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Description

An activity where cubs are asked to start a small fire at their home, with parent supervision.

Synopsis for Parents:

The aim of this session is to have the cubs light a fire at home. Before you get scared please note, I believe we (the leaders and parents) can perform this safely for all cubs. A basic risk assessment/instructions is attached to help parents become aware of how to run the activity properly without harm. In addition, please do not worry if you have never lit a fire before, full instructions will be provided, including a “cheat sheet” which will hopefully ensure every cub will create a fire by the end of the evening.

Personally, I think the sense of achievement and hands on experience the cubs would get from this could be amazing and could potentially prove to some of them that some things really have not changed in lock-down! If you have any concerns or any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your leader.

Resources

**Essential Items**
- An outdoor area that you can legitimately and safely make a fire (e.g. a back/front garden or balcony).
- A receptacle that you can place the fire in (e.g. a fire pit, empty BBQ or a disposable foil tray on bricks/concrete).
- Pre-collected wood (this should be of various sizes, please see attachment)
- Matches (long stick matches are the easiest for cubs to use)
- Fire bucket (this is a bucket or large pot, placed next to/near the fire and filled with water)

(note: ground fires should only be done where you can do so safely without damaging the environment. You must especially ensure you will not catch roots or debris)

**Optional Extras**
- Marshmallows
- Skewers
- Chocolate digestive biscuits

**Fire Lighting Help**
- newspaper
- cotton wool
- Vaseline
- Sun glasses
- Fire gloves/thick gardening gloves (non-flammable)

Instructions

**Safety Briefing**

1) An adult has to be present during this activity. The safety guidelines provided should help provide the basic guideline for the activity but the relevant adult will be in charge of the activity and should ensure that the activity is run safely and legitimately. If anything gets out of hand or you feel uncomfortable then the fire bucket should be used.

2) Fires are hot. Embers, chard wood and even wood near the fire can also be hot and therefore could burn you. These should all be treated with care and should not be touched with your skin.

3) If you do burn yourself then please place your finger/burned area in the fire bucket. If safe, you should then put the burnt area under running cold water.

4) If you do cook a marshmallow and it droops and falls off the skewer, DO NOT catch the marshmallow as it will burn you.

5) If the fire/embers leaves your designated fire area, use the fire bucket to extinguish the escaped bits.

6) When adding wood to a fire, remember to place the wood onto the fire, DO NOT throw the wood onto the fire. This is uncontrolled and can lead to embers/burnt wood being thrown up and can ultimately lead to the fire spreading or the hitting a nearby person.

7) Before starting the fire, ensure there is no trip hazards around the fire area and the area around your fire is clear of any flammable objects.



**Instructions**

0) Before you start, arrange your wood into piles going from small to large this will help build your fire correctly.

1) Fire needs Fuel, Oxygen and Heat.
To start , the fuel must be the width of a matchstick and you must have enough of this to burn the larger pieces. People often underestimate the amount of smaller twigs you need to start a fire.
Also, make sure you leave enough space between the sticks to allow airflow to the centre of your structure. Without air (oxygen) your fire will not burn.

2) Now you understand how fires work, lets build it. Start with the smallest sticks and work your way up. A teepee like structure is usually good for beginners and remember that you do not need to put all the wood on the fire at the start.

3) Make sure you leave a space so you can reach the centre and light the fire.

4) If your match goes out, use the matchstick as tinder. It will help your fire start!

5) If it is not working and you need some help, please see the last page of the attachment.

6) Once you have your fire lit, add progressive larger pieces of wood. Once your fire is lit to a sufficient size, let it die down to embers. This will then be perfect to roast a few marshmallows on skewers to make smores.



**Hints and Tips from Akela**
Smoke - if smoke is making it difficult for your child to perform a task, sun glasses are a great way of shielding the eyes.

Heat - if the fire is getting a bit hot and your child cannot place wood into it, Fire gloves are a great confidence booster. Also placing a stick and then manoeuvring it with another can often be easier.

Embers without fire - dying orange embers usually are a sign of no oxygen. Blowing on the embers can help ignite them (but don't breath in the smoke)

Assistance - The aim of this is to make the cub feel like they lit the fire. You should try and making them feel like you provided minimal assistance. Provide small tweaks and getting them to perform the hacks allows the cubs to feel in control and therefore helps them really own the task.

Restart - If things really aren't working do not be afraid to push everything to the side and start again. Cubs can be hesitant to do this, but if you help them build it and you will find you can make it really quickly.

Tags

• fire lighting
• Virtual Scouting At Home

Badge Links

• Backwoods Cooking - Light fire
• Backwoods Cooking - Stick