*Guest Post* Little Helpers Make Happy Campers

This week we welcome Tiffany AKA The Campy Mom to the blog.  She is the queen of camp (at least in the blogging world) and we are thrilled to have her here today.  Even better, she is sharing one of our very favorite camping recipes.  As always, please feel free to leave her some love in the comments and make sure to check out her bio below (and awesome blog too!)  

My kids are camping kids.  They love camping and all the outdoor activities that go along with it.  I love that they are spending time outdoors exercising and learning to appreciate nature.

Our kids love to help around the campsite.  They feel useful, needed and confident when they are allowed to get involved.  Of course, the level of a child’s involvement depends on their age and maturity level.

Ways to Allow Children to Help Around the Campsite

Allow children to carry their own gear to the campsite.  We allow each child to have their own backpack or duffle bag for their clothes.  They are proud to have their own bag.  Each child has a small personal lantern, their own fishing rod and bug habitats. They feel very independent with their own equipment.

Kids can help setup the campsite.  Older kids can help setup the tent.  Younger children may be allowed to setup the table with the vinyl tablecloth and plastic ware. My kids love to put together the foam floor tiles (like you see in preschools) which we use as flooring in our tent.  The older kids take turns deciding the pattern we will use for the floor tiles (such as red-blue-green-yellow or yellow-blue-red-green).

Kids love to help with food preparation.  What child doesn’t want to make hot dogs and s’mores?  My kids also like to help make breakfast.  Even younger children can shake up the pancake mix in its container as the adults cook the pancakes on the propane griddle. My older kids like to stir the eggs. Of course, always closely monitor kids while they cook and around the campfire.

Our kids also enjoy making monkey bread.  Monkey bread is similar to cinnamon rolls. We make it with canned biscuits, cinnamon and brown sugar.  I am sharing our monkey bread recipe with you today.  I hope you and your kids enjoy it as much as we do.

Campfire Monkey Bread Recipe

2 cans biscuits

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp. cinnamon

½ stick margarine or unsalted butter

Cut biscuits into quarters.  I allow my older children to cut the biscuits with plastic knives on a cutting board.  Mix sugar and cinnamon in a plastic bag.  Drop biscuits into a bag and allow your kids to shake well, coating the biscuits with the sugar mixture.  Place the biscuits in a Dutch oven.  I usually put foil in the Dutch oven and I spray the foil with non-stick spray for easier clean up.  Melt butter and mix with brown sugar.  Pour butter mixture over the biscuits. 

Cook over the campfire for 20-25 minutes (check to see if the biscuits are cooked thoroughly. You may need to cook longer).

When cooking this recipe at home, cook at 350 degrees F for 25-32 minutes.

Serves 4

So next time you’re camping with your kids, consider ways to get them involved around the campsite. Because little helpers make happy campers!

I’ll see ya by the campfire.

Tiffany 

How do you get your kids involved around the campsite? We'd love to know!

Tiffany loves to fish and camp with her husband and 3 children.  She prefers tent camping and cane pole fishing.  Tiffany has a family camping blog, www.aLittleCampy.com, where she shares her adventures in camping and motherhood, from pitching tents to pitching fits.  Join her there anytime, around the campfire.