Before you have a campfire with your kids make sure you review a few simple rules so that everyone can enjoy the campfire injury free.
- Clothes & Hair – Make sure the kids are not wearing loose fitting shirts such as unbuttoned flannel shirts or anything similar that hangs loosely. It is also important that long hair is pulled back. When standing close to a fire for cooking purposes, loose fitting clothing and hair can easily get close to the flames. Closed-toe shoes are also a good ideas because embers can fall off when cooking marshmallows or scatter when a new log is thrown on the fire.
- Behavior – Kids should be made aware of what kind of play is and isn’t appropriate around a campfire. Horseplay and a campfire does not mix well. A trip and fall near a campfire could have serious consequences.
- Area – Prior to lighting your fire make sure the area around the fire pit is cleared of debris and rocks to help prevent tripping.
- Cooking – When making s’mores or hot dogs over a campfire, make sure that children are spaced out around the pit and are careful not to swing their hot sticks around. Once they are done with their stick (particularly the metal cooking sticks), make sure that they put it in a designated safe location.
- Common Sense – Don’t let kids play with fire or attempt to pull sticks out of the fire. Adults should be present to manage the fire and chaperone the children.