Camp Cooking with Tweens

Last week I posted Camping with Tweens-Part One with several tween camping activities (and a free scavenger hunt printable!) to help older children stay involved and excited about family camping trips.  Today I’m focusing on the last of the activities on the list, camp cooking with tweens, with some fun kid-friendly recipes they can make (mostly) themselves.

•  Campfire Cones.  These treat-stuffed sugar cones I found on Pinterest are great for tweens to assemble before the trip and have ready for the first night’s campfire.

We had butterscotch chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, toffee pieces, caramel bits, nuts, and mini-marshmallows available.  I accidentally bought waffle cones instead of sugar cones, which made for a lot of filling space and a super-sweet finished product.  (I’d recommend using the smaller sugar cones.)  Note: I tried an apple/caramel/nut cone as a lower calorie option, but the liquid from the apples made the cone a soggy mess.  I’ll stick with the sweet kind next time.

Tweens can fill the cones with everything, or take orders for personalized treats, wrap the cones in aluminum foil, and label the foil with Sharpie.  Parents can add and remove cones from the fire using tongs.

•  Trail Mix.  When it comes to camping and hiking, nothing beats good old fashioned trail mix.  It’s easy for younger tweens to make by themselves by simply mixing ingredients together in a large zipper bag.

We added mixed nuts, raisins, dried cranberries, and candy-coated chocolate pieces.  Before we left on the hike, we also added plain Cheerios to the mix.  They can absorb moisture from the rest of the mix if in there too long, so they make a better last-minute addition.

Obviously the trail mix was a hit.  The kids had it all finished by the end of the afternoon.

• Anything cooked on a stick.  Really. Anything.  From hot dogs to chicken strips (pre-grilled to heat up over fire), apples to marshmallows, everything is exciting on a pointy stick on a campfire.

• Monkey Bread.  There is plenty for tweens (and younger siblings) to do making monkey bread.  We use this basic monkey bread recipe, mixing the white sugar and cinnamon together in a zipper bag beforehand.

Kids can cut biscuits into fourths, shake in sugar mixture and place in pan(s), while adults melt butter over the fire and mix in the brown sugar.

We used individual disposable mini-bread pans covered in foil so each of the kids had their own portions (no fighting!) and could add raisins and nuts as they wished.  It could also be cooked all together in a large pan or Dutch Oven.

They were thrilled to have made their breakfast themselves, and it kept them entertained as well.

Letting tweens help with the cooking is a great way of giving them some responsibility in the running of the campsite, and helps them feel like a part of the action.  Whether these recipes, or your own family favorites, invite your tween camper to be part of the cooking crew.  Camp cooking, combined with tween camping activities, can lead to family camping trips with no pre-teen grumpies!

For more camping recipes and activities, check out my camping Pinterest board.  Or follow all my Pinterest boards here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time…
Carla