I regularly get asked by people to teach fire making skills, especially by parents of friend of my 9 year old son.
I had an interesting experience while teaching one of my sons friends and I feel it should really be a cautionary tale. My wife had actually suggested he come and spend an afternoon with us and perhaps it would be fun to do some outdoors stuff. On arrival I was informed by his mother that he had done a bushcraft course at a camp they had been on recently and so she didn't think I could teach him much more.. (Maybe I should have left it at that and played footy with them)
So we did some tracking for a bit and then looked at some plants. It was a still damp day, slightly drizzly.
We got to our woody bit and the boys wanted to make a fire and as I do each time I went through the safety talk (which was met by eyes in the air) and then set them off looking for materials. So far so good and then the visiting boy produced some sheep wool as the medium to catch the spark..
I watched with interest (I have never seen thins before, and know sheep's wool to be a pretty good fire retardant). It was still raining lightly and after about 10 minutes nothing much had happened. My son by this time had a little inferno going with thistledown and twigs from a steel. My son then suggested to the lad he used the same and started showing him where to find it and how to do it and subsequently the lad got a fire going.
What was interesting was when I suggested and tried to demonstrated that there were a lot of different ways of using a firesteel, including using axes and flint to strike a spark. I was curtly informed that his tutor had informed him that there was only one way to use one and that was the technique he used. My son (bless him, hes 9) turned round and said that that sort of attitude is why people get into trouble in bad weather..
I am a real believer in the pragmatic approach and survival by any means necessary especially when teaching kids. They are so open to ideas and experimentation is a way to learning. We should guide them and keep them safe but not hinder their learning. I sent him home with a goody bag of natural fire making bits and suggested he experiment.
(I was also horrified that he had been sold a £5 firesteel for £15!)
I had an interesting experience while teaching one of my sons friends and I feel it should really be a cautionary tale. My wife had actually suggested he come and spend an afternoon with us and perhaps it would be fun to do some outdoors stuff. On arrival I was informed by his mother that he had done a bushcraft course at a camp they had been on recently and so she didn't think I could teach him much more.. (Maybe I should have left it at that and played footy with them)
So we did some tracking for a bit and then looked at some plants. It was a still damp day, slightly drizzly.
We got to our woody bit and the boys wanted to make a fire and as I do each time I went through the safety talk (which was met by eyes in the air) and then set them off looking for materials. So far so good and then the visiting boy produced some sheep wool as the medium to catch the spark..
I watched with interest (I have never seen thins before, and know sheep's wool to be a pretty good fire retardant). It was still raining lightly and after about 10 minutes nothing much had happened. My son by this time had a little inferno going with thistledown and twigs from a steel. My son then suggested to the lad he used the same and started showing him where to find it and how to do it and subsequently the lad got a fire going.
What was interesting was when I suggested and tried to demonstrated that there were a lot of different ways of using a firesteel, including using axes and flint to strike a spark. I was curtly informed that his tutor had informed him that there was only one way to use one and that was the technique he used. My son (bless him, hes 9) turned round and said that that sort of attitude is why people get into trouble in bad weather..
I am a real believer in the pragmatic approach and survival by any means necessary especially when teaching kids. They are so open to ideas and experimentation is a way to learning. We should guide them and keep them safe but not hinder their learning. I sent him home with a goody bag of natural fire making bits and suggested he experiment.
(I was also horrified that he had been sold a £5 firesteel for £15!)
but it is there in some. Usually the child who feels somehow the dominant one in his peer group unfortunately.
The best bit I find is when you then see and hear them showing their friends how to do it 
Miserable sods tripling the price.
Handy though - fast food or what?
