Being able to confidently light a fire in the wild is an important life skill, and is a key component of the first priority of survival – protection.

When done safely and under supervision, your little one’s will absolutely love practicing and experimenting with different fire lighting methods.

Here is what we’ll be covering in this article:

• Fundamentals of starting a camp fire including the fire triangle.
• What you will need to get started.
• Different methods of lighting your camp fire.
• How to keep everyone safe, including the environment.

Fundamentals of camp fire starting

We have already mentioned that fire is high on the priority list in any survival situation. As humans beings, we need fire to cook our food, sterilise our water supply and of course to keep us warm and protected from the elements. Therefore we believe it’s important that kids are educated in how to safely and effectively harness the power of fire.

That’s all well and good – but starting and maintaining a camp fire is not always simple. It is a skill which should be practiced and finely tuned. Having a good knowledge of the fire triangle is critical. It will allow you to troubleshoot any problems that you may be experiencing in either lighting a fire or maintaining it once it’s lit.

The Fire Triangle

Fuel – The type of wood or combustable that you decide to use for your fire is really important. Tinder is a material which will ignite from a spark. If you are using a flint and steel or something similar to generate a spark to light a fire, an ideal tinder is cotton wool balls. As your tinder begins to burn, it’s time to add thin and dry kindling which will prolong the initial flash burn of the tinder. From there, gradually addd more and more wood/fuel, slowly increasing in size. Adding fuel which is too big too early will probably cause the fire to fail. Also fires burn more efficiently with dry wood. If you are using damp or wet wood, you are unlikely to be able to start or maintain a good fire.

Here’s a great video to explain the importance of using the correct types of fuel:

 

Oxygen – A fire needs a good supply of oxygen, otherwise known as airflow. If you find yourself needing to blow into your fire consistently to keep the burn hot, then it’s likely that you don’t have sufficient airflow getting to your fire. If your fire is in a ‘bowl’ or low point, try moving it to another location nearby which has better airflow. Also how you add fuel can effect airflow to the fire. If you add fuel which is too big or too tightly packed, you could potentially suffocate the fire especially during the early stages.

Heat –  This comes from the initial flame, spark or ember being used to start your fire. Without this, there can be no combustion and you will never make a fire. Unfortunately piles of sticks and logs do not spontaneously combust when you look at them, unless you’re a Marvel Superhero! Having the base of your fire away from the cold, damp earth will also help your fire become quickly established; try using a row of de-barked sticks or a split log as a base for your fire instead. 

What you’ll need to get started

 

1. A Flint and Steel Set

 

These come in many shapes and sizes, but all essentially do then same thing which is to create a very hot spark in order to ignite your tinder bundle. For children to use, you’ll want something with a nice big grip so it’s easy to handle and use. Remember to scratch off the protective black powder layer on the ferrocerium rod using the striker first, otherwise it will not work. You can of course just use a standard lighter to ignite your tinder and kindling, but this is not learning a skill. Challenge your child to produce a fire ‘the old fashioned way’, it’s way more impressive!

Here’s a video of Sonny using his first flint and steel set:

 

 

2. Fire pit 

To keep your fire contained and minimise the risk of the it spreading and becoming out of control, I would recommend some form of fire pit. This is particularly important if the surrounding area is very dry and the risk of forrest fire is high. These can range in price from very inexpensive, right up to the more higher end alternatives such as our Solo Stove Bonfire pictured below Here is a link to check out

The pro’s of using something like a Solo Stove to house your camp fire fire in:

• Specifically designed to maximise an efficient burn of the fuel.
• Reduced smoke output
• Large size
• Solid steel and very robust.

The con’s of using the Solo Stove Bonfire:

• It’s heavy and not easy to carry over longer distances.
• It’s expensive, our cost around £200.

 

3. Tinder

We mentioned tinder previously, it’s the low flash point material which will ignite from a spark or heat source. This needs to be dry, as wet/damp tinder is pretty much useless. It is placed on the base of your fire area and when lit, will ignite the small grade kindling that you have prepared……more on this next!

Natural tinders:

• Silver birch bark.
• Dry, dead grass
• Downy plants such as Old Man’s Beard and Rose Bay Willow Herb
• Birds nests
• Wood shavings

 

Man Made/purchased tinders:

• Cotton wool balls (embedded with vaseline)
• Tinder balls
• Tampons (compressed cotton wool)
• Char cloth

 

4. Kindling

You can normally quickly and easily find plenty of kindling in any wooded area. The key is to use nice dry wood, so if it’s been raining recently you may wish to bring some pre-prepared kindling from home. Otherwise have a search around and try to find some standing dead wood which you can harvest for kindling. Standing dead wood should make a nice ‘snapping’ sound when you break it, to indicate that it’s dead and does not contain any moisture. Remember to start small and thin, slowly building up the size of kindling you add to the fire. I use the analogy of going through the gears on a car, starting in 1st gear for that initial acceleration (small and thin kindling to quickly flash up a burn) before moving into 2nd (slightly thicker kindling, maybe pencil thickness), and then 3rd and 4th and so on. See the youtube video earlier in the article for more detail on this. The kindling can be arranged to form different types of fire such as:

Log Cabin – Laying the sticks in a criss-cross formation, each layer sitting perpendicular to the last.

TeePee – Laying the sticks to form a pyramid shape, to form a more traditional ‘camp fire’ shape.

Lean-to – Laying the sticks diagonally so they rest on a raised ‘backstop’ and the ground.

 

Methods of lighting your fire

Try to encourage your little one to use a flint and steel to light the fire rather than just a lighter. Their sense of achievement is so much greater when creating a sustainable fire from only a spark. We have discussed flint and steel’s already, and the key thing is to find a set that can be handled and used with smaller hands. If it’s too small and fiddly it’ll be difficult for he or she to apply sufficient pressure when striking.

Here are some different examples and where you can get them:

• Fatboy Firesteel – this can a thick chunky handle for the ferro rod which allows your chid to grip it easily.

https://www.thebushcraftstore.co.uk/tbs-fatboy-firesteel—quite-simply-one-of-the-best-on-the-market-39753-p.asp

• The Blast Match – this is designed to be simple to use. All you do is pin the tinder bundle with the black rod and push down hard on the handle. The ferrocerium rod depresses and results in a stream of sparks. A good option for children’s hands, especially if they are not the most dextrous. The only negative of the blast match is that the spring loaded mechanism can break in the cheaper models.

https://www.thebushcraftstore.co.uk/ust-ultimate-survival-blast-match-92-p.asp

Magnifying glass – If you really want to challenge your little one, why not try and harness the natural power of the sun to ignite your tinder bundle? Of course, the sun will need to be shining and ideally overhead (so around lunchtime is best) but contrary to popular belief it doesn’t need to be a hot day. It’s only important that you have direct, uninterrupted sunlight. Aim the white spot onto your tinder bundle, making it as small and focused as possible by moving the glass closer and further away. Hold it still and wait for the tinder to reach the ignition temperature, and then you have fire!

How to keep everyone safe

• Set out some ground rules with your little adventurer from the start. I would recommend setting some boundaries like; ‘No lighting fires without an adult present’ and ‘Always usethe fire pit when lighting a fire’ etc.
• Be aware of any wild fire risk. This means that if there has been a period of drought or very warm weather, there could be an increased risk of a small fire quickly turning into an out of control wild fire. Be responsible, if the conditions are too dry and parched, DO NOT TAKE A RISK!
• Never use accelerants or flammable liquids to help get your fire started. This is one of the worst things you can do around fire, and will hugely increase the chance of injury to those involved. DO NOT TAKE THE RISK!

 

For more insightful and educational resources on how to safely build a camp fire with children, visit the brilliant Smokey Bear website

I hope you enjoyed reading this article on camp fire starting with your kids. If you have any questions please drop them into the comments and I will reply at the earliest opportunity. Together, let’s fuel their imagination.