CORE how young is too young?

[Junmity]

My 12 year old son is taking the CORE this weekend at VGC. He's a good student and has been out with me a couple times and has a good practical understanding of the core content and I'm pretty confident he'll do fine.

My Daughter is really pressing me to let her go with him but she is only 10. I have taken her duck hunting as my spotter and she loves it. She's a natural as she'll sit there watching and spotting for 4-5 hours without a complaint... in fact she's the one that gets upset when i call it a day! Anyway, she was planning on taking it next year but she likes the comfort of taking it with her big bro beside her.

Is 10 too young? if she doesnt pass in the first go, can she go back and do the test multiple times?

thanks

[warnniklz]

never too young

[Wild one]

I have had my core since I was 10 so I would not say she is too young. If she wants to do it and takes the course with a good instructor it should be no problem

You know your kids better than anyone so it is really best for you to make this call

[Crab Bait]

I think it depends on the instructor. Ask the instructor about teaching the kids, as it is different than teaching adults.

My kids were desperate to get their CORE when they turned 10. The local advertised class was Tues, Weds and Thurs from 7-10pm and being held in a dark industrial building. It would not have worked (given bedtimes, day of the week and the large, very gruff instructor).

I checked around through the local F&W club, and the local sports stores for another instructor. I found an instructor who was willing to put on a "special" class over two/three weekends that was just kids. It was amazing the number of kids out there that wanted to take the class, but didn't know how to go about it. 10 kids age 10 to 16 took the first class, and all passed.

Since then, I have arranged two other "kids only" (though there was a mom in there once) Core classes putting 20+ kids through the program. One of the classes had the highest average mark the instructor had seen.

One of the barriers was the instructor wanting a minimum number of students, before she would teach. Advertise through the local club, through a local hunting/fishing store, and talk to your buddies. Maybe even advertise on HuntngBC?

The kids are used to a classroom setting, and are used to learning that way. They are enthusiastic being around a bunch of other like minded kids so there was minimal screwing around in the class. They did get a lecture before the class (by big scary me) that CORE was very serious stuff. Any misbehaving or goofing off and they would be out.

If you are stuck, organise your own class!

[mike-juliet]

I teach the Core Class for Kent Archibald in Cloverdale, to be honest with you, the young students always surprise me with both there comprehension and retention of what I teach. There test marks are always high as long as they can understand how the test is written, if reading is not a strong skill of theirs then myself or Kent have no issues reading the test out loud so they can understand the questions easier as some of the wording on the test is a tad confusing for the best of us. On more than one occasion we have had a young student fail the test on there own, and then do exceptionally well when we read the questions out loud one on one.

As for the practical firearms once again, if they have prior experience this will no doubt help with the practical handling aspect, as long as they have the upper body strength to manipulate the firearms then they all do well, the only times the youngsters have issues is A) when they are not strong enough to hold or manipulate the firearms and end up waving it around the room while trying to Load/Unload/ PROVE safe etc.. or B) They are so nervous that they seem to forget everything that they have just practiced. Once again, We have youth rifles & Shotguns available so that problem A is almost eliminated, and if the nerves are an issue, a retest one on one the next day usually results in a much better test score.

[mike-juliet]

I checked around through the local F&W club, and the local sports stores for another instructor. I found an instructor who was willing to put on a "special" class over two/three weekends that was just kids. It was amazing the number of kids out there that wanted to take the class, but didn't know how to go about it. 10 kids age 10 to 16 took the first class, and all passed.

Since then, I have arranged two other "kids only" (though there was a mom in there once) Core classes putting 20+ kids through the program. One of the classes had the highest average mark the instructor had seen.


Thats a fantastic idea, Once again my course runs from 7-10:30 Mon-Thurs, I'd like to put on a Friday evening-Sunday course as well but we are short on classroom space. I personally feel their is too much material to cram into a weekend, breaking it up into 3 evenings of instruction and then the test really lets everyone absorb the material without overwhelming anyone with a 9 hour day.

[Steeleco]

I think the child's desire is more important than their age. If they say they are ready and you think they are ready, THEY'RE READY!!

[Junmity]

Thank you all for the quick response!

I booked her in and the instructor said he'll make sure she felt welcome and comfortable.

[snow]

girls are more advanced than boys at that age so she will do at least as good as he does!

[Steeleco]

Thank you all for the quick response!

I booked her in and the instructor said he'll make sure she felt welcome and comfortable.

Maybe you can sit in the first class or two with her? I know the guys I'm using have no issue with it, I'm taking my daughter during the summer holidays. Hell I might even learn something new LOL

[BigfishCanada]

All depends on the Teacher, Kent will ask a kid the question, whereas the kid reading it may get nervous and right down the wrong answer. Kent is who I would put the kids with, there's a dingbat that teachs out of Surrey (Wont mention his name, he's actually a schoold teacher also) that will fail any kid and make them feel stupid.

Again depends on the teacher, and what type of attention they will give the kid

[sarg]

never to young in my eye's. my son got his core at 11 and my 2 daughter just took there last month and they are 10, my daughter has being bugging me for a few year now for hers, :)

[Mulieaddict]

I also have had my CORE since I was ten. As long as they study the book they will do fine.

[DBM]

10 is not too young, if she's interested sign her up. My son got his at 10 and his firearms license at 12. I wish my parents had done the same.

[shelg]

My boy was 11 and he was reading better then some of the 20 year olds. 98% on the written.

[Junmity]

Thats really great! Was feeling like I was throwing her in too early....... but no turning back now!

Thank you all again!!

[Spy]

Great thread my daughter is 9 & wants to do her core. She turns 10 in in June i will have to find a good instructor in Victoria that caters for kids.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

My daughter took her CORE when she was 10. She did all the written text questions in the manual BEFORE she read the manual and took the course and got most of them correct.
The only thing I was worried about for her was handling the firearms and her lack of size but she did well.

Every kid is different.

SSS

[Blacktail]

when I taught CORE for the Victoria Fish and Game I had students from 10 to 45 yrs old and many in the class that were in that 10 -12 age class
often times they did better than the older students.
They were keener to listen and learn more and made better safer hunters the earlier they started.
get her out and take it soon

[Junmity]

Well it was a pretty good weekend...

My 12 year old son passed and my daughter passed the practical but got 50 on the written.

I'm going to review it with her and ask to retake the test next week.... I believe its the terminology that got her questions were often about what something meant rather than understanding the content.

she'll get it next time!

Thanks!

[Junmity]

oh ya....

the other part to the story was when my kids really got that her effort this weekend would result in access to a lifetime of hunting, they lit up!!!

[Blacktail]

If she has a problem with the wording in the questions you have the option of having the test done orally as well
The instructor can read them to her and she answers.
I had to do this for a couple kids over the years for various reasons.

[mike-juliet]

Well it was a pretty good weekend...

My 12 year old son passed and my daughter passed the practical but got 50 on the written.

I'm going to review it with her and ask to retake the test next week.... I believe its the terminology that got her questions were often about what something meant rather than understanding the content.

she'll get it next time!

Thanks!

Like Myself and Blacktail has said, usually when a younger student does poorly on the written it is because they have a hard time understanding the questions in written form, as soon as I go over the test orally with them they do extremely well. They know the right answer, but deciphering the wording of the question is the difficult part.

[Phreddy]

I look more at the capabilities of a kid before I decided to put them on the course if they're under 12. I want to make sure that they pass on their merit as I don't fudge exams for anyone. As a rule the kids pick up the firearm handling safety far faster than a lot of adults. I have tried to get a class going for kids and their moms and another one for women only as I think that is would make an excellent learning situation for them. I want to set folks up to succeed, not fail.

[Junmity]

Well.....

My daughter took the retest yesterday after we've been studying the manual consistently over the past few weeks. When we study together she really gets the material and I'm really impressed but when reads the test she gets confused by the way the questions are written and the introduction to the new vocabulary.... Its a bit frustrating as things like municipality and snow hare are what throw her but if i phrase it as city and rabbit she gets it!

Anyway, I was a bit discouraged as we went back to study the manual, I can see that this may be a larger challenge than I anticipated and she may need to wait a couple years for her language skills to catch up. She is only 10 after all..... I wonder if there are any core examiners in the lower mainland that would be willing to do a verbal retest? She passed the practical test so its just the written portion. I understand it takes much more work to do it this way so I'm happy to pay additional fees.

Thanks for looking.

[GoatGuy]

Just a matter of spending the time and making sure they understand. Use lots of pictures, visual examples and do a lot of quizzing so they understand. Usually have the parents accompany kids in the core course if they are young so everybody's on the same page. Usually the parents and kids enjoy the one on one time they spend reading/learning outside of class.

Keep at 'er. It can definitely be done.

[Junmity]

Ok Thanks,

I may not have mentioned that She took the core course two weeks ago and retested yesterday. My only point was that the content and understanding is good but the verbal skills may be a bit young yet. Some had mentioned that a verbal test is possible so I was talking a shot. we'll keep studying but I just hate to see that discouraged look on her face when I know she knows the stuff.

It may be that she just needs a year or two.

Thanks for the input.

[J_T]

As parents my brother and I were always looking for things for our kids to do. We put together our own, one week, summer camp for our 6 kids. We had a very well renowned CORE, firearm safety instructor from the Elk Valley who just happened to be in the West Kootenays for a short stint who had the time available. We made it a one week course, firearms, shooting, safetey, CORE, archery, blood trailing and fishing. The kids loved it and still talk about it.

[1899]

I did mine when I was 10. I think it depends on the child, and you know your child better than anyone.

[j270wsm]

My son( 11 ) just passed the core course on Sunday. Out of 14 people 6 were under 12 and everyone passed. The instructor was really good with the kids.

[Junmity]

She passed!!

Thanks for all the support and input!

It was actually a great refresher and enjoyable time with my Daughter!

[hare_assassin]

Good for her!

My daughter is slowly but thoroughly working her way through the book. After each chapter, we review it and discuss it together.

Once we get through the book and she feels confident about most of the content, we'll spend a bunch more time at the range and then consider the course.

[GoatGuy]

Congratulations, great to hear.

[mulieaddiction]

never to young to start :) and good for her

[Crab Bait]

I am very happy that she passed, in fact the news made my day!

I will be taking my daughter hunting/camping/fishing this weekend. I try to take each kid (one boy, one girl) on a trip every year, one on one with me. (The boy will pout big time.)

Like you said "enjoyable time with your daughter" and more to come when you two are out in the woods.

[Junmity]

Thank you for the kind words!

I had a permagrin myself!!

She was so relieved that she passed!!

She is a competitive gymnast and trains 20 hrs a week, so her days were school, gymnastics till 8:30 and Core as a bedtime review....

She took a gold in this year's provincials and I swear she was more pleased with herself when she got the pass!

I'm so excited now that we have a lifetime of hunt's in front of us!!

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Very cool!!

I think we as parents worry more about this stuff than our kids do.

Best of luck getting her out into the bush!
Also, make sure you get everything lined up quickly so she can put in for LEH this year.

SSS

[Junmity]

Just thought I'd let you all know she drew an Elk either sex 7-20 Dec 1 - Feb 28

She's got it in her head that she needs to eat bear meat cooked in bear fat....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCJ-Ps8LAmo

se we are going to head up to Ucluelet to see my folks in the fall and see if we cant make that happen!

[XMD70]

Is 10 too young to take the CORE course? No, but be very careful. I have been teaching the CORE course for 38 years. I taught it to my grade 8 Environmental Ed students for many years, I have also taught it to many, many groups of all ages. I have seen many kids with no interest in hunting being forced through the course only so Dad can access that extra LEH card. Not just kids either, but wives and girlfriends too. Sometimes there is tremendous pressure being put on these people, especially the kids, to get that pass. If they aren't ready, it's quite a blow. Think about it. With that CORE certificate comes the right to use a firearm capable of killing any living thing within a radius of several hundred yards, and at the same time to make judgement calls on when or when not to pull the trigger. Is your 10 year old ready, physically or emotionally, for that kind of responsibiliy?

[southpaw]

Could anyone recommend an instructor in the Kelowna area that would be good at teaching kids. A pm would be great.
Thanks

[dropshot]

I put my youngest through at age 10. I do agree though it all depends on the instructor. My eldest took his Minor possession (same as PAL but possession only as he is a minor) He Passed but barely though.
I was told The instructors have no problem teaching kids as I had asked about teaching younger kids. My son was 13 or 14
I was about to sign him up for the CORE at the same place but started to call around and specifically asked the instructors about teaching kids because as mentioned teching adults and teaching kids are a little different, not that you cant teach them together, but you have to be wary of the kids as an instuctor. Some instructors are better at it then others.
The reason I started looking elsewhere was the instructor pulled me aside after my son just barely passed the PAL course ( knowing my son was signed up for their next CORE course) and told me he wasn't sure it was a good idea for my son to take the CORE yet as he had stated it was much more to learn then the PAL course. I actually sat in that class (PAL) with my son and my thoughts were they were good at their teachings but to adults and not to Children. Just my opinion though. So after many phone calls and talking to many instructors I opted to settle on Kent Archibald out of Cloverdale. He is awesome with the kids. after a bit of research i found out he has put hundreds of kids through with out a problem.
I cancelled the CORE class where my eldest took the PAL course and Sent my son to The Firearms Training Center in Cloverdale where Kent was instructing. My son Passed with flying colors and a high percentage ( can't remember exactly what it was as it was a few years backnow, But I do remember thinking to myself about the guy from the PAL course telling me my son wasn't ready yet). As a result I sent my youngest there to Kent ( he is not quite as academic as my eldest) and he too scored a high percentage and passed at 10 years old If that does not tell you its all in how you teach the course (to kids) I dont know what is.
Good luck to you kids. I think it is a good idea to send both of them together.
Ask the instructor too, if the class is big enough that he may let you sit in with your kids to make them feel more comfortable. Some will If there is space in the class Some wont period.