Some of my all-time favorite memories involve sitting around a campfire with friends and family, telling stories and singing songs. There’s something truly magical about a summer bonfire. Today, we’ve got the fantastic Laurie Endsley here, Texas mom of 3 and photographer, with tips on how to create an incredible bonfire experience for your kids that they’ll never forget. From how to safely build a bonfire to how to make turn it magical colors, she’s sharing the five S’s of a successful bonfire that your kids will love.
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Five S’s of a successful bonfire
Every spring our family builds and relishes a massive and gorgeous bonfire. Living on acreage outside of the city allows us to build huge fires that really make our eyes light up and our skin glow. We take advantage of it every chance we can. Over the years, we’ve packed away fun (and tasty) tips that help us have spectacular bonfires each and every time. Here are the 5 S’s of a fun and successful bonfire with kids.
1st S – Safety
Safety always comes first with kids around. Before you even light a match, you need to be sure the location you are planning to use allows bonfires and does not currently have a burn ban. A quick Google search of “Does my area have a burn ban?” should come up with your location’s burn status so you can ensure it is safe environmentally. With the all-clear, you need to make sure you have the following things:
- A first aid kit
- Fire extinguisher, hose or bucket of water
- A responsible adult
When these three things in place, it’s a good time to remind the kiddos of fire safety rules. Remind your littles that fire embers are always hot and not to directly poke the fire because it can be dangerous. By assuming it is hot at all times and not poking at the logs you can ensure that the changes of being burned have been lowered to a minimum. Finally, make sure to fully extinguish the fire when you are done, as Smokey the Bear says, only you can prevent forest fires!
You can find more fire safety tips from Smokey the Bear here.
2nd S – Set up
For most of us, building a fire is not something we do on a daily basis. Before you begin, you may need a quick refresher on exactly what to do. Step-by-step detailed instructions are always helpful, which I’ve included below. For those who are visual learners here is a video link for a GREAT video on properly building a bonfire.
Bonfire building directions:
1. Make sure the area is open with plenty of open space around where the fire will be to prevent jumping embers from sparking nearby greenery.
2. Gather the following bonfire materials:
- a small pile of kindling
- twelve or so medium width logs, roughly 5 inches across
- four large width logs, roughly 7 inches across
- two short thick logs
- a collection of longer medium logs, roughly 3 feet long (you will use the longer logs to build vertical frame of the blaze.)
- newspaper or fire starter
- fireplace matches or a long-stemmed BBQ lighter (a smaller lighter or matches will work but you will have to get up-close and friendly with the structure when setting the blaze
3. Now we build! First, place a small amount of kindling in a pile. On two sides of the kindling place two of the large logs. Then, top with the medium-width logs to make a crisscross pattern (this will be 3 logs tall). Pack the newspaper or firestarter into the small spaces between the medium sized logs. Add the rest of the medium logs continuing the lattice pattern until you are out of logs.
4. Place the two larger logs perpendicular to the two large logs at the bottom to hold your pile in place. The two short logs will be the top of the stack, becoming your fuel as the fire burns. Lastly, take the longer medium logs and place them standing up all around your stack like a teepee, this is what gives you your traditional bonfire look!
5. When it’s all ready, reach in and very carefully light the newspaper and kindling in the middle of your stack with the lighter and get the fire started!
3rd S – S’mores!
Making s’mores is my favorite bonfire “S.” Those amazing marshmallow treats are perfect for bonfires. You will need sticks sturdy enough to last when they are close to or in the fire. Search for s’mores roasting sticks in the nearby woods or you can always buy some durable reusable ones.
I’m pretty sure that everyone loves s’mores! The traditional s’mores are hard to beat, but there are so many variations to make your s’more perfect. Don’t like milk chocolate? Use dark chocolate! Want a little mint flavor? Add an Andes mint to your s’more. Nutella is a tasty alternative to the traditional Hershey bar if you want to take it up a notch. Feeling really crazy? Swap that graham cracker for a chocolate chip cookie or a donut! My favorite option for little kids is to use a waffle ice cream cone to house their s’more and keep it all contained!
4th S – Smiles
Building a bonfire is sure to get little ones out in the open air and excited about being unplugged, present and outside. So, it is immensely important that we bring on the smiles. Sometimes fun takes proper planning and other times its spontaneous. If you have trouble with coming up with spontaneous fun, don’t worry, there are plenty of planned activities for bonfire fun. Here are a few fun ways we make bonfires extra awesome!
Treats – If chocolate and gooey yumminess of s’mores isn’t your thing, try roasting hotdogs, making popcorn, grilling corn on the cob, baking potatoes or fire-roasting pineapple as a treat.
Stargazing – When bonfiring on a clear night, stargazing is a terrific way to throw a little learning into the mix! Stargazing is perfect for when you want to utilize your time away from city lights by fitting all the outdoor activities you can in at one time. I love the old school book method of learning the constellations and suggest the following books:
- The Usborne Book of Astronomy & Space
- Glow-In-The-Dark Constellations: A Field Guide for Young Stargazers by C.E. Thompson & Randy Chewning
Sparklers – Sparklers are so much fun for kids! They come in a ton of different colors and are cheap! They can be usually be found at your local party or wedding store year round. On a non-windy night, sparklers are always a crowd pleaser.
Songs and Stories – Telling stories and singing campfire songs are a wonderful way to pass down personal and cultural history in a memorable way. Tell stories about when you were a child or family traditions to create organic a bonding experience with your child. This allows you to chat about what is important to you, all while giving your kids a sense of belonging. Additionally, classic stories like Big Foot, The Hook, and Little Red Riding Hood are fun to retell around the glow of a bonfire. What bonfire is complete without singing Bingo, Home on the Range and Kumbaya?
5th S – Science
Once you’ve had your s’mores, sung your favorite campfire songs and told a ghost story or two around the bonfire, it’s time to bring out the finale! Nothing will dazzle your bonfire buddies like a good ol’ chemical reaction. There are lots of compounds you can either get at your local drug store or order online that will leave all your campers saying, “WOW!!!” and end your night with gusto!
Using chemicals to make your flames change color or spark gives you a perfect send-off before putting out your fire for the night. Here are a few options for wow’ing your crowd.
- Magnesium sulfate – white
- Borax- light green
- Copper sulfate- green
- Lithium chloride- pink
- Potassium chloride- purple
- Copper chloride- Blue
- Powdered coffee creamer- will cause sparks
- Flour- a flame flash
An adult should ALWAYS handle any chemicals and take all safety precautions such as gloves or eye protection. And remember to keep a fire extinguisher or bucket of water close at hand!
Final words
No matter how you decide to bonfire, a big traditional fire, a small colorful fire, or one just for making s’mores, bonfires are perfect for letting kids explore, learn, bond, and… run wild!
Hi, I’m Laurie! I live on acreage outside a very small town (we don’t even have a stoplight!) an hour and a half away from Dallas, Texas. I’ve been a photographer for almost 10 years, longer than any job I have ever had (except being a mom). I have three rambunctious and spirited kids who make my life anything but boring and a marvelous husband who helps me wrangle them when his job doesn’t call him in to “the big city.” If you want to follow along on our adventures and see my client work head on over to one of my social media outlets!
Facebook: laurie endsley photography
Instagram: @laurieends
Website: laurieendsley.com
Love this! Wonderful pictures!
This is awesome! Thanks for the tips!