9 Old-School Skills Anyone Can Learn

It’s always fun to learn a new skill, though it does seem to be a dying art. What with the internet and games and so on, it seems that many of us are less inclined to take the time to learn a new skill. But there are many good reasons to do so: it’s a productive way to spend your time, you’ll gain confidence, and you’ll have a talent that’ll impress other people. It’s a win-win-win situation. And with so many of us in lockdown at the moment, there couldn’t be a better time to learn a new skill. In this blog, we’re going to take a look at a series of old-school skills that aren’t quite as popular as they used to be — but which could and perhaps should be! 

Making Bread

We tend to think food comes from, well, the supermarket. But of course, there is no great mystery behind a lot of the foods that you would ordinarily buy; you can make them yourself, with a little bit of time and knowledge on your side. Take bread, for example. People have been making bread for some 30,000 years! Why not try to make it yourself? It’s easy enough, and you’ll find that it tastes much better than what you can buy at the store.

Juggling

It seems like the vast majority of entertainment these days comes from technology. This is even true for kids, who usually get put in front of one type of screen or another. But there’s a simple way to entertain children that involves no technology whatsoever: juggling. It may not be as popular as it once was, but once you’ve learned, you’ll find that you’re able to capture the attention of kids and adults alike. It’s simply a fun skill to have. It can look complicated, but anyone can learn within a few hours of practice. 

Sending Messages

When we think of sending messages these days, it usually involves getting out our smartphones and typing. But it wasn’t always this way — in the old days, there were various, highly effective modes of communication. One such example is morse code, which you’re probably already vaguely aware of but don’t fully understand. It’s an interesting topic to learn about, especially since it was used extensively during many of the big moments that happened over the past century and a half. Take a look at the ‘Carl Kruse Talks Morse Code’ blog to learn more about this old-school way of sending messages. There you’ll learn about various uses of morse code, as well as information about how you can learn it for yourself. 

Writing Letters

You may also want to consider another traditional way of communicating: writing letters! In 2020, we can communicate at the speed of light, but it’s possible that something has been lost by adopting this faster way of talking. When you write a letter, you have the space to really dive into thoughts, and there’s no denying that handwriting is much more intimate than font on a screen. You don’t need anything special to get started: a pen and a piece of fine paper will do. Write a letter to someone who lives far away from you; they’ll be delighted to get it!

Sewing Clothes

We live in an age of fast fashion. If there’s a problem with an item of our clothing, then no problem, we’ll just buy a replacement. But of course, this has a negative impact on both our wallets and our carbon footprint. Instead, why not look at repairing items instead? Sewing holes in clothing used to be something that everyone would do, but now it seems like it’s a relatively rare skill. It doesn’t take much to get started — there are tutorials on YouTube that you can follow, for instance. Once you’ve got the basics down, you can progress, to a point where you’ll be able to rescue any item of clothing of footwear, no matter how damaged it might appear to be. 

A Great Campfire

Modern humans have convenience at their fingertips. If you’re cold, well then, you can just turn on the heating and you’ll soon be warm. But sometimes, it’s good to take ourselves away from all the convenience of modern life, and do things differently. A night under the stars can really reset our sense of ourselves and give our happiness a boost, but you’ll need to know how to stay warm when you’re out there. There is an art to building a fire from scratch. Learn the skill, and you’ll always be able to stay warm when in the great outdoors.

Navigation Options

When we need to get somewhere, we can just pull out our smartphones and use Google Maps to point us in the right direction. It’s convenient, sure, but it’s not very exciting or impressive. Instead, why not impress yourself and others by learning how to navigate using a compass? It’s a useful skill to have; you never know when you might need it! Another extra impressive skill is to direct yourself using the positioning of the stars. This is a little more difficult, but it’s extra satisfying once you know how.

Growing Your Own Vegetables

As with bread, we tend to think that vegetables just come from the store. But it’s not so — they’ll have been grown hundreds of miles away, and then been transported to the store. It’s a long process, right? So why not make it shorter by growing vegetables yourself. If you have a bit of land it’s easy to do, and you’ll find that they taste even better than what you can buy in the store too. 

Playing The Harmonica

Finally, what about the harmonica? You don’t hear too many people playing it anymore, but there’s something magical about hearing a blues song on that little horn instrument. You can learn much quicker when compared to other instruments too. You’ll be grateful for your efforts when you’re serenading people around the campfire that you built!