9 Kinds of Fire Starters You Can Make

Fire starters are highly flammable materials that ignite at the touch of a match. They may be purchased or made using recycled materials.

Making fire starters is a fun activity to do with the girls in preparation for camping.

Firestarter Ideas:

BUDDY BURNERS: Take a few buddy burners to camp in case it rains. You can use these to start a campfire in wet weather. They will burn for a few hours, at least, until the wax runs out. Google instructions for how to make them.

EGG CARTON AND SAWDUST: Fill the compartments of a non-plastic egg carton with sawdust and pour paraffin over the sawdust. Break compartments apart for single fire starters.

FUZZ STICK: Cut into the sides of a dry stick to make curls attached to the stick. Use this stick as a central fire stick. Build a tent of twigs around it.

KISS: Wrap small candle stubs or bits of crayons in waxed paper and twist the ends so it looks like candy.

NEWSPAPER ROLLS: Roll sheets of newspaper into a tight-packed tube about 1 inch in diameter. Tie the roll with string (not nylon) about every inch. Cut string. Hold the string and dip the roll into paraffin. Use the twine as a wick to light.

MATCHES IN CARDBOARD: Cut strips of corrugated cardboard. Push matches into the holes of the corrugation and dip into paraffin.

PAPER CUPS AND SAWDUST: Fill paper bathroom cups or condiment cups with sawdust and pour in the paraffin.

PAPER TUBE AND LINT: Loosely stuff dryer lint into an empty toilet paper roll. Place this in a cereal liner, roll up, and twist ends to close. These take seconds to make, cost nothing, and any age level can make them.

PAPER TUBE AND SAWDUST: Using a paper tube from a roll of paper towels or bathroom tissue, partially fill the tube with sawdust and pour paraffin into the tube.

Keep repeating until the tube is filled. Cut the tube into convenient pieces, about 1-inch long each. Wood chips/shavings/sawdust work great too! You can also stuff the toilet tissue rolls with dryer lint and wrap in waxed paper.