August 7th 2015 - Making mini marshmallows

August 7th 2015 - Making mini marshmallows

I found this marshmallow toss game on pinterest, it is played with real marshmallows.  However, I was really dubious about this incase any of the children put them in their mouths after they had been on the floor etc so I decided to make some mini marshmallows from material.

The other day I had bought some pillows to make a big marshmallows for a smore race, I only used 1 of the 2 pillows so this is what I have used for the mini ones.  I have done them in the same way as the big ones.  I cut open one end and removed all the stuffing, now with the paper material cover I have cut it into strips about 1 1/2 " wide and then pinned and cut the strips into squares:

From here I have stitched 3 sides and then stuffed them with original stuffing.  The first 1 I did was just stuffing but when we threw it it didn't go very far so I undid part of it and added some rice to it to give it some weight for throwing, this worked much better.


I have a big red box that is coming to camp (it has chairs n things in it) and this will be used as the marshmallow toss game instead of the bucket like picture shows.  I have printed and laminated a picture of fire and the words marshmallow toss to be stuck on them as well.  We also have a small red spade from the sandpit to throw them with.


Although the image doesn't tell you how to play the game it looks very simple - you have a bucket that has fire/flames on it and marshmallows and a spade, I assume that the marshmallows represent water and you need to throw them into the fire to put it out.  The way we are going to play is each person has a turn with all of the marshmallows to see who can get the most in the bucket.

august 5th 2015 - making smores

august 5th 2015 - making smores

.....but not the kind you can eat!  The smores I am making are for a smore making race for day camp.  The idea is meant to be done in teams but as I only have a few coming to day camp they can do it individually.

I had to go shopping for pillows to make them:

I then cut the pillows in half and then into quarters, as these seemed to be a good size to be the marshmallows for the middle of the smores.  I stitched up the open sides:

I have 4 marshmallows like this:

 

Whilst I was making the marshmallows I had my son cutting squares of cardboard to use as the biscuits/crackers, they are a nice brown on both sides and dont need painting:

 

I also got him to cut out some thin cardboard cereal boxes and backed the shiny sides together, these will be the chocolate of the smore once painted dark brown.

The way the race will work is each player has 2 crackers, pieces of chocolate and a marshmallow.  These are placed the opposite end of the room to players.  On go they need to run to their pile and pick up a cracker and run back to the start, place cracker on floor and then go get a chocolate and place on top of cracker, then go get their marshmallow and place on chocolate, get the next chocolate to go on top of marshmallow and lastly the cracker on top.  IF any of it falls down before you get the next piece on it, you must put the new piece back, rebuild your smore and then go get the next piece.  the first person wins.

July 27th 2015 - Campfire cakes

July 27th 2015 - Campfire cakes

As my middle sons birthday is the day of badger day camp, I decided that I would try and make some campfire cakes similar to this pin but small fairy cake size.  I thought I had everything I needed to do a test run but found out I hadn't (luckily before I started) so me and lil man nipped to town.




We bought 2 packs of hard boiled sweets and sat and took out the red, orange and yellow ones:





 






We then used metal serving spoons to bash the sweets into small pieces/powder.  Here's my  son mid bashing!

Here are some of the bashed sweets both in their own bags and then the 3 colours mixed together.





We then sprinkled the mix onto a baking tray that had grease proof paper in it and stuck it in the oven for just over 5minutes so that the sweets all went back to being a soild mix, but a mix of 3 colours like flames.  This was the results both on and off the paper: 

















Next was to make the cakes - it was cheaper to buy a plain cake mix than a chocolate one, so I added a couple of spoons of drinking chocolate powder so it turns into a chocolate mix.

I then put them into the oven to bake and this was after I took them out to cool down.






 





The next thing was to decorate them, I knew what I wanted to do but wasn't 100% sure on how to do it.  This was what I was working with as well as the pieces of "flame" (coloured boiled sweets).







AND THIS is how they turned out.  I'm actually really pleased with them and they do look good, however, for the actual day camp I am going to use chocolate "matchmakers" as they will be easier to break and not as bulky to try and stand as sticks on a fire.

June 14th 2015 - Indoor camp

June 14th 2015 - Indoor camp

Today has been spent mostly pottering around on the net looking for indoor camping ideas.  Not for my boys, but most probably will use some for them, but for my St John Badgers.  We had hoped to have a sleepover at another unit in the summer holidays but it looks like we are not going to be allowed for various reasons, so we are trying to out a day camp.

I have spent the day going from site to site, pinning ideas, making notes, adding to a plan, putting together sheets that can be made into a booklet etc.  There are loads of great ideas if you look.  Some I had already thought of others I hadn't.

I'm sure that if I can get permission to hold either the sleepover or day camp I will make a post or 2 as the planning kicks in more and the event takes place.