🧭 SurvivalGrade 4Lesson 1
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Plan Your Hike: the Route Card

  1. 1Print it first. Read it once together and talk it through.
  2. 2Exercises on paper, then correct together with the answer key.
  3. 3Next day: a 10-minute review here on screen saves progress.

What you will learn

  • 1Fill in a route card with the start, route, checkpoints, and timings
  • 2Set a turnaround time and a return time for a hike
  • 3Leave the route card with someone who stays behind
  • 4Explain why you plan slower than you think and stick to the plan
📘

Mini Lesson

Every good hike starts at home, with a pencil and a piece of paper. A route card is a simple plan of your trip: where you start, which way you go, when you will be back, and who is going. You hike with a grown-up, and together you write the card BEFORE you leave. Then you hand it to someone who is staying behind, so if you are late, they know exactly where to look.

🌿 The Wild Way (plan it before you go)

  • START POINT: write down exactly where the hike begins - a parking lot, a gate, or a trail sign.
  • ROUTE AND CHECKPOINTS: list the path you will follow and the landmarks you will pass, like a bridge, a lake, or a hilltop.
  • ROUGH TIMINGS: guess how long each part will take, then write down the time you expect to reach each checkpoint.
  • TURNAROUND TIME: pick the time you will turn back, even if you have not reached your goal yet.
  • RETURN TIME: write the time you expect to be back at the start, so someone knows when you are late.
  • WHO AND WHAT: list everyone in the group and what you are carrying, like water, food, a warm layer, and a whistle.

The golden rules of a route card

  • LEAVE IT BEHIND: always give the card to someone who stays at home, and tell them when to raise the alarm if you are not back.
  • PLAN SLOWER: plan for walking slower than you think, and add rest breaks for snacks, water, and tired legs.
  • TURN BACK ON TIME: when the turnaround time comes, you turn back - the goal will still be there another day.
  • STICK TO THE PLAN: follow the route on the card. If you change it, nobody will know where to look for you.
⚠️

You always hike with a grown-up, and the grown-up has the final say on the plan. Never leave without giving the route card to someone who is staying behind. If you change your route on the trail, the people at home will be searching in the wrong place - so stick to the plan.

Words to know

route card

A written plan of your hike: where you start, which way you go, when you are back, and who is going.

checkpoint

A landmark on your route, like a bridge or a lake, that you plan to reach at a certain time.

turnaround time

The time you turn back, even if you have not reached your goal.

return time

The time you expect to be back at the start of the hike.

raise the alarm

To call for help because someone is late or missing.

stick to the plan

To follow the route on your card, so people know where to look for you.

A route card next to a hiking route with a start, two checkpoints, and a turnaround pointWrite the plan, leave the card, stick to the routeROUTE CARDStart: gateCheckpoints: bridge, lakeTurnaround: 11:30Back by: 2:00Who: 3 peopleleave it with someone at homestartbridgelaketurnaround timePlan slow · add rests · turn back on time
💡

🧠 Survivor’s Trick: when you guess your timings, plan as if you walk slower than you really do, then add a rest break every hour. If you finish early, great - but a plan that is too fast is the one that leaves you on the trail when it gets dark.

🧭

Guided Practice

Pick a word from the Trace menu and look carefully — after 3 seconds the ghost letters fade and you write the word from memory. Tap 🔁 Show again to bring the model back, or 🔍 Bigger for a fullscreen practice canvas.

Tracing Pad

Tip: Say each word aloud as you copy it.

Now type any 3 different words from the Trace menu above. Look back if you need to — this is typing practice, not a memory test.
1.
2.
3.
✏️

Exercises

Fill in the missing word on each line of the route card.

1
The point is the exact place where the hike begins.
2
A is a place on the route, like a bridge or a lake.
3
At the time, you turn back even if you have not reached the goal.
4
The time is when you expect to be back at the start.
5
Always leave the route card with someone who stays .
6
Plan slower than you think and add breaks.

Put the steps to plan a hike in the correct order.

1
2
3
4
5
6

Pick the best answer for each question.

1. What is a route card?

2. Who should you give your route card to?

3. What does the person at home need to know from you?

4. It is your turnaround time, but the hilltop is only a little further. What do you do?

5. Why should you plan to walk slower than you think?

6. Halfway along, someone wants to try a different path that is not on the card. What is the best choice?

7. Which of these belongs on a route card?

8. Who has the final say on the hiking plan?

🎯

Parent Checklist

For the parent: after correcting together, check off what your child has really understood

Lesson 2: Read the Weather on the Trail →
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