Fire Building Contest Re-Visited: Boiling Water (Part 1)

In an earlier blog entry someone suggested that I have a fire building contest where the Scouts must boil a pot of water to win. During January our contest which concluded Firem n' Chit (fire building & fire safety) training, the kids had to team up and burn a piece of twine stretched about 18" high to win. That contest was a great success so I couldn't resist doing it again with the boiling water which was this morning.

For preparation I decided that I would extend the learning experience one step further and teach them how to make their own "hobo" campfire pots. First I had to develop the idea so I came up with a nifty handmade pot using one quart metal orange juice cans that were discarded from breakfast. These turned out just great but I'll explain in detail how we made them in part 2 of this post in a day or two because that's another story worth carrying it's own weight.

As usual I started this class by first having a brief review of fire building and fire safety that we covered during the first couple of classes. In an effort to instill their confidence I then had them gather sticks and tinder then I used these wet materials to start a demonstration fire. The kids are in our residential program for about one year and upon graduation they should be campfire experts and days like today which are cold, wet, and snowy present an additional challenge that will hone their skills to a "T".

Yes, today would be the ultimate challenge and after raining all night long my own spirits for success was dampened a bit but the kids love building a fire so I wasn't down for long. For some reason a campfire can captivate their complete attention and focus in a kid like no other activity can accomplish. All hands are busy and the contest was on!

Gosh, the wood they gathered was so wet but they had learned how to "snap" a branch to determine if it was dry inside. I had also showed them how to scrape off the outer bark which held most of the moisture like a sponge so they proceeded with confidence. Some of the kids would occasionally rub the twigs across their cheeks or lips where the skin is most sensitive and an excellent way to detect any moisture in the wood. They had listened and I was proud of their confidence and skill.

They had placed their tender just right inside the starter wood in such a way that the fire could "breathe" then so patiently pampered it by adding more fuel wood, but not too fast. In addition the teams also had to figure out a way to hold their pot of water over the fire and some pretty inventive methods were devised. They were brilliant and even on this wet and cold snowy day their fires began blazing one by one until the first pot of water reached 220 degrees Fahrenheit and we had a winner. 

Even though we had a winner there wasn't a single whining voice from anyone. The winning team let out a cheer of victory but all the other boys continued working on their fires until every team had boiling water. I was amazed at their determination and no one left until every pot had boiling water. A healthy dose of competition provided the motivation but when you see every losing team continue until they had boiling water made my day. Yes, they now have a new well-honed wilderness skill but even more gratifying to me as a teacher was the success seen through patience, team work, and technique.These kids have great potential.

Firem n' Chit (Campfires & Fire Safety) Plus Some Carving

During the last decade there has been a move in our 1-12 schools for kids to be in class all day long where hands-on programs like woodshop class and action oriented classes such as physical education have been cut from the curriculum. The reasons for such cuts can be debated in another forum but it has been a sad decade for many children who are now receiving less than a well balanced education.

Although the students in our alternative wilderness school also attend classes throughout the day, the bedrock of our unique approach to education has always placed a strong focus on actual student experience with a hands-on approach. It is our goal that every student will experience at least one 2-3 week canoe trip during their 10-12 month attendance and they have weekly exposure to a very strong hands-on woodshop program in additon to Boy Scout adventure education classes. We continue to believe that this aspect of our program in combination with all our teachers dedication, has an undeniably positive effect on our students overall educational experience and our test scores just recently re-enforced this.

Today I led three scouting classes on Firem n' Chit training which has a focus on safe fire usage while camping. The training is a lot of fun which also leads to some interesting conversations during the class and when students complete the course which is about three 50-minute classes they will receive certification cards and official 2nd Class Boy Scout credits.

As seen in the picture to the left the kids in today's classes were especially excited to be here and they were also at different levels in progress so I didn't have to teach the same skills twice. The first class is an introduction to camp fires which included about 30 minutes of class time so I end it with some physical fitness activities to meet my goal of a hands-on/action oriented activity in every class. The second class is composed of a lively discussion on low-impact camping techniques, a comparison and demonstration of a variety of camp stoves, and fire building techniques.

During the third class I lead the kids on a very exciting fire building contest so that they can put to practice their new skills. They are divided into teams of two and lined up on "pads" under a piece of binders twine that was about 16" off the ground. First team to burn the twine in half were the winners. Teams have to gather dry tender, kindling, and fuel wood then patiently stack it in such a way that it could get enough oxygen to ignite, then stay lit.

This activity creates a great challenge on snowy/rainy January days and the kids love it. During my demonstrations I emphasize that lighting a camp fire should only take one single match if they did everything correctly. In addition to new skills learned the students must also work together as a team to be successful. That means effective communication before and during the contest will be crucial for a chance at success.

One of my scouting classes today had already completed all of the required course requirements and their fire building contest was held last week. I therefore began the class with a thorough review of all the material covered. One of the most effective teaching techniques when working with kids is the power of repetition so I also asked lots of questions as I demonstrated how to build another one-match fire. This time a lot more hands were raised as their knowledge of the subject had obviously increased.

After a 15 minute review I then led a carving class around our small campfire. The day was somewhat damp and the air a little "nippy" so the fire provided some warmth for our fingers while also creating a warm atmosphere for an otherwise balmy day. Some of the kids worked on carving their spoons while others worked on small totem poles and a lot of progress was made. Since this class has successfully completed this sessions course requirements, next week I'll probably take them on a short hike into the woods for another fire building review while demonstrating a few new skills. Kids eat up this kind of stuff and the hands-on element of my classes is a perfect complement to their other scheduled classes thus giving them a more balanced approach to a successful educational experience.