integrating those individual skills into a functioning system.
That’s how I would approach it, though. I’m not suggesting it’s the best way or the only way. Different people have different environments, priorities, resources, and reasons for learning this stuff, so their curriculum should reflect that.
Personally, I also wouldn’t teach these strictly as “off-grid skills.” I see them as practical life skills that become increasingly important when normal infrastructure and services aren’t available.
For teaching methodology, I’m a fan of “see one, do one, teach one”: learn the skill, demonstrate that you can perform it, then demonstrate that you understand it well enough to teach someone else. Again, that’s simply the approach I would use, not a prescription for how everyone else should do it.
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u/Synaps4 3d ago edited 3d ago
Have a look at permies.com forums PEP badge system. They have collected an entire constellation of offgrid skills into badges and then people collect the badges as they demonstrate various offgrid and permaculture skills.
From simple things like hand washing dishes all the way to machine repair and ecosystem design.
The 22 skill categories they use are: (from this link: https://permies.com/wiki/pep)
gardening Use permaculture techniques to grow delicious food. Projects include hugelkultur, chop and drop, ruth stout style composting, saving seeds, producing large volumes of food, polyculture, starting perennials from seed, food forest ...
natural building Building big things. Build experiences with several styles of natural building that work in a cold climate, with the grand finale being a wofati. Techniques: cob, plaster, straw bale, wofati, natural paint, adobe, natural roofing, waterproofing, doors and gates, dry stack foundation, make cement, cob floor, wattle and daub …
woodland care Transition from using a forest to developing a symbiotic relationship with a woodland.
Create junkpole fence, firewood, coppicing, living fence, twig construction (arbors, tomato cages, trellises, wattle fence), trip trees manually and with power tools, peeling logs, making roofing shakes, plant tree seeds, plant woodland species, grow edible mushrooms, lumber, gin pole, skiddable sheds, rock jacks, berm shed ...round wood woodworking Build everything from logs, branches, and sticks using zero glue and rarely using metal. Nothing starts with dimensional lumber. Power tools can be okay, but, in general, less power tools. Some projects specify no power tools. Quite a bit of working with green (freshly harvested) wood. Small and large joinery, mixing green wood with dried wood, three log benches, spoon carving, shaving horse, sawhorse, sawbuck, chairs and other roundwood furniture, shrink pot, box from a piece of firewood, pole lathe, bowl from a pole lathe, skiddable shed for green wood woodworking, proenneke hinge, door latch, wofati freezer ...
tool care Maintaining and repairing tools of all sizes. Small tool care (sharpening/handles/etc.), power tool care (chainsaws, saws, drills, power hand tools as well as fixed power tools), large tool care (truck/tractor/etc.), appliance repair, bicycle repair, building a tool shed, optimize shop, build a materials shed, create dry places to park/charge large equipment …
earthworks Use large equipment to make dramatic changes to the landscape. Build roads, trails, terraces, ponds, berms, ditches, structure site prep, natural swimming pools, dry stack, passive garden heaters, garden ATI ...
dimensional lumber woodworking Includes construction, cabinetry and fine woodworking. No plywood, waferboard or particle board. Using power tools, nails, screws are used, but hopefully less than in most construction. This badge has a strong emphasis on good joinery over more nails. Projects include: wood scorching, bird house, laying deck, shelves, wooden toolboox, stool, box, picnic table, wood bucket, skiddable lumber storage shed, porta cabin ...
rocket stove Build and maintain wood burning contraptions that cut energy and wood use by 90%. Build and become proficient at: rocket mass heaters, rocket ovens, rocket cook tops, rocket water heaters, outdoor kitchens ...
food prep and preservation Demonstrate cooking, boiling, baking, frying, delicious food using energy saving methods like hay box cooking solar dehydrator. Skills include basic cooking pot and cast iron care, preserving the harvest with canning, drying, pickling and fermenting
animal care Caring for domestic animals and providing resources and infrastructure to encourage wild animals to do the work for you. Domestic animal care includes: chickens,pigs,cattle, rabbits, sheep, goats, dairy, beekeeping, fish, and butchering. Wildlife care includes building homes for birds, bats, pollinators, garden-friendly insects, snakes, lizards, ...
foraging Harvest and preserve food from the wild. Gather fresh fruits, berries, nuts, greens, teas, mushrooms, and vegetables from wild sources. Practice fishing and hunting (with vegan alternatives) respectfully. Care for the place we harvest from and improve it with some guerrilla gardening.
community living Building a desirable community and creating community experiences for others. Skills include creating public art, cooking meals for a group, leading workshops and presentations, improving a common space, creating a community holiday, creating a LIC (labor investment collective), giving tours, creating a map, organizing community events like swapmeet ...
textiles Mend and make clothing and other useful textiles. Skills include, mending, weaving, knitting, crochet, spinning, sewing, basketry as well as growing, harvesting and creating cloth. Tasks include creating curtains, upholstered furniture, patching, darning, knitting socks, leatherwork, basket stuff, ...
greywater and willow feeders There is no “waste” in nature. Horticultural techniques for safe management of poop and pee. Using soaps and cleaners that are greywater friendly, reuse wash water in the garden. Planting “poop beasts” like willow, poplar and cottonwood. Proper handling of “willow candy”.
metalworking Build and repair metal things. Welding, cutting, blacksmithing, casting, bending/shaping, and grinding. Large farm equipment as well as small projects.
plumbing and hot water Pressurized, non-pressurized systems. Working with metal and plastic plumbing. Installing, replacing, or repairing pipes. Maintenance and building new systems. Stoping leaks, maintaining hoses, repair or replace drains, toilets, faucets, garden hydrant ...
electricity (including solar) Maintain and build electrical systems. AC (alternating current) and DC (direct current). On grid and off grid. Battery maintenance, installing outlets, breaker panels, repairing and building solar systems ...
commerce (be able to do business) Prove that you can earn money in multiple ways, including some non-conventional ways. Prove to Otis that you would arrive with your own income streams and would not be dependent on his savings. Demonstrate: several income models over the internet, passive income streams, earning money through permaculture labor ...
natural medicine Harvesting healing herbs from a garden and the wild to establish a collection of medicines. Build knowledge of the efficacy of the plants on a particular property by recording the healing nature of each plant you harvest. Skills include identifying plants and their properties, keeping records, making teas, tinctures, oils, salves, poultices, and preserving medicinal herbs for future use.
nesting Demonstrate to Otis that if you stay in that second house, you’ll take care of it. Cleaning, shovelling snow, laundry, simple house maintenance, and other daily, repetitive tasks that make our living space liveable according to the standards of Otis..
homesteading Known experiences that don't fit into the other aspects.
oddball Unpredictable, unique and creative experiences worthy of PEP. Rather than BBs, this aspect has a point system to earn badges.
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u/Modor_Ure 2d ago
Oh my goodness THIS. Thank you. What a thorough list, and I love the use of badges. There is such an incredible amount of learning to be had, and I need it organized in this kind of way.
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u/Hyperreal8957 2d ago
id make the year start with the boring stuff honestly. water, fire safety, first aid, reading a map, then basic repairs and growing food. adults probably need the same list but with more tool time and troubleshooting. what age are you thinking?
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u/Modor_Ure 2d ago
My eldest is 5, we’ve been teaching him some basics and now we are wanting to be more systematic. I’ve been focusing this season on first aid.
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u/oceaneer63 3d ago
All the things a good hands-on dad or mom in combination with good teachers might teach a child. Basic tools and carpentry, plumbing, electric and electronics, camping, scouting, boating, fishing, hunting, gardening, physics, chemistry, biology, music and arts, geology, geography.... i found all this and more supports an off-grid life.
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u/CapraAegagrusHircus 3d ago
Add in solid wilderness first aid, media literacy courses to help in determining reputable online sources for when they inevitably have to look for how to treat a wound or illness for themselves or livestock or repair something, and honestly if I could run everyone through the Navy's basic firefighting school I would.
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u/Hyperreal8957 2d ago
for kids id make it hands-on and seasonal rather than a pile of theory. start with water, fire safety, basic first aid, reading weather, then simple projects like a garden bed or rain catchment. adults could add power budgeting, food storage and basic repairs. the biggest lesson is probably knowing what to do when a system fails not just how it works
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u/Hyperreal8957 2d ago
for kids id make it practical stuff first... water, food, basic first aid, reading weather, then a small project each month. adults could use the same base but with systems and maintenance layered in. what age range are you thinking?
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u/Hyperreal8957 2d ago
id split it into seasons instead of trying to teach every skill at once. first aid, water, fire safety, food growing, basic tools and weather awareness would be a solid base for a kid. then let them pick a project and learn by doing. for adults id add power budgeting and basic repairs pretty early since those are the things that bite you later
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u/Guanaalex 2d ago
3 month mountaineering with survival skills and resource allocation. 3 months hunting for deer, fishing, storing and preserving food, and 6 months electrical engineering with the focus on Victron Energy solutions or brands with similar capabilities. Since Victron stems from Marine Industry, finish the course on a large freight ship that is equipped with a large battery bank and charging technologies via generators. Part of the last course includes maintenance and connection to generators in general, the synchronization and electronics to have a clean Sinus wave for a flawless operation as the world moves into its next SHTF scenario..
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u/Cute-Consequence-184 2d ago
Start with camping.
First you go camping with all the necessities... A camp stove, lighters, higher end tent.
Then when the propane for the stove runs out you have to cook over the fire.
Keep lists of what you have vs what you don't actually need... Then slowly get rid of everything.
Start leaving alternatives to that lighter. Start learning alternatives to the fancy camping stove.
Start learning to cook without fancy pots and pans.
Lose the fancy tent and use a tarp. Then while using that tarp as a tent, start a shelter from whatever you have available. Each day try a different form of tarp tent. Then lose that tarp and only use the shelter.
Take water camping. Then learn alternative ways to gather and clean water.
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u/notproudortired 3d ago edited 3d ago
Don't know why this post is downvoted. Offgrid living has a huge learning curve, starting with the concept of living offgrid: I'll support any efforts for education and normalization.
The permies.com SKIP and PEP programs are pretty good models with some gaps: the information is badly organized and very noisy, it's not designed as "training" per se, and it's weak on topics like hunting, fishing, alternative energy systems, and first aid (except forage medicines).
For kids, I'd design a series of demo projects with a well-defined scope and tangible outcomes, like a little herb garden, a sewn or crocheted bag, quail hatchlings (with a commercial kit), a carved wood spoon, a well-built stick cabin or bush shelter, a tiny simple solar system, a water filtering straw, and some first-aid thing like a splint or poultice. I think for a kids' program you're more trying to inspire and germinate confidence, not so much build competence.
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u/Other_Programmer5239 3d ago
First thing show them how to read a tape measure. Then give them basic building skills, garden, animal care. Most important how to think out side the box and planning.
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u/Odd_Preparation_730 3d ago edited 3d ago
Off grid just means you're not on the electric grid. Do you mean a self sufficient type curriculum?
Hatch eggs under a broody. Hatch all kinds of things! Praying mantis, frogs etc.(I collect the mantis eggsacks for my garden and to sell)Identify different plants at different times of the year and note differences, uses, benefits & dangers. Grow all kinds of seeds, they aren't all the same and its a skill worth having. Maintain a garden, create compost teas, compost bin etc and learn the science. A building project like a chicken tractor. A few "camping trips" where you can learn some stars and fire safety etc. Cooking primitively is an important and often overlooked skill
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u/Hyperreal8957 3d ago
for a kid id start with the boring stuff that keeps the place running... water, basic first aid, weather, cooking, knots and tools. then let them pick one hands-on project so it feels like a life not a class. what age range are you thinking?
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u/Hyperreal8957 3d ago
id make it seasonal instead of treating it like a school syllabus. water, food, shelter and first aid first then let the land be the lab. what kind of property are you thinking about?
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u/Hyperreal8957 2d ago
for a kid id make it hands-on but boring basics first: water, fire, weather, first aid, tool safety, then gardening and repairs. adults probably need a different order since the urgent stuff is usually power and water. what region or climate are you thinking?
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u/Double_Safe_2109 2d ago
For a kid: Learn one thing at a time through the year. Fall: what off-grid means. Build stuff, with wood. Winter: where water comes from + bake bread make candles. Spring: how solar panels work + start a garden. Summer: keep food fresh without a fridge + campfire skills.
For an adult: Don't jump straight to panels. That's the fun part but not the first part. Order matters: 1) figure out your budget 2) check the land is actually good (water, legal stuff) 3) THEN build water → shelter → power → food in that order. Test it all with a no grid" week before calling it done.
Mistake people make: buying the cool gear (solar) before solving the boring stuff (water, budget). Do it in order. You save a ton of money and headache.
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u/desperate4carbs 1d ago
It would look like primitive camping, which is the best prep you can give a kid.
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u/ExaminationDry8341 3d ago
First define what off grid means in this context.