Campsites & Firewood
By Barb Stephens
Wood for Campfires
There are three types of wood used to build a fire. Use the following key to decode them.
D E F G I K L N R T U $ @ % ? * | + & = - # _T_ _I_ _N_ _D_ _E_ _R_ - * & $ @ = _K_ _I_ _N_ _D_ _L_ _I_ _N_ _G_ | * & $ + * & ? _F_ _U_ _E_ _L_ % # @ +Ask your leader to show various types of wood needed for fires and explain the purpose of each.
Types of Wood
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate answer from the above puzzle.__TINDER__ can be anything that is light and dry and not thicker than a match. Make little bundles of tiny twigs.
__KINDLING__ should snap when broken. In general, dead branches from lower limbs of trees are best to use. Sticks lying on the ground could be damp.
__FUEL__ includes sticks that are not green. Use these only after a hot fire is started.
Just For Your Information:
* Wood that crumbles is rotten. It will smolder and smoke without giving off heat.
* Split wood burns well. The inside of a log is drier than the outside.
* Soft wood (produced by trees that grow quickly such as pines, spruces, cedars, gray birch, aspen) burns quickly. It is good for starting fires or for quick, hot fires. It does not leave good coals.
* Hard wood (produced by trees that grow slowly such as oaks, hickories, yellow birch, maples, and ash) burns slowly. It leaves good coals that will last.
Checklist for a Perfect Campsite
Place a checkmark in front of every item that is needed for the perfect campsite:If you could find a campsite that offers/provides ALL the above, you've probably found heaven on earth. This is a good discussion tool for getting the boys to think about where/how they want to camp.