About

Young people learning to thrive outside.

We noticed that going outside, using tools, being trusted as decision-makers and being asked great questions helped kids grow in confidence, self-determination, teamwork and resilience, and in their love of the outdoors.

Young people learning to thrive and find joy outside is what Fire & Knives is about.

What we believe

Kids are more capable than we think.

Real responsibility.

Kids get meaningful work, real tools, and guidance to use them thoughtfully. Hand a kid something real, and watch.

Judgment grows through practice.

Instructors set the boundaries and hold them. Inside them, kids learn to assess what is in front of them: how close is too close, whether a stick is safe to carry.

Nature is the classroom.

Kids observe, explore, build, and learn from the world around them. The woods ask better questions than we do.

Room to try.

Challenges leave space for mistakes, adjustment, and figuring things out. The second attempt is where the learning is.

Learning together.

Kids practice helping, listening, contributing, and taking responsibility for the group. A fire is a team project.

Our team

The people building this.

Michael J. Hagan
Founder and CEO
Michael is a father of three and an entrepreneur who believes kids are capable of more than we give them credit for. He co-founded LevelUp and led its strategy through the company's sale. At Fire & Knives, he's building a business around that belief: real skills, good guidance, and confidence earned. He lives in Andover and writes at Playing with Fire.
Jasmin Estrada-Levenson
Director of Programs and Training
Over fourteen years of experience in the outdoor ed world, in youth development, and in trainings, most recently at the Appalachian Mountain Club as Manager of Partnerships, and before that as Program Director at Farm & Wilderness in Vermont. She serves on the board of the Outdoors Empowered Network and trains every Fire & Knives instructor.
Jen Antocci
Growth and Partnerships
Jen works with schools, rec departments and families, and is the first person most partners talk to. She runs all of our partner relationships, and comes to Fire & Knives from the Appalachian Mountain Club, where she supported community partners for many years.

Our story

Why I started Fire & Knives.

As a father of three, I wanted my kids to have more chances to make things, solve problems, and feel useful. I wanted them to experience the pride of doing something themselves.

Outside, with real tools and good guidance, I saw how seriously kids take responsibility when we trust them with it. They pay attention. They ask questions. They try again.

That became the purpose of Fire & Knives: give kids meaningful challenges, help them develop judgment, and let confidence grow from what they can do.

Michael J. Hagan, Founder

The timeline

From a backyard to the schoolyard.

June 2025
The first spark
One Saturday afternoon, twelve kids gathered in a backyard. Michael and a friend, a Boston firefighter, taught them about fire and safety. Afterwards the moms asked for more classes and urged Michael to turn the afternoon into something bigger. That fall, the first semester began.
Fall 2025
The first semester in the woods
Ten Wednesdays in Allandale Woods in Boston with about a dozen kids: fire, shelter, knots, knife safety, first aid and compass work, ending with a showcase in November.
January 2026
The Park School takes it on
Our first partner school, in Brookline, ran Fire & Knives three days a week. It filled every trimester, and Andover Recreation launched the same month.
June 2026
The first Games
Kids from every program came together at Hale in Westwood for a morning of skills, teams, and a finale nobody will forget.
Fall 2026
More schools
Fayerweather Street School, The Park School, Meadowbrook School and Dedham Country Day, and parents asking how to get it at their school.