160 NATURE-BASED EXPRESSIVE ARTS THERAPY
Building the fire
- Once all of your materials are ready and organized you are
ready for the actual fire. - The notch you made is to help collect the charred dust that
forms from the friction and this is the material that will form
into an ember when the right temperature is achieved. - It is helpful to place a thick leaf underneath the notch so you
can easily pick up the ember once complete to transfer to the
tinder nest. - Begin by going through the same motions as before when
you began the hole. Keep the repetitive motion going until you
can sustain a thick smoke. You will be getting very tired at this
point so breathe steady and go as long as you can. Go slow at
first and build up your speed as you go. - You’ll know you have an ember if the notch gets full of the
charred dust and you see smoke rising from the dust and not
just the board. You may even see the glow of the ember. - Once you stop, take your time lifting the board so as to not
scatter the dust. You can give the board a slight tap to dislodge
the dust pile. - If there is an ember, transfer it into the nest and gently blow
into the center until the nest catches flame. - Set the nest in the fire pit and use your kindling and small
sticks to slowly build the fire larger. Be careful not to smother
the fire with too many sticks at once. - Once it is established you can add larger and larger sticks and
branches.