Muddy Faces fire guides & activities

Fires: fire safety guide

A guide to the essentials of campfire safety and points to consider with any fire activity.

Fires: fire area preparation

A comprehensive guide to preparing and building a fire area in an outdoor setting.

Fires: fire pit designs

Pros and cons of a range of different styles & materials for creating your fire pit.

Fires: methods of ignition

There are many ways to start a fire. We look at the pros and cons of some of the main ones.

Fires: how to use a fire steel

All you need to know about fire steels (ferrous rods) and some top tips on how to use them.

Fires: traditional flint & steel

Both simple and complicated at the same time - here’s the what & how of flint & steel fire lighting.

Fires: creating & maintaining

A guide and top tips for creating and maintaining a fire. For some, the art of fire lighting can be tricky; these basic rules will help make each fire successful.

Fires: building a cooking fire

Many campfire cooking activities need embers to cook on, rather than flames - here's how to prepare your fire.

Fires: extinguishing a fire

Extinguishing a fire properly is really important to prevent re-ignition and ground fire.

How to make char cloth

Make your own char cloth to use with flint and steel fire lighting – it is super quick and easy to do.

Using a storm kettle

A step-by-step guide to using a storm kettle aka Kelly kettle.

Scroll to the bottom to download our free pdf: Step-by-Step Guide to Using a Storm Kettle.

Fire Piston: instructions

Instructions for setting up & using your fire piston.

INSPIRATIONS - Fire

A selection of our fire guides & activities - for inspiration & confidence to bring fire to your setting.

Dragons Sneeze

Fire lighting and campfire cooking can be a wonderful part of the outdoor experience for Early Years and Primary school children. The Dragons Sneeze is a fire steel & striker we designed and created especially for Forest School groups and practitioners - easy for all ages and abilities to make the perfect spark. Find out how and why the Dragons Sneeze became...

Dragons Sneeze stories

If you want a fire or campfire cooking at your outdoor setting or Forest School you'll need a spark! The Dragons' Sneeze is the perfect tool to start you off. But where did the Dragons Sneeze come from? Find out with these origin stories of how the Dragons Sneeze became - as told to us by our amazingly creative customers!