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Make a Fake Pocket Knife for Safety Demonstrations

About this Fake Pocket Knife

When discussing pocket knife safety with Cub Scouts, I found it helpful to have them demonstrate their knowledge with a fake cardboard knife before putting a real knife in their hands. We made the fake pocket knives first. Then we put some lipstick on the “blade” of the knife. They practiced opening, closing, and pretend carving with the cardboard pocket knife. Then they checked their hands for lipstick “cuts”.

This was a fun, hands-on method to go over the safety rules. They were engaged and I could see if they knew how to use their knives correctly before we moved on to carving with real knives.

How to Make a Fake Pocketknife for Safety Demonstrations

Use this cardboard “pocketknife” to show children how to safely handle a knife.

Materials  

Instructions 

fake pocketknife 1
  1. Cut the handle and blade shapes as shown . The handle is all one piece. The shapes don’t have to be exact. Make them the size of a real pocketknife.
  2. Punch holes in the cardboard where indicated by the black dots.
  3. Fold the handle along the center line.
  4. Insert the blade into the handle, aligning the hole in the blade with the holes in the handle. Remember to orient the blade so that it is facing the same direction as it would in an actual knife.
  5. Use a brad to attach the blade to the handle.
  6. Your knife should look something like the image below and you should be able to “open” and “close” it.
fake pocketknife 2
Whittling Chip Card Corners

Whittling Chip Card Corners

A reader asks about cutting the corners from a Whittling Chip card when the owner commits a safety infraction.

Bear Claws Cub Scout Adventure

Bear Claws Adventure Helps and Resources

For this adventure, Bears learn how to use their pocketknives safely and carve a couple of items.

Whittling Chip

When a Cub Scout earns his or her Whittling Chip, that means he or she is ready to handle a knife safely.

Pocket Knife Safety

A sharp blade can be a useful tool at camp. It can also be dangerous when used carelessly. Here are some tips from Scouting magazine.

Comments

7 responses to “Make a Fake Pocket Knife for Safety Demonstrations”

  1. Thamar Avatar
    Thamar

    Do you have a template for the fake pocketknife to print? Thank you!

    1. Scouter Mom Avatar
      Scouter Mom

      No, I just drew it free hand.

  2. AMY Avatar
    AMY

    Cool, great idea!

  3. Isaac Avatar
    Isaac

    How are we supposed 2 make sure the handle don’t break when the blade is out? it looks empty on the inside so when you take the blade out the handle will snap.
    Is there anyway 2 stop that from happening? Thanks!!! And I love the idea!

    1. Isaac Avatar
      Isaac

      Sorry I didn’t mean 2 put a rating don’t look at the rating

    2. Scouter Mom Avatar
      Scouter Mom

      You can reinforce it with a little tape. Personally, I didn’t worry about it when we used them. It was just for a little demo.

  4. Isaac Avatar
    Isaac

    Ok thanks a lot 🙂

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