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Learn How To Build a Campfire The Right Way With Your Troop

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Time to read 8 min

The following is a sponsored post in partnership with Think Outside. All opinions are 100% my own.

If you have been following along with my reviews of the Think Outside subscription series then you know I am not much of an outdoor person. This months box was my favorite. Because one thing I can get behind during the fall months is making a campfire and roasting some marshmallows. Enjoying the fire is the easy part, before that you need to build the fire, start the fire, and make sure the area around the fire is safe. That is why I loved this months box. If you are new to learning about this series keep reading but if you are following along month after month skip the intro and read on for my honest review of this box.


First don’t let the words subscription scare you. If you are new to the concept of subscription boxes, the idea is that every month you will get a new box full of activities to do with your girls. There are boxes out there that focus on everything from arts to STEM topics. And now there is one that I am really enjoying and its all about the outdoors. It is called the Think Outside monthly subscription program and it will teach your girls new outdoor skills each and every month. It is a year long program with something new each month to get your girls outdoors exploring nature. No matter what month you sign up for this program your first box will always be the Intro Box / Pack building, then the second months box will correspond with the listed month. For example if you order by September 20th, you will receive the Intro Box in October, then the Animal Tracking Box in November. Then over the course of the whole year you will do each of the other outside boxes. Below is example of order boxes will be delivered.

    1. Intro Box / Pack Building (July) – Read my review of this box

    1. Night Box / Stargazing (August) – Read my review of this box

    1. Water Box (September) – Read my review of this box

    1. Fire Building Box (October) – That is this post 🙂

    1. Animal Tracking Box / Wildlife (November)

    1. Knot Tying it all Together Box (December)

    1. Repair Box / Paracord (January)

    1. Shelter Building Box (February)

    1. First Aid Box (March)

    1. Weather Box (April)

    1. Wayfinding Box (May)

  1. Primitive Cooking Box / Nutrition (June)

This is the Your Fire Box – Love the branding with the campfire on the box!

Now onto my overview and thoughts on the “Your Fire Box” In this post I will share with you:

  • Quick summary of how the Think Outside Box subscription works and what to expect
  • My opinion of the “Your Fire Box” .
  • Price and any coupons or ordering discounts offered by the company for leaders

Think Outside Boxes Background!

What is Think Outside Boxes? They are a great way to teach your girls new exciting outdoor skills each month. Each box focuses on a different topic from learning about the night sky, water skills, how to build a shelter, using first aid, and more. This post is going to focus on the “Your Fire Box” which is everything related to fire of course! And by far my favorite so far.

On the website they state these boxes are geared toward kids 7+. I would agree with this assessment and in regards to scouts I think these activities would be best suited for 3rd grade and up. If you have advanced 2nd graders that all can read well they maybe able to do activities as well.

When you first sign up for the program the first box is always the same you will receive a backpack with a 16+ page resource/guided activity booklet and a few other pieces of outdoor gear to get you started. Then the following months will each focus on a outdoor topic, with 3 to 5 pieces of outdoor gear, a activity book and a really cool reference card set about the topic that the girls can refer back to when they need to use the skills again camp out after camp out.

It is so easy to get started all you need to do is subscribe to receive the boxes and shipping is free. Then just wait for the first box to arrive. Then get outside and have fun exploring the great outdoors using everything in the box.

Continue reading to the end of this post for pricing with some great discount opportunities exclusive to leaders like you and a complete list of which boxes you can expect to receive each month!

What I think of the Fire Box?

I received my next box of the year long outdoor series. This box is called “Your Fire Box” which is full of activities around fire. I will admit when it comes to building a fire I just throw a bunch of wood on a pile, stick some paper underneath it, grab some lighter fluid spray a bit on and light a match. I know leaders you are all thinking wow how was she a girl leader. It was because I had other leaders who took on that roll in my troop teaching the girls the right way. Well guess what I now know the right way to do it too. I learned probably just as much or more from this box then my son did. We built a campfire every night over a weekend trying a different way to build the fire, making sure we were following fire safety around the fire, we tried the different types of fire starters included with kit and even made our own fire starter with supplies provided. If you are like me and know you lack in the knowledge to really build, start, and use a fire then this box is right for you too.

Your Fire Box

Of course the best part of building a fire!

As soon as I opened the box I was super excited to get outside and build our first fire the RIGHT WAY. As usual I was impressed with what was provided in kit. It came with a few different fire starting tools, and everything you need to learn how to start a fire between the reference cards and the booklet there was no way not to succeed. So on three very beautiful fall nights as a family we went out and built a fire, used a different fire starter each night and also created are own DIY fire starter with the directions that came in booklet. Then enjoyed some R & R next to a hot fire on a cool fall night. Of course the reward to me after successfully learning something new is eating. We grabbed our marshmallow sticks and made ourselves a yummy treat!

Fire Building Reference Cards
I loved this reference pack! It shows me visually how to build a fire so it will successfully start. It also walks you through how to use a fire starter and lastly covers a number of fire safety facts to be aware of when building a fire. I told my husband this is great to keep with our campfire supplies in case any of us forget. Yeah I know, to you outdoorsy types of leaders your probably thinking how can she not know how to start a fire? Believe it ladies, I am much better behind the computer screen when it comes to my skill set.

So what is the benefit of this box?
When your girls are done with the activities in this booklet they will know how to build a fire in three different ways, learn what works great as a fire starter and do a hands on activity making their own fire starter and of course know exactly how to stay safe around a fire. I know for my child he loves when we make a fire in the backyard. This kit helped me teach him how to build one properly, different ways to get the fire started and most importantly how to remain safe around the fire. This box has a number of pretty fun hands on activities to show your girls how to make their own fire starter, Steps to building a fire in a variety of ways, using the fire starter to start the campfire and an activity to teach the girls about fire safety in your home or meeting place.

So what is my final opinion?

This is the fifth box of this program and this by far has been my favorite. Of course it could be because once the fire is built I got to make all kinds of tasty food to try! But also it was a great opportunity to learn different ways to build a fire properly, I was able to teach my son more about fire safety and how important it is not to play with fire. Lastly because I have learned yet another outdoor skill I wasn’t so good at a month ago. So I would recommend this program to your troop. In summary I highly recommend this subscription series for your girls give it a try you can cancel anytime.

EXTRA IDEA: One part of the booklet discusses fire safety when it pertains to getting out of your home in case of fire. I added an activity to this kit and had my son first draw a picture of our house. Showing where all the exits were and then we walked through the house and pointed out all the fire alarms. Lastly we did a exit route if we needed to get out of the house at night what way we would go to get out.

Fun Patch Addition

After you have the fire then you can make the food. Have I mentioned thats the best part of the campfire? Here is a really cute Campfire Fun Patch for the back of your girls vest.

Another idea…If your girls love scavenger hunts, here is a great way to continue your outdoor adventures with this free fall nature hunt challenge.

What else can I do with my troop outside?

WOOD ESCAPE: Rescue Fairies from The Woods | Wide Game – Escape Room Style Challenges

This game has ten challenges that are themed around ten different skill sets: First Aid, Campfire, Nutrition, Map Skills, Knots, Star Gazing, Shelter, Clean Water, Wildlife, and Nature. Girls must complete each challenge and do a final activity to free the fairies from the woods. Get your copy of this game now.

Outdoor Artist Activities

Enjoy every minute being a leader and continue to inspire your girls!

Purchase this wonderful illustrated book from Amazon.

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