Test your gas sense
You’ll need
- Cotton wool balls
- Device with access to the internet
- Glass jars with lids
- Substances for the smelling station
- Printed images for the sight station
- Something to play sounds on for the hearing station
Before you begin
- Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Take a look at our guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.
- 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.
Planning and Setting this activity
- This activity is designed to help young people recognise the signs of carbon monoxide poisoning and how they can keep themselves and their family safe. Make sure you check any gas-based appliances in your meeting place and in your equipment stores before beginning this activity to ensure everyone stays safe.
- You will be using safe, everyday smells and visual cue cards to simulate different gas-related scenarios. This allows young people to use their senses to detect potential danger and learn how to respond safely.
- Before starting, check your venue to make sure there are no real gas risks.
- Set up each station in an open area, such as on tables, ensuring there is plenty of space for participants to move freely between stations. To help everyone understand what to do, consider writing or printing instructions and placing them clearly next to each station.
Setting up:
- Soak each cotton ball with a separate substance and place them into a jar. You can dilute them if the smell is too strong.
- Label the jars clearly with numbers or letters so participants can identify them without knowing the contents.
Running the station:
- Young people should gently waft the air above each jar to smell it (never sniff directly). They should then guess what the smell represents and decide if it might indicate a safe or unsafe gas.
- Which gas represents Carbon Monoxide gas?
Examples:
| Substance | Represents | Real-world meaning | Category |
| Lemon juice or peel | Fresh/clean scent | Often used in cleaning products or citrus fruits. Not dangerous unless allergic. | Safe |
| White vinegar | Sharp, acidic scent (like bleach or chlorine) | Strong, but common in cleaning | Caution |
| Rotten cabbages or eggs | Natural gas smell | Natural gas leaks are often odorized to smell like sulfur or garlic | Unsafe (potential gas leak) |
| Rubbing alcohol | Solvent / medical scent | Normal in small amounts (e.g. disinfecting), but can be harmful in large exposure | Caution |
| Cinnamon or clove | Warm spice scent | Cooking or candles — familiar and non-threatening | Safe |
| Mint extract | Fresh, menthol smell | Common in toothpaste or essential oils | Safe |
| Nail polish remover (acetone) | Chemical / salon smell | Can be hazardous in poorly ventilated areas | Caution |
| Burnt match / smoke scent | Smoke or fire | Sign of possible fire or appliance malfunction | Unsafe |
| Coffee grounds | Strong roasted scent | Normal kitchen scent | Safe |
| Perfume or essential oil (e.g. lavender) | Fragrance | Not dangerous unless allergic or overwhelmed by scent | Safe |
| Empty jar (no scent) | Carbon Monoxide | Odourless but deadly, invisible danger | Unsafe |
Setting up:
- Print the resources or show images of safe and unsafe items relating to gas dangers.
- You could label the pictures in letters or numbers.
Running the station:
- Young people should look at each of the visual cue cards, and identify what they mean.
- Which cards demonstrate Carbon Monoxide gas?
Examples
| Visual Aid | Description | Carbon Monoxide present? |
|---|---|---|
| Gas stove with a yellow/orange flame | Gas flames should be blue. Yellow or orange flames may signal risk. | Yes |
| Condensation (drops of water) on the inside of all the windows. | Condensation has formed on closed windows while cooking on a stove in the kitchen. | Maybe — this may indicate poor ventilation and a potential build-up of Carbon Monoxide. |
| Carbon Monoxide detector | The detector doesn't have an expiry date. | Yes |
| The gas boiler. | The label shows it has missed its yearly service. | Yes |
| Soot on the walls | Black soot stains are visible on the wall behind the gas fire. | Yes |
| A dirty stove | The stove although dirty has blue flames meaning the fuel is burning clean. | No |
Setting up:
- Play or download sound clips of safe and unsafe sounds.
- Some websites may display advertisements. Be aware of this when using them, especially with young people, and consider using ad blockers or pre-downloaded materials to avoid distractions.
Running the station:
- Young people should listen to sound clips and decide what they think they heard and whether it was a safe or they detected any danger.
- Which clip demonstrates Carbon Monoxide gas?
| Sound | Meaning | Audio |
| Beeping from a CO detector (usually 4 beeps, pause, repeat) | carbon monoxide is detected | Carbon monoxide detector sound bite |
| Beeping from a smoke detector (3 beeps, pause, repeat) | Fire or smoke detected | Smoke detector sound bite |
| Hissing sound from a gas line or appliance | Could indicate a gas leak | Gas release sound bite |
| Sudden appliance ignition sound or sputtering flame | May indicate improper combustion (could lead to CO release) | Oven gas stove hob flames sound bite |
| Fan running during ventilation | Indicates that air is circulating properly | Kitchen fan sound bite |
| General noise | Nothing of threat, just daily life. | Indoor home ambience, noise of quiet city outside, birds, traffic passing sound bite |
| Silence | Carbon Monoxide is silent, it makes no noise. | No sound bite |
Smelling Activities:
Please check for any known allergies or sensitivities to scents or foods before using any substances in the scent station. Common allergens may include:
- Citrus (such as lemon)
- Vinegar
- Spices (such as cinnamon or garlic powder)
- Essential oils
Adjust or substitute any items as needed to ensure safety and comfort for all participants.
Hearing Activities:
Some individuals may be more sensitive to loud, high-pitched, or repetitive sounds.
- Always pre-warn participants, especially young people, before playing any sound clips.
- Where possible, allow individuals to opt out or step back during sound demonstrations.
If you're unsure about a participant’s needs, check with their parent, carer, or support worker beforehand.
For volunteers or adult helpers, it’s appropriate to ask them directly.
Running this activity
- Bring everyone together and introduce the activity. Explain that they will become Gas Detectives, using their senses for sight, smell and hearing to identify signs of carbon monoxide dangers.
- Explain that they will rotate through three activity stations:
- Scent: use your nose to detect safe and unsafe smells.
- Sight: look for visual signs of danger.
- Sound: Listen for warning sounds.
- Divide the group into three teams and assign each team to start at a different station.
- Give each group about 7 minutes per station. Use a timer or signal to let them know when to rotate.
- After all rotations are complete, ask the group to reflect and think about whether they could identify which scent, sound or sights were represented by carbon monoxide.
- Highlight that Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas that can make you seriously ill if you breathe it in. CO can be made by fires and appliances that burn gas, wood, oil or coal. You can’t see it, smell it, hear it or taste it, so you may not even know it's about until you have symptoms of CO Poisoning.
- Ask everyone what they would do if they thought there was a gas leak or carbon monoxide exposure at home or school. Discuss safe steps such as leaving the area immediately and telling an adult.
- If anyone suspects carbon monoxide or smells gas, they should call the National Gas Emergency Service free on 0800 111 999.
Reflection
This activity was all about using our senses to spot signs of danger and learning how to keep ourselves and others safe. Now that we know more about gas leaks and carbon monoxide (CO), which is especially dangerous because we can’t see, hear, or smell it. What do you think you can do in the future to protect yourself and your home?
There are lots of things in the world that might seem scary or dangerous at first, but when we learn about them, we can use the right tools and take the right steps to stay safe. It’s just like wearing shin pads for football or putting on a helmet before riding a bike, it’s not about being afraid, it’s about being smart.
What other things can we do to help stay safe? It could be sharing what we’ve learnt about carbon monoxide, being ready to spot the symptoms, checking our homes and getting a carbon monoxide monitor, or asking question about other things we want to learn how to use safely.
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.
You must run your activities in line with the Safeguarding Code of Conduct for Adults (Yellow Card) and report any concerns to the UK HQ Safeguarding Team.
- Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a serious risk, so make sure you cook or use appliances in a properly ventilated area. If you need a sheltered cooking area, consider an open sided gazebo, dining shelter or a marquee that has sufficient air circulation and ventilation. Take a look at our further guidance on carbon monoxide.
- 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.
- Chemicals
This task involves the use of potentially harmful fluids or chemicals. Make sure you follow all relevant safety guidance. Make sure you dispose of them appropriately too, in line with safety guidance.
- To make this activity easier, you could ask the young people to guess which item at each station links to carbon monoxide.
- To make this activity harder, you could ask the young people to guess what all the items for each station relate to and whether they are safe or unsafe.
- Make sure your space is safe and suitable for everyone to move around comfortably. Be mindful of noise levels, if your setting is busy or loud, consider running the activity in a quieter space.
- Adapt group sizes to suit your participants. Smaller groups at each station can help ensure that everyone has a chance to engage.
- Some participants may find it difficult to identify smells, interpret visual clues, or understand sounds. Pair them with a supportive teammate who can describe what they’re noticing or offer to read and discuss the prompts aloud.
- Use props, clear labels, or visual aids where possible to support understanding, especially at the Scent and Sight stations. For the Sound station, consider providing written descriptions of each sound for those who are hearing impaired or sensitive to noise.
- If the topic of gas leaks is sensitive for a participant, allow them to opt out of certain stations or take on a supportive, non-sensory role, such as time-keeper.
- Ensure that every participant feels comfortable contributing in a way that suits them, whether through discussion, observation, or quiet support.
All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.
You can visit our guidance on carbon monoxide safety. Remember to regularly check your meeting place and equipment to make sure it’s safe, such as by having a carbon monoxide alarm or a yearly service on gas equipment. You could also run some more of our activities to learn about the dangers of carbon monoxide.