A Summertime Treat For A Backyard Campout

Sunday, March 1, 2009

(NAPSA)—According to a recent national survey, nearly 60 percent of Americans maycelebrate one of their family vacations with a “staycation” this year. To help those families looking to save money while still making family time a priority, contributor for GoodHousekeeping.com, blogger of MommaSaid.net and author of the “Stop Second-Guessing Yourself” parenting book series, Jen Singer, has come up with ways to have “s’more” summertime fun right in their own backyards. Singer, along with Hershey’s and Kraft Foods, offers the following suggestions for converting the backyard into a stay-at-home vacation destination or fun weekend activity: Treat a staycation as a tra- ditional vacation. The fun of a backyard getaway is makingit feel like a real vacation but with the convenience of being just steps away from home. Families should pack must-have items in a backpack just as if they were packing for a camping trip. Be sure to include water, snacks and warm clothes and blanketsfor cool nights. e Make it authentic. Be sure to cover all the camping essentials, such as pitching a tent, to make the experience exciting and realistic. Setting up a tent will help to foster family teamwork and allow a comfortable night’s sleep. Plus, campfires are great for storytelling, singing, cooking and, of course, keeping everyone warm. Remember to supervise children at all times when around the campfire. e Capture memories. Every vacation has special family moments that you want to cap- ture. Remember to have a camera A backyard “staycation” can be a fun, affordable summertime option for many families. on hand and snap away. Kids love to get in on the action, so have them take pictures of their own. Create cookout classics. A backyard getaway is a great opportunity to enjoy family favorites. Preparing classics such as hot dogs, hamburgers and kebabs over the campfire is a fun alternative to the traditional barbecue. Give each family member a cooking fork with his or her choice of entre to heat until fully cooked. Supervise children at all times and set up a picnic table with plates, napkins and condimentsfor all the fixings. Treat the family to a wonderful campfire companion. Making s’mores is the ultimate complement to any backyard getaway. Start by placing half of a Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bar on top of half of a Honey Maid Graham Cracker. Then, lightly toast a large Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme over the campfire, and place it on top of the chocolate bar. Finally, top the toasted marshmallow with another graham cracker half and press together. This delicious treat can help make any backyard campout complete. For morerecipes andtips, visit www.smoresTruly.com.

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