Flint and tinder

Flint and tinder

How do you get children outside when it is so cold, wet and dark? Maybe some fire-lighting is a good idea.

The art of lighting fires, is quite a tricky one to master, and as long as you remember some simple principles is quite safe and fun.

Firstly fire is dangerous. We all know this, and our kids should know this, but teach them care and responsibility and you can also teach them a fantastic skill.

1. Collect your kindling, middle size sticks and lastly logs.
2. Clear your fire area. We suggest on cold winters days, you are doing this for some time outside (and for warmth!). A fun way to do this is to use a fire-bowl n your back yard. You can buy good sized firebowls from XXXX.
3. Make a nice nest out of the kindling, use hay, straw and something really combustible like our Mighty Eagle Fireballs right in the center to really get the fire going.
4. Hold the flint and striker against the kindling nest and strike hard into the middle of the ball. This is the hard bit and the point where your children will need the most encouragement. Using a flint and striker takes practice as you may need to press quite hard against the steel to get a spark. Keep practicing till you get it right. If the children are not quite strong enough, try holding the steel for them and get them to put all their weight behind running the blade down the edge of the steel. Watch fingers though!
5. Once you get a good shower of sparks into the tinder, it should start to smolder. Blow hard right into the center of the ball and the fire nest should go up like crazy.
6. Step back and start adding bigger and bigger fuel to the fire until you have a nice blaze going good enough to toast some marshmallows!