Bushcraft Skills! How to make a campfire 

Building a campfire can be a great family activity!

The kids can get involved and help gather materials, they can collect the snacks they wish to toast and everyone can enjoy the results.

But how do we build one and make sure everyone remains safe at the same time?

That’s what we are here to take you through so you can make memories and enjoy the great outdoors even if it is feeling a little chilly currently.

Wind – First things first! Let’s make sure that it’s not a windy day, a small breeze is ok but if you can see gale force winds wreaking havoc in the garden, today is not the day.

Water – Make sure there is water accessible to the area you are building your fire. We usually suggest an outdoor tap that most houses have, a hose or even a large bucket or watering can.

Wood Only – Nothing but wood should be added to the fire. It’s important to remind the kids when they are collecting materials that nothing but wood will be placed on the fire. So no plastics or plants.

So now we have covered the safety, let’s focus on how to build a fire and teach your kids a top bushcraft skill.

It’s important to choose an area in your garden that doesn’t have anything overhanging above where the fire will be built, we want to eliminate as much risk as possible. Choose an area that is likely near the centre of your garden to ensure there aren’t any objects that might become a fire hazard.

Once you have chosen your location it’s time to clean! Grab the kids and make it a competition to see who can remove the most debris from the area. We always tell them to build piles at one end of the garden with all the twigs, leaves and rocks they find! The prize can be an extra marshmallow or even the chance to help light the fire.

A pit isn’t always necessary but it’s an extra safety feature we recommend if you can. So what is a pit? A pit is exactly what it says on the tin, you dig a hole for the size of fire you wish to create. The shallower the pit the larger the fire ring we recommend.

A fire ring is another activity you can have the kids involved in. Get them to start hunting lots of rocks in all different shapes and sizes. These are what we will use to make a large ring around the pit we have made which will house the fire. The fire ring is an extra safety measure and one we believe is essential when doing this activity in your garden.

There are three main materials you will need to make your campfire. We recommend having these on hand and dotting them around the garden for kids to find if you want to make another game and prolong the excitement of creating your campfire.

Tinder, This is what we use to start the fire.
One that can often be found easily in a garden is dry leaves or grass. It’s likely these items were found while the children were cleaning the area which makes this part easy.

Kindling, will keep your fire going once you have used the tinder. Add it to the fire when you see the flames start to dwindle to keep the fire strong.
For Kindling, you can use dry twigs and sticks that have been found in the garden. It’s always good to have more on hand than you think you might need for peace of mind.

Burning wood, Is exactly that! It’s wood to burn to keep your fire strong.
Only using dry wood as freshly cut or wet will cause the fire to hiss and smoke.

For your first campfire, we recommend using the Teepee or upside cone method.

1 – You want to put your tinder in the middle of your pit/ fire ring.

2 – Stack your kindling above in a cone shape almost like a tent for your tinder.

3 – Then do the same again but use your larger burning wood pieces to create a cone/ tent above your kindling, creating almost a Russian nesting doll for your campfire.

Check out our campfire snack recipes

Including toasted marshmallows and campfire chilli!

One of the most important parts of fire safety is knowing how to safely extinguish a fire.

We already mentioned the importance of having a water source nearby but always we recommend having a shovel close by. This way you can scoop the dirt you removed for your fire pit back onto the fire to help smother the flames as well as pouring your water to help cool down the site.

And there you have it! Take your new found knowledge outside and enjoy spending time with the kids making memories and a campfire.