David Aman

I have been teaching kids fun stuff in Boy Scouts for 23 years now and I seem to be pretty good at it. I can't sing worth a darn but I know how to make kids excited about being outdoors and have a lot of fun doing it.

Although my expertise leans towards fire starting without matches, some would say that what I am really good at is how to convey skills to kids in a fun way.

Many leaders of groups are good at the organization (yet another weakness of mine) when it comes to camping etc. What I teach are fun ways of doing basic things like how to set up camp or cook dinner along with activities, games and projects. These projects are just as fun to do by adults as with the kids.

I have been writing a comprehensive book about fire for 7 years now including absolutely everything that I can find on the subject. I want it to be so thorough that 50 years from now it is still "THE" book about fire. (Portions of this book can be found in my e-books.) Included in it are ways to create smoke that attracts animals, what wood only burns when it is green, how to make torches, and over 100 ways of starting fires without matches. These include all of the chemical formulas, how to start fire with air showing the math that is involved in the process, starting fires with Canadian coins, or getting sparks by striking bamboo against bamboo.

Life is fun and kids are our future. Teach them all that you know, spend some time with them and create memories that you can think about when they have grown up and moved out. This is as much about making the parents happy as it is for the kids.