OLT Chug

The 5 C's of survival are what you need when life puts you in an unexpected situation. The OLT boys learned them this week — and every parent and child should know them too. Not every camping trip is planned.

Most children—and many adults—would have no idea how to evacuate an injured person in the wilderness. This week at OLT, the boys learned how to turn sticks, shoelaces, and trash bags into an emergency stretcher. More than a wilderness skill, it was a lesson in creativity, problem-solving, and confidence. When boys discover they can do things that most people can't, it changes how they see themselves.

No matches. No lighter. Just flint, steel, and ancient knowledge. BD Greenman, the Cowboy Rabbi from Israel, teaches boys one of the highest level fire-making skills at OLT — and most adults couldn't do what these boys just learned to do.

No matches. No lighter. Just wood, friction, and everything they've learned. The OLT boys tackled one of the most advanced skills in the program — bow drill fire making. And when the first ember glowed and a boy raised his fire and said "And the sun rises" — everything we do at OLT made sense in a single moment.This week, a parent put it into words for us.

Not all learning happens at a desk. For many boys, traditional classrooms don’t always align with how they best engage, focus, and grow. At OLT, we’ve seen again and again that when learning becomes active—when it involves movement, challenge, teamwork, and real-world problem solving—something powerful happens. Energy turns into focus. Restlessness turns into engagement. And education becomes lived experience. This week, a parent put it into words for us.

During an OLT session the boys picked up bows and arrows. And Rabbi Landau's words said everything we've been trying to say for fifteen years. You don't push a child into greatness. You hold them close — so they can launch.

Excerpt: Kids being kids — getting outside, getting muddy, getting their hands and feet dirty — isn't just fun. It's essential. BD Greenman, the Cowboy Rabbi from Israel, makes the case for why boys need to get out of the house, get uncomfortable, and grow into the men they're meant to be. This week, a parent put it into words for us.

BD and the OLT boys headed out to a stream to hunt for tadpoles — and what unfolded was a masterclass in childhood. Mud, discovery, a creature growing legs right in front of their eyes, and boys who forgot to be squeamish. This is what outdoor education looks like up close. We build fires. We hike trails. We challenge boys to do hard things outdoors. But what happens inside a boy — that's the part that's hard to put into words. This week, a parent put it into words for us.

Deep in the forest, a group of boys collected firewood, built a rocket stove from bricks, and were handed one single match. No second chances. No do-overs. This is the moment OLT builds boys for. We build fires. We hike trails. We challenge boys to do hard things outdoors. But what happens inside a boy — that's the part that's hard to put into words. This week, a parent put it into words for us.

We received a message from a parent this week. His son has been attending Outdoor Leadership Training and the change he's describing is exactly why we built this program. More relaxed. Doing better in school. A different kid. In the best possible way. We build fires. We hike trails. We challenge boys to do hard things outdoors. But what happens inside a boy — that's the part that's hard to put into words. This week, a parent put it into words for us.

No matches. No shortcuts. Just persistence. I'm BD Greenman, your Cowboy Rabbi from Israel. And I want to talk to you about game cameras. Nobody tells you about the twig.

Nature doesn’t soften its lessons. In the wild, every moment carries clarity, purpose, and consequence — and those same truths can shape how young people learn to move through the world with confidence and self-reliance. Nobody tells you about the twig.

When Rabbi Eli Stefansky posed a question to 70 men in his Daf Yomi shiur, no one had the answer. No one, that is, except an 11-year-old boy from Ramat Beit Shemesh. This is Chaim Pinchas Ellis — and this is what Outdoor Leadership Training makes possible.

A simple buried cache turns into a powerful lesson in planning, patience, and adventure.

The real impact of outdoor education is seen when children take what they’ve learned and use it confidently on their own.

What started years ago in a chug has come full circle—now a father watches his sons build the fire that feeds their family in the forests of Beit Shemesh.

It’s never really about the frogs. It’s about stepping off the sidewalk, going a little farther than before, and discovering the adventure waiting just beyond the edge of the city.

This week, 90 boys went into the field and broke hundreds of bottles — on purpose. What looks destructive at first glance is actually a powerful Torah-based approach to channeling energy into resilience, confidence, and leadership through Outdoor Leadership Training.

In Ketubot 50a, Chazal teach us to “provide vessels to break” — a powerful metaphor for channeling adolescent energy. Boys are wired for strength and challenge, and with the right outlets, that drive becomes resilience and leadership. Through Outdoor Leadership Training, we turn raw energy into responsibility, confidence, and character.

While the ground was still wet from rain, kids ages eight through twelve learned how to build fire, bake bread in tin cans, and stay calm in the wild — skills many adults don’t have. This is a story about confidence, capability, and discovering who you are when things aren’t easy.