Many years ago when I was a scoutmaster I would take all the boys (we had only boys then) on a duck hike. The prerequisites for the hike is that it hade to be raining and cold, cold around here in the mountains is 40-50 deg.during the fall. During this hike All boys were to start a fire using anything they had in there pack, they could not use other boys equipment or help. In addition to the boys we would have about 4or5 park rangers who just did not believe the boys could do it. They were proven wrong about 18 time every year (Or the number of boys that I had with me that trip.) As far a training goes I personally would start with the Boy Scout Handbook, To this day it is one of my favorite field books, and is carried in my pack.