One of the most, do we, don't we, questions is, should we allow children to make the fire? Well, I am going to answer that for you... YES! And this is one way of enabling them to do so...
Instead of dictating to the children how they should and shouldn't make a fire. Scaffold the children's learning to give them the support that they need to be able to take part in making a fire safely.
At the different stages of learning the teacher needs to be there to...
- Model to children the procedure of making the fire:
This would be done right from the beginning so that children know what is expected of them for example the children's behaviours around the fire.
Show them what do to and think out loud...
'I am going to put my fire proof gloves on so that I do not burn my hands when placing this piece of wood on the fire. I am then going to place the wood gently on the fire. I know that if I throw the wood on the fire, other bits of hot wood or ashes could come out of the fire and hit either me or someone else, which is dangerous as it could cause a harm'.
- Making the fire together:
Asking questions whilst doing the activity is a good way of getting the children to think about the processes that they are going through to make the fire. You may have to do this stage a number of time, and possible more for some children than others, depending on how well they understand the safety making a fire.
'We need to get the fire going again, there is enough fuel on the fire, what do you think you could do to make the fire stronger'?
If a child does not remember what a fire needs, create an activity where they can make a visual reminder. This will help them to make the fire and to keep the fire going.
- Stand back when the children are ready and observe them making the fire independently and safely. This is when the teacher's scaffolding is taken away.
The use of scaffolding.
Scaffolding can be use for all aspects of learning in the woods starting with, the teacher does, we do and then the child does. Making the fire needs to be broken down into different sections which all include different safety aspects and procedures:
- Safety equipment
- Where to start a fire
- Creating a fire circle (Perimeter)
- Hazards around the fire
- The weather
- Clothes to wear
- What not to put on a fire
- The types of wood to burn
- Starting a fire
- Keeping the fire going
- Putting the fire out
References:
http://study.com/academy/lesson/jerome-bruner-scaffolding-and-constructivism-theories.html
https://forestschools.wordpress.com/dcc-forest-schools-advice-training-and-health-and-safety-requirements/dcc-guidelines-for-small-campfires-on-school-grounds/
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An interesting area is fire safety with young children. One good way BEFORE we have a fire in the woods is to make a play fire in the nursery setting - maybe using card to make the logs and orange and red tissue paper to make the flames - then have cuddly toys sitting safely around the fire circle. Once the children learn how to keep the cuddlies safe, they apply the same rules when they themselves are by the fire in the woods.
ReplyDeleteThat is a brilliant idea. You could also use that for other activities that would happen in the woods, like building dens safely with something light weight to begin with, like cardboard that has been rolled, or an activity where the children can create woodland paths to walk on, with different plants that they should avoid walking on so that they learn how to look after and respect the outdoors.
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