Build a safe backyard bonfire

Teach your kids fire safety by building a safe bonfire in the back garden. You can roast marshmallows, cook sausages on sticks, enjoy a night of backyard camping or just tell stories around the bonfire.

What you need:

• Spade
• Medium-sized logs (3 to start with and more to feed the fire)
• Kindling such as hay, newspaper, wood pieces
• Matches

Number of players:

Activity:

Find a safe place in your backyard to build a bonfire.

Using the spade, dig a hole for the fire – the hole should be big enough to comfortably contain the fire when it is alight.

Place two medium-sized logs next to each other in the middle of the hole.

Fill the hole with kindling such as old newspapers, hay or wood pieces.

Light a match and carefully place it in the middle of the bonfire so that it lights the kindling.

Once the kindling has created a strong flame, carefully place a log across the top of the hole and wait for it to catch fire.

Feed the fire regularly with logs as the flames die down.