Be careful building your nice warm fire under a snow covered tree, or both you and your fire might get wet...

Good job. I wish someone had taught me how to make a fire without matches when I was a kid. I'm still a little intimidatd by that. Other than that piece, though, I guess I had a pretty good early introduction to making and tending fires, which has always served me well.

Fire can be dangerous but more often it can be a big help. I would encourage parents to expose their children to it early and train them properly. At the same time, you have to recognize the "fire bug" phenomenon (or psych disorder, I guess) that seems to happen to a certain small % of children when they first learn how to make a fire. Monitor them back in civilization to be sure they aren't getting carried away, and if you ever smell smoke on them investigate it thoroughly.

Suprisingly, as I found out watching the scouts, they had no problem making fire using the BSA Hot Spark. What they had a problem with was MAINTAINING the fire. They could get a piece of tinder lit with the spark very easily... What they did with that is another story.

Many complained and wanted to use matches. I calmly replied that they had no problem lighting a fire, they just weren't laying out their kindling properly or were using the wrong kind.

The 2nd attempt, after a debriefing, went much much better.

Jack London wrote a little story about this that stays with me to this day. At least I didn't have to learn it the hard way.

I will second the notion that it is building the fire lay that is the hard part (for impatient fire builders, young and old). Getting the fire lit is relatively easy, even without matches. Proper preparation is the key. A good lay and plenty of wood to use once the fire is going...