Bear Grylls: Survival School
By Melissa Camacho,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Kid-focused survivalist adventure teaches valuable lessons.
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What's the Story?
BEAR GRYLLS: SURVIVAL SCHOOL is a reality series hosted by survivalist Bear Grylls as he teaches kids to survive the wild. For two weeks, a team of older tweens and teens leave their electronics at home and travel to northwest Wales to participate in a survival school, where they learn how to properly secure food, build shelter, and protect themselves from the elements. They also learn how to climb and rappel along with other skills necessary to travel over rough terrain. Sometimes they participate in challenges designed to help them use their skills under pressure. In the final 24 hours, they're dropped on a mountain in Snowdonia National Park and must navigate their way back as a team to the rendezvous point in order to successfully graduate.
Is It Any Good?
This installment of the Bear Grylls franchise promotes the value of spending time in the outdoors, and doing so responsibly, to a generation of kids who aren't often encouraged to do so. It also promotes positive values like team leadership, problem-solving, perseverance, and courage, all of which are designed to make them stronger, more independent individuals.
There's some whining and tears as the kids struggle to face their fears, and at times frayed nerves and exhaustion lead to some bickering. Meanwhile, the overall series serves as a promotional vehicle for Grylls. But overall, Bear Grylls: Survival School contains very empowering messages that young folks can benefit from. They may even be inspired to check out the great outdoors.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what it would be like to go through survivalist training. What are your goals? Your biggest fears? Do you think you would make it all the way through?
Bear Grylls: Survival School offers lots of important lessons about safely spending time in nature. What are some of the things you learned while watching?
TV Details
- Premiere date: September 9, 2017
- Cast: Bear Grylls
- Network: Universal Kids
- Genre: Reality TV
- Topics: Great Boy Role Models, Great Girl Role Models
- Character Strengths: Courage, Perseverance, Teamwork
- TV rating: TV-Y7
- Last updated: December 8, 2022
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