Can you tie a reef knot?

[EldonAve]

Only one in five children can tie a reef knot or repair a flat bike tyre according to a new survey which reveals the practical skills dying out among the young.

I wouldn't even be able to tell you what a reef knot was!!

Yes, I was a Brownie and Guide though :o

My DD is a brownie and has no idea, however....

I'm also over 40....

Yes, but I was a guide, and I'm a dinghy sailor, so pretty poor if I couldnt!

yes!

Yes, and do think basic skills like this should be taught. Ditto basic first aid

Yes
Brownies, guides scouting st john ambulance and navy cadets though.

I'm 32. Don't think my friends brownies can yet though

Right over left and under, left over right and under. Is it that one?

A reef knot is the standard double knot: right over left, then left over right. DS learned reef knots at cub camp, practising on liquorice laces. If he got the knot right, he could eat the liquorice lace.
As for bike tyres, I wouldn't be surprised to find a fair proportion of kids aren't allowed out on their bikes anyway so have never had a flat tyre. My Local Authority does bikeability with all Y6 kids including bike maintenance.

Of course I can. Can't mend a puncture though.

I can tie a reef knot and know how to mend a puncture but have never done it myself.

40 - that's the badger. RE puncture, I can't even ride a bloody bike

Yes, I can do both of those. I'm pretty sure that quite a few of my schoolmates couldn't though. I remember going on a residential and being the only one who could change a bed.

knots

We use some of these to keep our gates up tied shut.

Puncture mending always seemed to involve alchemy. There was French chalk, glue and sandpaper involved iirc.

The Cat's cradle knot/ thingy always baffled me.

Naturally - am a Queen's Guide - smug
Also over 40 - not so smug..

Can do a a reef knot, but not that one where the rabbit goes round the tree and down the hole, or some such.

I can also mend bike tyres - I had to learn at uni, due to the prevalence of bikes and absence of dosh.

I think the reef knot example is a bit of a red herring, tbh. There are plenty of practical skills that children need to learn in order to prepare for adulthood and I think it's down to all of us, as parents, to pass as many of them on best we can. Whether it's mending a bike, cooking a meal, ironing a shirt or catching a bus solo, we let them down if we let them out into the world unable to take care of themselves.

onehand - bowline!

I can do both, parents sail and we were active kids on bikes in childhood - i am 29.

Agree with Cogito... Although, I can do the knots/bicycle tyre (am 46 and was also a Guide).

Yep - learned in Brownies/Guides. I could also knock you up a washing up stand out of bits of wood should the need ever arise although after 3 days the bowl will inevitably fall through covering you in boiling hot scummy water.

acekicker bet you know about welly sticks too? I can make a mean bedding rack from random sticks :)

bigbadbarry - and don't forget four forked sticks and two long ones and you have a natty shoe rack as well

Yes, can tie a reef knot. It is necessary if you want to wear a silk scarf, otherwise the ends stick up oddly.

I do realise that I sound like a Boden-wearing priss writing that, but I have more need of a reef knot for scarf wearing than securing tents.

Cannot mend a puncture, but the bike shop where I bought my bike does it free so haven't had to.

First aid and cooking a meal seems to be of more use than puncture repairs and knots.