Fire Building with Kids: Tips & Tricks

“OUCH!”

“How’d that feel?” I said to a boy who had his hand hovered above a fire he just built.

“Not Good” he said as he rubbed his hands with discomfort after getting a little too hot from feeling the flame of the fire. 

He learned a good lesson that fire is hot, without actually getting burnt. 

Teaching children fire building is a normal day in the life of a survival instructor. Fire can be an absolutely devastating force, and also a wonderful element of any camping trip. So how do we teach our kid’s that fire is something to respect and care for, instead of a scary and uncontrollable thing to steer clear from? I have taught thousands of children how to build fires out in the woods, and have had amazing results from parents reporting back that they can control the fires and keep them small with water nearby. Here’s some tips and tricks to build a fire with kids.

1. The Promise

A really unfortunate statistic is young kids who do not have much experience with fire who find matches in the house. They end up lighting the match, getting scared and throwing it away from them and running away as the flame grows bigger. They end up hiding and the house catches on fire. I always make my students promise to never play with fire and to use it under safe circumstances. We gather in a circle and I have them light a match. They need to hold the match and blow it out without throwing it. If they throw it, I make them light it again until they blow it out. This shows that a very small flame is easy to control and nothing to be scared of. 

2. Safety

A fire needs to be away from anything that can catch on fire. Trees, overhanging branches, leaves on the ground, long or dead grass, roots, and logs are all things to stay away from when building a fire. Scrape the leaves away about 10 feet in every direction and pile them up elsewhere. A ring of rocks actually contributes nothing to safety, as it does not keep sparks from flying out anywhere, but makes a nice fireplace. Have a lot of water on hand and keep campfires small so that they can be easily doused. I ask 3 questions when putting out a fire: Is there any smoke or steam? Are there any coals or is there any flame? Is it hot or warm to the touch? If the answer is “yes” to any of those questions, the fire is not considered to be out and will need more water and time to make sure it is absolutely put out. 

3. Materials

Creating success can build confidence and a sense of independence in your children. Have their first fire making experience be an easy one. You can gradually give them more challenging situations to get them better at fire building in different conditions. Look for the bottom dead and thin branches on evergreen trees like hemlocks, spruce, and pine. Softwood ignites at a lower temperature than hardwoods, so these will light on fire quicker than woods like maples and oaks. The dead branches that are still on the tree are off the ground, making them more exposed to air and therefore more dry! 

You can find tinder from the bark of birch and cedar trees. Gather the bark and fluff it up as much as you can to increase the surface area. Cattails, dandelions, milkweed, and thistles have very fluffy seeds that will make good tinder as well. Jute twine and fine steel wool can be fluffed up together and will catch a spark very easily. This is a great way to have tinder on hand if you do not have access to certain material found in the woods. Cotton balls with vaseline on them will also catch a spark very easily and burn for a long time. Gather thicker sticks to add to the fire after you light it. Always start with thin wood and increase in thickness as the fire gets bigger. I don’t like to gather anything thicker than my wrist because then it becomes hard to manage and break when I am out in the woods without a saw or ax. 

4. Building a Fire

There are many ways to build a fire and different situations may call for a different style of fire building. I prefer to use and teach what I call the “shelter fire”. This is built by shoving a stick into the ground at 45 degrees and laying the thin dead branches on top of that stick as if you are building a little survival shelter. The opening in the shelter is where the tinder goes after building your structure. I always put the tinder in last because over time, it will absorb moisture from the ground. Having the opening also makes lighting the tinder an easy process as you do not need to fit in between any sticks to get to the tinder. 

The shelter fire has proven effective in a severe downpour and is a great way to teach kids how to build a fire as it's easy and simple to build. 

5. Feather Sticks

If you wish to teach your children how to use knives and introduce them to wood carving, a feather stick is a great project for beginners. Start with a stick about as thick as your thumb and around 12 inches long. Carve the bark off and try to make curly wood shavings that stay on the stick. This acts as a quick burning “torch” and can be included in your fire by using it as the 45 degree stick. If the wood chips fall off the stick, no worries, just pile them up and use them! Be sure to use a dead and dry stick and not a live one. Remember to teach knife safety by always cutting away from yourself and others. Have your children sit on their butts, cross their legs, and put their elbows on their knees as they carve. Cut resistant gloves can be worn, helping to avoid accidents. 

6. Tending the Fire

Sustaining a fire to keep it going is an art form that comes from experience. Gather a good amount of wood and have the kids add one stick at a time to the fire to keep it going. Teach them the importance of air and fuel when it comes to fire building. There needs to be an even balance of the two and too much wood, means not enough air, and vice versa. If they have a good bed of coals, that's the time to break out the marshmallows! 

7. Tools

There are many fire starters out there. My favorite two tools to use with kids are matches and ferrocerium rods. Matches are easy to light, cheap, and go out fast, avoiding any accidental burns. Ferrocerium rods make tons of sparks and always prove to be fun. They take a little bit of strength and practice to get good with, but these are what I use in my classes with kids. Lighters, flint & steel, and magnifying lenses are also other great tools to teach fire skills as well. 

8. First Aid

Campfires are generally very safe. Getting too close to a fire usually means you get really hot and you end up backing away before you get burnt. Coals on the other hand, can burn you almost instantly. Have the kids avoid rough play near the fire and not whipping sticks around that they caught on fire. Synthetic clothing can melt and get holes if coals land on it so it's a great idea to wear cotton or wool when near a campfire. In the case of a burn, get the burn in cold water immediately!

Children are very open to learning new things and fire making is always an exciting experience. Fires can make or break a camping trip and I highly recommend getting your children well accustomed to fire safety. It’s very empowering to children when they can feel that they are relied on and can help out around camp. Fire building gets you and your family out in nature practicing a new skill, and brings everyone together. Get out your fire starters and have a bucket of water nearby, and most importantly, have fun!

-Tim Swanson, Founder and Lead Instructor of Owl Eyes Wilderness Survival