Make a wooden gnome

You’ll need

Swiss Army Knife™
Small folding saw
Wooden stick, approximately 2-3cm in diameter and 20-30cm in length.
G-clamp (optional)

Before you begin

Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Take a look at our guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.
Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help if you’re short of helpers.

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Planning and setting up this activity

Knives are an important tool for a survival situation and can be versatile if you know how to use them safely and properly. Take the time to read and understand the Scout knife safety guidance. You can use the axes and saws example risk assessment as a starting point.
A small folding knife that has a blade fewer than three inches long is suitable for a lot of different survival uses. You may need to use a knife with a larger (or fixed) blade for some activities. You should follow the law, only use them when needed, never carry them in a public place, and always store them securely and out of view. You must be aware of UK knife law before buying, using, or carrying a knife.
Young people must be closely supervised by adults when knives are used.

Keep safe

It’s important to keep the people around you safe when you’re using a knife. You’ll need to create a ‘safe zone’ around the person using the knife. A safe zone is free from people and obstacles. The person leading the activity should remind everyone of the basics of using a knife safely:

Learn how to safely remove a knife from a sheath without cutting yourself.
You should hold a knife firmly but not too tightly.
Your hand shouldn’t be too far back or too far forward.
You should grip the knife, so that you can see some of the handle where it meets the blade.
If you’re making small cuts or carvings, you can place your thumb on the back of the blade to give you more control.
It’s best to cut down towards the ground, with a wooden block or base to make it more stable.
Make sure you’re always cutting away from your body and keeping clear of your hands.

Make your gnome

Gather everyone together and ask if anyone knows what a gnome is. Ask if anyone knows what they're used for. Explain that gnomes are mythical creatures, and people believed they brought good luck and protection. People often use them as garden decorations.
Tell everyone that they’ll be making a gnome out of a wooden stick using a knife.
Everyone should head outside and collect or bring in a long wooden stick. The longer stick should be about 2-3cm in diameter (thickness) and 20-30cm in length. People could also collect these during the week and bring them to the meeting.
Have a knife safety briefing, using the information on this page and our knife safety guidance.
Everyone should find their own space and sit down in a clear area. They should always keep the wood and knife well away from your body and other people. Elbows should be on knees. with the work piece well away from the legs and the body. Cutting close to your body isn’t sensible, because you run the risk of injuring yourself.
Hold the stick and, using the knife, smoothen the stick by removing any extra branches.
Find a ‘bump’ or point on the stick from where a small branch was attached. This part will represent the nose.
Next, hold the stick against a hard surface, such as the edge of a log, for stability. Use your knife to carve out a small mouth and two eyes.
Measure 10cm up from the face of the gnome and cut off the stick at that point.
Use the knife to carve the top part of the stick, above the face, into a point.
Again, hold the stick against a hard surface, for stability. Now, carve a V shape below the nose part to represent the clothes. You may wish to carefully add in some extra details.
Your gnome’s now finished. You can use it to decorate your windowsill. You could also add an outdoor varnish or paint and use it to decorate something outside.

Reflection

This activity helped everyone try new things and develop new skills whilst making a garden gnome.

Have you made a decoration like this before? How did it make you feel while making it? Were there any steps which were more difficult than the other? You can make much more than just a gnome using the same techniques. What other decorations can you think of? Could you make any for someone special or for your local community?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Sharp objects: Teach young people how to use sharp objects safely. Supervise them appropriately throughout. Store all sharp objects securely, out of the reach of young people.