Fire Lighting Safety Advice
Lighting a fire can take time and confidence. If you have plenty of both, engage the pupils in finding kindling and dry branches for your pyramid of sticks.
How to start a quick fire:
Use a fire pit or secure a suitable and safe area at least four feet away from where pupils are sitting.
Put a few bunches of scrunched-up newspaper at the bottom of the fire pit.
Add some kindling in a pyramid shape on top of the newspaper to aid ventilation.
Use a long safety match or fire steels (pupils could guess how many attempts it might take you), and light the newspaper and kindling.
Once the fire has caught, add one or two logs to increase the fire.
As the fire starts to decrease, add one or two logs to keep it burning.
Before starting the fire, staff ratios need to be suitable. The Leader must be with the fire and two other adults are needed for the rest of the class. Provide a safety talk before lighting the fire with a reminder of the rules for the fire circle.
Children can repeat the rules to ensure understanding and only enter the fire circle when invited by the Leader. Suitable ratios depend on the age of the children but are generally 1:2 for Key Stage 1 and Lower Key Stage 2, and 1:3 for Upper Key Stage 2).
Pour water on the fire at the end of the session and request children to stay away from the fire pit until the following day.
Benefits to children:
– Managing risk.
– Making judgments.
– Developing confidence.
– Fine motor skills.
– Trying new food.
Quick and easy beginner recipe ideas
Toasted Marshmallows
Supply or find nice long sticks for pupils to whittle a pointed end.
Pop a marshmallow on the pointed end.
The time to cook will vary depending on how toasted the pupil wants their marshmallow to be!
Once complete, count to twenty, remove from the stick and enjoy.
You could also squash the marshmallow between two chocolate biscuits to make s’mores. Don’t forget about allergies!
Baked Apple pieces
Clean five apples and create a potion mixture of sultanas, brown sugar and cinnamon. Older pupils could do this, or a helper could support younger children.
Supply or find more long sticks for pupils to whittle a pointed end.
Chop apples into eighths and assist children whilst they place the apple pieces on the pointed end of their sticks.
Roll the apple pieces in the potion mixture and then place the apple over the fire.
Cook for a good three minutes and consume once cool enough.
For more campfire recipe ideas, click here
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