Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think playing with fire is a basic part of being human. Humans, fire. The fire primate, why we don't have hair or fat for body heat, we have fire and clothes. Like how else are you going to learn but seeing what happens if you eg play with the gauge on a lighter (for education, playing is mostly about learning), more flame, less flame, look at it, marvel at it. Doesn't mean getting burned though for sure there will…
My own worst experience with fire was with a Primus stove ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primus_stove ) when I was about 14. I'd squirted the priming meths alcohol from a squeezy bottle on to the stove and lit it. But then (because alcohol burns with a near-invisible flame I thought it had gone out, so I squirted more on, then ... boom! Squeezy blew open, sending burning meths everywhere. Luckily alcohol doesn't bur…
try explaining how a gas engine works to someone that doesn't understand how vapor burns but liquid doesn't.
My latest "prove something" was taking my brightest flashlight and putting it flush against the bottom of a clear container of peanut butter in a dark room. When you shut off the flashlight, the peanut butter fluoresces. It "glows in the dark" for a short time. really cool.
this whole PDF is whimsically old, but it has some good experiments nonetheless.