The Ranger Handbook: Outline
Who it is for: Rangers aged about 5–12 and the grown-ups who walk with them. Little ones read it with a grown-up, older Rangers read it on their own, and Platinum notes are for ages 12+.
How it is modelled: like a Scout or Guide handbook (the WOSM and WAGGGS style). There is a promise, a few simple laws, and skill chapters that each end in a badge step. Health and safety content follows WHO, UNICEF, IFRC first aid and UNMAS/IMAS mine-risk education, all re-written in our own words. Sources are in 99_Sources.md.
House rules for every page: gentle and hopeful; raccoon Rangers only; no flags, no politics, no damage shown. Lily (the smallest, red shoes and one red bow) says every slogan. A grown-up handles fire, hot things, sharp things, deep water, medicine and anything strange or unknown.
Front matter (in this file)
The Ranger Promise (proposed)
I promise to stay with my crew, to be kind to everyone on every side, to ask a grown-up when I'm not sure, and to help where I can.
The Five Ranger Rules (from the series' "Our Survival Rules"; wording proposed)
- Stay together; stay with your grown-up.
- Fire, hot and sharp things are a grown-up's job.
- Stay on the path. See something strange? Stop, don't touch, go back, tell.
- Safe water and clean hands, every day.
- Big feelings are OK; talk to someone you trust.
How badges work
The levels come from the Awards for Living plan (Spin_Offs/Awards_For_Living_Plan.md):
| Level | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ❤️ Heart | I can say it. |
| 🥉 Bronze | I can show it. |
| 🥈 Silver | I did it for real with a grown-up. |
| 🥇 Gold | I taught someone or helped my family plan. |
| 💎 Platinum | Ages 12+: I helped lead it for a group, with a grown-up. |
A grown-up checks each step. There are no tests and no scores, and we never compare children. Earning a level colours one segment of the blue heart on the armband.
Chapters (one file = one PDF)
| File | Chapter | Badge areas (plan / Badge_Matrix.csv) | Episodes and cards | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01_Water.md | Ranger_Handbook_01_Water.pdf | Water | Clean Water · Safe Storage · Water Hero · Clean Hands & Hygiene | EP01–08, #001–#008 |
| 02_Sick_Get_Help_Fast.md | …02….pdf | Sick? Get Help Fast | Get Help Fast (Health) · First Aid | planned Health arc, First Aid arc |
| 03_Family_and_Safety.md | …03….pdf | Family & Safety | Stay Together & Find Helpers | Opener #000, Go Bag #GB1, planned Family arc |
| 04_Danger_Awareness.md | …04….pdf | Danger Awareness | Hazard Smart / Danger Smart | EP15 #015, Scavenger Hunt #SH01, planned EP18–21 |
| 05_Shelter_and_Warmth.md | …05….pdf | Shelter & Warmth | Warmth · Shelter · Flood Safety · Power Out · Warmth & Shelter | EP09–14, #009–#014 |
| 06_Food.md | …06….pdf | Food | Food | planned Food arc |
| 07_Big_Feelings.md | …07….pdf | Big Feelings | Strong Heart · Calm Heart · Kindness Heart · Courage Star | planned Big Feelings, Boredom and Sadness |
| 08_Fix_It.md | …08….pdf | Fix It | Helping Hands (character) · Power Out | EP15 #015, Scavenger Hunt spin-off |
| 09_Keep_Clean.md | Ranger_Handbook_09_Keep_Clean.pdf | Keep Clean | Clean Hands & Hygiene | EP05 #005, HY01–HY21 hygiene reels (DRAFT) |
| 10_Girls_Only_Periods.md | Ranger_Handbook_10_Girls_Only_Periods.pdf | Girls Only: Periods (APPROVED by David Oct 21 2026; IN the full book with a girls-only title page, also its own PDF) | optional private badge only | HY17 (DRAFT), Ch. 9, #GB1 |
| 11_Big_Weather_and_Earth.md | Ranger_Handbook_11_Big_Weather_and_Earth.pdf | Big Weather & Earth | Weather Ready (new) | EP09–13, #GB1 |
| 12_Little_Ones.md | Ranger_Handbook_12_Little_Ones.pdf | Little Ones | Little Ones Helper (new) | planned Helping With Baby |
| 13_First_Aid_Ranger.md | Ranger_Handbook_13_First_Aid_Ranger.pdf | First Aid Ranger | First Aid (expanded) | planned First Aid arc |
| 14_Safe_Me.md | Ranger_Handbook_14_Safe_Me.pdf | Safe Me (with a 12+ section) | Safe Me (Heart and Bronze only) | planned Family/Camp safety, HY21 |
| 15_Every_Ranger_Belongs.md | Ranger_Handbook_15_Every_Ranger_Belongs.pdf | Every Ranger Belongs | Every Ranger Belongs (new) | Opener #000, planned Wheels Go Too |
| 16_Fire_Knife_Axe.md | Ranger_Handbook_16_Fire_Knife_Axe.pdf | Fire, Knife & Axe (Pathfinders 11–13, Trailblazers 14–17; fire safety only for younger kids) | Fire & Tools (Silver, Gold) | planned Fire Is a Grown-Up Job |
| 90_For_Grown_Ups.md | …90….pdf | For Grown-Ups | all, plus how to sign off | all |
| 99_Sources.md | …99….pdf | Sources | n/a | n/a |
Full book: combine 00 → 99 in filename order into Ranger_Handbook_Full.pdf.
Same layout in every chapter (for the PDF builder)
- YAML front matter:
title,part,pdf,status. # Titleand a one-line Lily slogan in a>quote.## What Rangers know(skills)## Ranger checklist(- [ ]boxes, printable)## Earn your badge(a table of Heart → Platinum)## Watch and learn(episodes and Field Cards)## Grown-up note(short) A page break goes before each##that has `
above it. Pandoc example:pandoc 01_Water.md -o Ranger_Handbook_01_Water.pdf; for the full book (chapter 10 included),pandoc 0.md 1[0-6]_.md 9*.md -o Ranger_Handbook_Full.pdf(00–16, 90, 99). Age-level books and the full book:python3 build_books.py` (see AGE_LEVEL_BOOKS_PLAN.md).
Episode numbering note
Produced episodes EP01–EP15 follow the approved pack order (Water, then Warmth/Shelter/Flood/Outage). Series_Plan.md's older "Wk" table numbers the later arcs differently. So this handbook names planned episodes by title and uses EP numbers only for produced ones and for EP18 (renamed "Stop, Don't Touch, Go Back, Tell").
Safety review sign-off (before public use)
| Chapter | Reviewer | Signed |
|---|---|---|
| 02, 12, 13 | Medical | ☐ |
| 04 | Mine-action / EORE | ☐ |
| 07 and the Grief Center | MHPSS | ☐ |
| 10, 14 | Child protection and menstrual health | ☐ |
| All others | David | ☐ |
Age-level books
See AGE_LEVEL_BOOKS_PLAN.md: Sprouts, Trail Seekers, Pathfinders, Trailblazers, Girls' Book and Grown-Ups' Book are built from these chapters; books/Sprouts.md has the new Sprouts text.