Pinecone Fire Starters

When the weather turns chilly and the nights grow longer, there’s nothing quite like a cozy fire to warm you up and set the mood. And while there are plenty of commercial fire starters available on the market, there’s something special about making your own DIY fire starters at home. . For the full tutorial and more amazing photos check out Redtedart.com

One popular option for DIY fire starters is the pinecone fire starter, which combines natural materials with a touch of wax to create a beautiful and functional accessory for your fireplace. These fire starters can be customized with different scents and colors, and they make a lovely decorative touch when displayed in a bowl or basket next to your hearth.

But pinecone fire starters are just the beginning when it comes to DIY fire starters. Here are three other ideas to try:

Egg carton fire starters: These fire starters are made by filling each compartment of an empty egg carton with sawdust, dryer lint, or shredded paper, and then pouring melted wax over the top. Once the wax sets, you can break apart the compartments and use them to start your fire.

Citrus peel fire starters: Save your orange, lemon, and grapefruit peels and dry them out in a low oven. Once they’re completely dry, dip them in melted wax and let them cool on a sheet of wax paper. The citrus peels will add a lovely scent to your fire, and they’re a great way to repurpose something that would otherwise be thrown away.

Toilet paper roll fire starters: Collect empty toilet paper rolls and stuff them with shredded paper, sawdust, or dryer lint. Then, dip each roll in melted wax and let them cool on a sheet of wax paper. Once the wax sets, you can cut the rolls into individual fire starters.

Whether you opt for pinecone fire starters or one of these other DIY options, there’s something deeply satisfying about creating your own fire starters from scratch. So why not give it a try and see how you can elevate your next fireside experience?

In our continuing exploration of lesser known holidays, let’s take a look at Terry Fox Day, which is probably one you know if you’re Canadian.

Terry Fox was a Canadian athlete who had a leg amputated at age 18 because of cancer and then did a cross-country run to raise awareness and funding for cancer research. He was born July 28, 1958, and the first Monday in August is celebrated as Terry Fox Day in Manitoba.

Fox is considered a kind of folk hero in Canada despite the difficulties of traveling across Canada on foot (no one on his team spoke French, for example, the weather was often bad and cars would force him off the road) and the low number of donations at the beginning of his run. He ultimately had to end his run after 143 days and 3,339 miles, or 5,373 km, because his cancer had returned and spread to his lungs, but he raised $1.7 million, and a telethon a week after he ended his run raised $10.5 million.

Check out some Terry Fox quotes collected by My Little Desire. You can learn more in this video from CBC Kids, and listen to the Terry Fox song illustrated by a first grade class.

Twinkl has a bunch of Terry Fox related activities in both English and French, including an activity pack with a maze and word search, a coring challenge, a fact sheet and coloring page.

Most of the resources I could find were at Teachers Pay Teachers, but you can learn more about the activity pack for grades 1-3 that Mrs. Bremer’s Class has made, which tells his story and has kids write things they learned and discuss why they think he is a hero.

Creative Classroom Core has a few paid resources include writing activities, reading comprehension and a Terry Fox fact book.

That Fun Reading Teacher has a K-2 singalong with a differentiated reader and activity to teach kids about him.

You can also celebrate Terry Fox Day by talking about what makes a person a hero and who the kids in your home or classroom think of as heroes. And if you’re Canadian, there are Terry Fox runs in more than 650 communities in September, so you can make plans to participate or cheer on the runners to remember his legacy.

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