Field Charts, School Education

Quick Answer: Field Charts are training wall charts on field craft, the outdoor skills of reading ground, judging distance, recognising landmarks, and moving and observing in the open. NCC units, scout and guide groups and outdoor-education teachers use them before exercises outdoors.

Field Craft Skills Taught with Charts

Field craft is the practical side of working outdoors: knowing where you are, describing what you see and moving across country sensibly. Charts in this subject typically show ways of judging distance, such as the unit-of-measure method (counting how many 100-metre lengths fit into the distance) and the appearance method (how much detail of a person or building is visible at different ranges), together with the conditions that make objects look nearer or farther than they are.

Other panels usually cover describing ground with reference points and clock-ray directions, recognising landmarks, and basic map reading, including the difference between true north, grid north and magnetic north and how to set a map with a compass. Observation and concealment topics explain why things are seen: shape, shadow, silhouette, surface, spacing and movement.

The charts give a group a shared vocabulary before it goes outdoors, where the skills themselves are then practised on the ground.

Care & Handling

• Field charts often travel to camps; roll them inside a waterproof tube and unroll them only under cover.
• On a camp notice board, clip them behind a clear plastic sheet to keep off rain and dust.
• After a camp, dry any damp sheets flat before storing them, or mould will spot the paper.

Specifications

Applications

• Briefing cadets or scouts before a map-reading or observation exercise
• Teaching distance-judging methods and checking estimates outdoors
• Explaining true, grid and magnetic north before compass work
• Display in an NCC or scout room

Why Choose LabEquip

NCC and scout units commonly order field charts with the Essentials of Good Shooting Charts for their training rooms. Other titles sit under Educational Charts; send unit requirements through the contact page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main methods of judging distance?

The unit-of-measure method estimates how many known lengths, such as 100-metre stretches, fit into the distance. The appearance method uses how much detail is visible. Averaging several people’s estimates, or halving to a midpoint, improves accuracy.

Why do objects sometimes look closer than they are?

Bright light, a clear atmosphere, looking across water or a valley, and large or brightly lit objects make things seem nearer. Poor light, looking over flat featureless ground, and small objects make them seem farther away.

What is the difference between true, grid and magnetic north?

True north points to the geographic North Pole, grid north follows the vertical grid lines on a map, and magnetic north is where a compass needle points. The small angles between them must be allowed for in accurate navigation.

What does description of ground mean?

A way of describing a view clearly to others by naming reference points, dividing the area into foreground, middle distance and distance, and giving directions such as clock positions from a known point.

Why are things seen in the field?

Instructors often summarise it as shape, shadow, silhouette, surface, spacing and movement. Knowing these helps with both observation and concealment during exercises.

Are field charts only for cadets?

No. Scout and guide groups, adventure clubs and geography field trips also use the map-reading and distance-judging material, since these are general outdoor skills.

Last Updated: September 2026