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Description

Put different firelighters to the test and see which creates the best flame.

Resources

Kindling (for example, small sticks)
Firewood
Cardboard tubes
Cotton wool balls
Matches
Shredded newspaper
Petroleum jelly
Tortilla chips
Fire bucket
Sand

Instructions

Taken from: https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/fire-builders/

Before you begin
Find a safe space to collect firewood and build fires. Build a circle of large rocks to contain the fire(s). Have sand and/or a bucket of water on hand in case the fire gets too big.
You’ll need plenty of adults for this activity – one to supervise each fire. You could invite parents and carers along to help.

Collect wood
Everyone should split into small groups.
Everyone should collect tinder, kindling, and wood. Natural tinder includes small twigs, wood shavings, and very dry leaves – anything that will burn very quickly for a short amount of time. Kindling is slightly bigger; it burns for slightly longer and includes thin sticks, bark, and pine cones. Wood includes sticks, branches, and logs.
Once each group has collected enough tinder, kindling, and wood, they should sort it into four piles according to size.
As a guide, aim for a pile about the width of spaghetti, a pile about the width of a finger, a pile about the width of a wrist, and a pile wider than a wrist.

Make a firelighter
The person leading the game should give each group the equipment to make a different type of firelighter.
Stuffed tube: Stuff a cardboard toilet roll tube with cotton wool, wood shavings, or dried grass. Squeeze or fold the ends to stop the filling coming out.
Jelly cotton wool: Smear petroleum jelly on cotton wool balls. Petroleum jelly isn’t flammable until the cotton wool heats it up, so it makes the firelighter last much longer.
Stuffed egg box: Tear newspaper into thin strips and stuff it inside a cardboard egg box.
Crisps: Use tortilla chips – they burn well because of the fat in them.
Newspaper tubes: Roll newspaper into a tube shape, flatten it, and tie a knot (or fold it) in the middle.
Each group should work with an adult to make a firelighter. They should aim to make a firelighter that will burn for long enough that the kindling has time to catch.

Build a fire
Each group should put some of their tinder in the middle of their campfire.
Each group should surround the tinder with some kindling. They should leave some spaces for their firelighter to reach the tinder.
An adult should help each group light their firelighter. The adult should be in charge of lighting the firelighter, but they can supervise someone striking the match and lighting it safely.
Each group should use their firelighter to light their tinder. They should blow lightly and slowly onto their tinder until the kindling also catches fire. They should use short and strong breaths to help the fire get going.
If the firelighter doesn’t work, try again! Make another or try a different idea.
Each group should slowly add bigger and bigger pieces of kindling, and then pieces of wood, on top of their fire.
Once the wood is burning, everyone should enjoy the warmth and light from the fire they’ve made.

Tags

• beaver
• cubs
• fire
• outdoors

Badge Links

• Backwoods Cooking - Extinguish
• Backwoods Cooking - Light fire
• Backwoods Cooking - Prepare fire