Challenge Question set 25/02/05

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You're alone and trapped in a snowy place with icicles hanging down all around you and puddles covered with ice everywhere. You're miles from the nearest place for help. It's freezing cold, although the sun is shining brightly above you. Suddenly you find a patch of dry, dead grass. It would burn well and make a great, warming fire, but you have no matches or anything else to light it with. How are you going to light it?
 

This question was inspired by a film I watched many years ago, and I remember it to this day. I have no idea what the rest of the film was about though... A friend from America called me the other day, who had read the question, and gave me the answer I was looking for. I thought that it would be too difficult for you lot, but as ever, I was proved wrong! How difficult do these questions have to be to stump you?
 
Break a piece of ice from one of the puddles and use it as a magnifying glass to focus the sun's rays onto the grass. (from Conal - Year 3)

 
Use the ice and the icicles as a magnifying glass. (from Hannah - year 4)
 
Break off the icicles and use their curved shape to reflect the sun's rays on to the patch of dry, dead grass. (from Rachel - Year 4)
 
Now, this was the answer I was looking for. However, some of you still came up with other ideas that would work...
 
I would take my glasses off and hold them up to the sun and magnify the sun through one of the lenses and burn the grass to keep warm.(from Louis - Year 3)
 
Find two sticks, dry them and then rub them together. (from Laura - Year 3)