footprints: answers

75: tangled webs

teachers’ notes

1. Knot tying is a popular easy-to-organise hands-on activity that can be run in almost any setting. All you need is a class set of lengths of rope or cord. I cut old climbing rope into approximately 1.5 metre lengths. (Old abseiling rope is a bit too stiff.)
2. A good way to teach knots is like in the first 2 diagrams on page 75 of Footprints, using several bits of rope for each knot, one bit for each step in the tying. The ropes are laid out on the floor/ground in the centre of the group so that students can copy the steps with their own bit of rope.
3. In both WA &Victoria, I have run climbing as the major activity for one term of middle school outdoor education electives. Part of the assessment included tying the following knots:
   • overhand loop
   • figure 8 on a bight
   • figure 8 rethread
   • bowline
   • alpine butterfly
   • clove hitch
   • reef knot
   • sheet bend
   • double sheet bend
   • chain
4. See how many of the above knots students can tie on a single length of rope or cord.

additional activities

1. Discussion questions (based on information provided in “Tangled webs” worksheet):
   1. What are 5 properties of a good knot?
   2. If a new 11mm climbing rope can (just) support the weight of an unladen 22-seater mini-bus, what would happen if someone tied a knot in the rope & then tried to lift the mini-bus?
   3. When you really know how to tie a knot, you could tie it with your _______ _______ .
   4. What are 2 foolish & potentially dangerous things NOT to do when you are tying knots?
2. Do a show & tell of different sorts of rope (e.g. kernmantel rope [with frayed end visible – see right], polypropelene rope, sisal rope, etc.)
   
3. Show films like Cliffhanger & Touching the void. Go figure why Silvester Stallone is climbing a tower at the start of Cliffhanger with a massive rack but no rope.

additional resource

Warild, A. Vertical, a technical manual for cavers, The Speleological research Council. Ltd, Sydney (1994). Even though this book is written specifically for cavers, it has loads of really good information about equipment & techniques that are common to various forms of rope-based adventuring.

© wipeout.com.au
For further support, email SOS@wipeout.com.au

back to answers | back to footprints