30 Items Tagged

How to

Small rocks can be great souvenirs from camp and other summertime adventures—they can also reveal secrets about Earth's deep history.

How to Identify Rocks, the Ultimate Summer Camp Souvenir

Who hasn't stopped to marvel over a cool rock along the lakeshore or on the trail? Here's how to learn its backstory.

Yinan Wang July 11, 2024

Both Krishna and Shiva are sometimes depicted wielding a rope tied in a pasha knot, which is associated with binding souls—and the occasional demon or evil spirit.

How to Tie Knots That Have Tales to Tell

Humans figured out long ago how to turn a length of rope or cord into something both functional and symbolic.

John Bucher July 10, 2024

The prepared hiker plans for no cell signal—and packs a paper map.

How to Survive Without a Cell Phone Signal

No bars, no problem! Here's how to venture phone-free into the Great Outdoors with confidence.

Karuna Eberl July 3, 2024

Observing, reflecting upon, and writing about nature can be a powerful experience that awakens our wonder and curiosity.

How to Reconnect With Nature Through Writing

Whether you're in the wilderness or a city park, being present with other beings can be deeply fulfilling.

Vanessa Chakour June 28, 2024

Sharing tales over a campfire is one of the oldest forms of entertainment for our species.

How to Tell a Great Campfire Story

We asked professional storytellers how to master this ancient form of entertainment.

Karuna Eberl June 27, 2024

Experimenting with different resist-dyeing techniques, which prevent dye from contact with areas of the fabric, can create unique patterns.

How to Dye Naturally With Onion Skins

Here's a new take on a summer camp arts and crafts classic: an onion peel tie-dye t-shirt.

Aaron Head June 26, 2024

How to Get In (or Out) of a Kayak or Canoe Without Embarrassing Yourself

Make a splash—in a good way—and impress friends with a smooth transition from land to lake.

Karuna Eberl June 24, 2024

How to Make Friends With a Bird

Learn how to share space with modern dinosaurs thoughtfully—without, you know, just winging it.

Karuna Eberl June 18, 2024

Our ancestors may have mastered fire more than a million years ago, but not everyone inherited that know-how and it shows.

How to Build a Campfire

(Without poisoning yourself or burning down the forest.)

Karuna Eberl June 17, 2024

Mexican free-tailed bats emerging from Eckert James River Bat Cave Preserve in Texas.

How to Go Bat-Watching

Once the sun goes down, these furry fliers get active. You can spot them almost anywhere you go, if you know how to look.

Casey Langton May 27, 2024

roadside attractions

Podcast: Atlas Obscura Presents How To!

Setting up a roadside attraction with How To! host Amanda Ripley.

The Podcast Team December 2, 2022

There are tools of the trade, but letters can also be locked with careful folding alone.

Deter Prying Eyes by Locking Your Own Letters

A how-to for those who want to use folds, tucks, slits, and more to turn letters into little works of art.

Abigail Cain May 27, 2021

Steven Raichlen has been around the world four times documenting the different ways people cook food over fire.

How to Make Smoked Foods From Around the World on Your Stovetop

With advice and recipes from a renowned expert.

Luke Fater July 1, 2020

The metal-clad men of the Middle Ages would scale ladders, among other exercises, to stay fit.

To Work Out Like a Knight, Try Donning Armor and Extolling Virtue

Being fit and chivalric is as much a mental state as a physical one.

Isaac Schultz June 5, 2020

Samurai were fierceness in the front, but all business in the back.

To Work Out Like a Samurai, Swing a Stick, Take a Hike—or Push Some Pencils

Japan’s feudal fighters were plenty tough. But they didn’t ditch their day jobs.

Isaac Schultz May 15, 2020

While you're sheltering in place, you can collect oral histories that bridge your family's past and present.

It's the Perfect Time to Record Your Family's History. Here's How.

Invite your relatives to share great stories with these tips from oral historians.

Jessica Leigh Hester April 29, 2020

Home by yourself? You may as well make friends.

A Field Guide to the Miniature Menagerie Inside Your Own Home

And on your face.

Jessica Leigh Hester May 25, 2023

Butterfly milkweed (at 70 mph).

roadside attractions

How to Identify Wildflowers Without Bothering to Get Off the Highway

According to a scientist's satirical guide, flowers are even more beautiful when you can only kind of see them.

Sabrina Imbler January 23, 2020