When our kids were younger, most of the kids in the neighborhood were younger too.  When the last day of school would come around, there would be swimming parties or pizza and ice cream parties somewhere in the neighborhood.  Now, the last day of school is filled with kids driving themselves out of the neighborhood (sniff, sniff).  But this year, we are not going to let this big day go uncelebrated, so our new plan is an end of school outdoor s'mores party!
And just because it is a party, doesn't mean it needs to complicated and take all day to set up for.  The goal is to focus on the fun, so here are my tips for a perfect end of school outdoor s'mores party.
One - Make It Comfortable
Pull out cozy chairs for the adults.  I took two chairs that were light and easy to carry from out deck and brought them out to our lawn by our fire pit.  Of course, just because we are in chairs doesn't mean a few pillows and blankets and quilts won't make it cozier.  Set up blankets and pillows on the ground for the kids to just relax and stretch out.
Two - Set Up Ahead of Time
Bring out all of your supplies while it is still light out and get everything set up.  That way, once it is time to head outside, everything is there to just start having fun.  If your home is anything like ours, your sweet dog may have already made herself at home on the blankets and you will have to move her over.  Once we had all of our blankets, chairs and pillows set out, we went through the woods and found our sticks for roasting.  No worries if you don't have trees to gather branches, pick up some skewers from a discount store.
Three - Make Snacking Simple
We kept things very simple.  Marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers for the s'mores and some favorite candies.  We also brought out some sugary sodas because you may as well go all the way when celebrating school being over.  I used a wooden crate to pull everything together and bring out all at once when we were ready.  I just set it down on the blanket and let them start snacking away.
Four - Keep Out Unwanted Guests
Mosquitos are a real nuisance here in the northeast so I did not want them to be an issue for our celebration.  My first step was to set up four torches from TIKI Brand to create a perimeter.  We brought out a few small side tables and used a TIKI Brand table torch and a grouping of TIKI Brand Molded Glass Torches as well.  We filled each of the tabletop torches with TIKI Brand citronella fuel and for the larger torches we used TIKI Brand Ready-2-Light Prefilled citronella fuel canisters.
Not only will the TIKI Brand torches help keep away the buzzing critters, but it also lights the area for safety.  Of course, my favorite part is that everything feels so much cozier when creating a pulled together area with your torches.  It is like being at a campground, but you are right in your own backyard.
Five - Roast Away
The best part about a celebration like this is that there are no rules.  Some of us are "marshmallow burners" and some of us take our time and get the perfect amount of browning on our marshmallows.  Whatever your technique, just enjoy yourself because in the morning there is no school!
Now is the part where I admit that we cheated because we don't actually finish up school until the end of June.  My girls didn't mind one bit having to do a "practice run".  We just wanted to make sure that we shared our plan with you in time for  you to get ready for your end of school celebrations.  And to make sure you are really ready, TIKI Brand is giving away a gift pack to get your started (yeah)!  One winner will be sent a Glowing Table Torch,  a bottle of Citronella Torch Fuel and a Snap & Pour Spout (that makes putting your fuel in your torch super easy).  Enter below for your chance to win.
