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Volunteering at Scouts is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing at Scouts. Read more

Discover what this means

Nibble and chew

Gather around the fire and toast a marshmallow as you chat with friends in this Log Chew.
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You’ll need

  • Kindling (for example, small sticks)
  • Marshmallows
  • Fire bucket

Before you begin

  • Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Additional help to carry out your risk assessment, including examples can be found here. Don’t forget to make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
  • Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help out if you’re short on helpers.
  • Make sure that the place you’re holding your campfire has enough twigs for everyone to find one.
  • If you don’t think there’ll be enough, bring some bamboo skewers and make sure that you can soak them water for at least 30 minutes.
  • Make sure the area is clear of anything that could catch fire and put a fire bucket nearby.
  • Build a campfire and let it burn down to glowing embers. If you can’t make a campfire, you could use a barbecue or a fire pit outdoors.

Get ready to toast

  1. Everyone should find a thin twig about 30cm long. It shouldn’t be rotting, so it shouldn’t snap easily, and it shouldn’t have any sap coming off it.
  1. Everyone should peel the bark off one end of their twig: they should see a nice clean white or green colour. They should push a marshmallow onto the bit of twig with no bark on, and make sure it’s secure.
  2. The person leading the activity should remind everyone how to stay safe around the fire. Everyone should be careful when moving around. Anyone with long hair should keep it tied back, and everyone should keep loose clothing (including scarves) well away from the fire. No one should touch any sticks or logs that fall out of the fire.
  3. Everyone should take it in turns to crouch around the fire, making sure they’re stable on their feet, and hold their marshmallow stick over the fire to toast the marshmallow. To get the perfect marshmallow, they should hold the stick safely and firmly near the end, and turn it so the marshmallow toasts evenly. They should watch the colour turn from white or pink to a golden brown – some people like a really crunchy, bubbly outside!
  1. When the marshmallows are perfectly toasted, everyone should remove them from the fire. People should remember not to wave them around and should count to 30 before they eat them, because they’ll be hot and gooey. 
  2. Once everyone’s eaten their marshmallow, they should get rid of their stick on the fire or in the bin. 

Chat and chew

  1. Everyone should think of some activities and adventures they’ve done in the outdoors and enjoyed. Once everyone’s had a chance to think, people should take it in turns to share their ideas.
  1. The person leading the activity should ask everyone if there are any other outdoor activities or adventures people would like to do in the future. Everyone should think, and everyone who wants to should have a chance to talk and share their ideas.

Reflection

This activity gave everyone the chance to enjoy being outdoors and sharing food – the perfect combination for thinking time with friends.

While everyone’s still outdoors, they should think about connecting with and enjoying the natural world. People have sat around fires sharing stories and together for a long time; it goes all the way back to the very first people on Earth, and is a bond we share with everyone. Everyone should look around and share a moment of togetherness as a group before they head back indoors.

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Outdoor activities

You must have permission to use the location. Always check the weather forecast, and inform parents and carers of any change in venue.

Fires and stoves

Make sure anyone using fires and stoves is doing so safely. Check that the equipment and area are suitable and have plenty of ventilation. Follow the gas safety guidance. Have a safe way to extinguish the fire in an emergency.

Food

Remember to check for allergies, eating problems, fasting or dietary requirements and adjust the recipe as needed. Make sure you’ve suitable areas for storing and preparing food and avoid cross contamination of different foods. Take a look at our guidance on food safety and hygiene.

Use your marshmallow roasting skills to make American s’mores. Use a biscuit to gently pull a toasted marshmallow off the stick, add a share of chocolate, and quickly squash another biscuit on top to make a gooey sweet snack.

Make sticks longer if necessary, for example, if anyone can’t crouch and needs a longer stick to read the fire.

You can get vegetarian and vegan marshmallows that don’t contain gelatin, if you need them. You can also get halal or kosher marshmallows; vegan marshmallows that don’t contain animal products may be suitable for people who follow halal or kosher diets. Check with young people and their parents or carers.

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Beavers My Adventure Challenge Award
Beavers Teamwork Challenge Award

While you’re cooking on a campfire, make some more treats. You could try baked potatoes, bakes apples, damper bread, or hot chocolate. This could count towards the Cook Activity Badge.

A Log Chew is a great time for everyone to share their ideas and reflections, and a chance for leaders to take note for planning in the future.