croissant s’mores… plus GRAND campfire fun!

Our Grand Lives
2 days ago
7 min read

Thursday, August 14, 2025

Welcome Back, Friends!

We’re so glad you could join us!

How is it possible that August is already halfway over?

The season seems to be flying by

and we’re doing all we can to hang onto those precious little moments

of sunshine, warmth and sweet summer laughter!

We wish it would stretch out… just a bit longer!

Please?

Labor Day is just a few short weeks away here in the states,

signaling the unofficial end of summer

and one more chance for warm-weather celebrations.

It’s the perfect excuse to gather with loved ones,

stoke up the campfire

and savor the season’s final long weekend!

Today’s post offers some fun ways to do just that!

Some of our best summer memories have taken place

gathered around a crackling campfire!

The bursts of giggles, snuggles under a blanket,

and faces glowing in the flickering light…

And, of course, we can’t forget the sticky s’mores!

Today we have a yummy alternative to

this traditional gooey campfire treat!

Then, we’re sharing a few of our favorite ways to enjoy family time,

all while gathered around a summer or fall campfire!

Have you heard about this scrumptious upgrade to the beloved s’more?

Laura has been wanting to give it a try for awhile now

and, boy, oh boy, is she glad she did!

Last Sunday, Hubby and I met his siblings and their spouses at a park for an afternoon together. We spent our time looking through old photo albums and reminiscing and catching up on each other’s lives. It was a beautiful summer afternoon and we kept things super simple. Each couple brought their own meal and Hubby and I brought charcoal for those who needed it as well as the dessert. Since it was National S'more Day (who knew?), I decided to bring the fixings for this tasty treat and let me tell you - it was a hit!

Have you heard of this viral sensation?

These Croissant S’mores are honestly the best of both worlds…

a warm chocolate croissant with the added bonus

of warm gooey roasted marshmallows!

YUM!

And, so simple, too!

All you need are the typical s’more ingredients,

but substitute mini butter croissants for the graham crackers!

You can see from the above photo,

that I also brought Reeses cups for a second option,

especially for the peanut butter lovers in the crowd!

Two of my brother-in-laws humored me

and were my models for the day!

Simply roast the marshmallows over an open fire

(or, in our case, a park grill!).

Slice a mini croissant in half lengthwise

and place a piece of chocolate (or a peanut butter cup) on the bottom half.

Top with the marshmallow when you are done roasting

and cover with the second half of the croissant!

Time for the taste test and my models happily obliged!

The verdict was in and it was unanimous!

YUMMY!

The peanut butter version was well received, too!

And how about some other combinations???

Raspberry jam, bananas, caramel sauce, fresh strawberries?

The options are endless!

No doubt!

S’mores are fun for kids of ALL ages!

In fact, I’m looking forward to making these once again,

when all our girls head to the lake this weekend!

A campfire isn’t just for roasting marshmallows!

It’s also the perfect spot for a little friendly competition or silly fun!

Simple games and activities

can keep everyone entertained and make the night even more memorable.

There are a few ideal requirements for a GRAND campfire game!

• Very little prep needed

• Lots of people can play

• No materials (or very few) needed

• Easy to play at dusk with little light available

• ABOVE ALL - It’s safe to play the game around a fire

Laurie's family - earlier this week!

Here’s 5 ideas we love!

Make Me Laugh! (all ages)

Young Littles will have lots of fun with this and you’ll all have to work hard to keep from laughing, as well… not just the person who is “it”.

One person is chosen to be :it”. For one minute or 90 seconds the rest of the people do their best to make “it” laugh without laughing themselves. If the rest of the players make “it” laugh, they win the round!

Laurie’s grand-niece & niece, 2023

Would You Rather? (all ages)

This game makes it easy to get everyone talking, with plenty of laughs and even a few spirited conversations along the way!

You can play one of two ways (with the second way taking a bit of pre-planning)!:

Version 1 - Players take turns coming up with their own hypothetical questions (i.e Would you rather swim in a lake or a pool?) and then all the other players in the campfire circle take turns answering each question!

Version 2 - Ahead of time, Would You Rather? questions are written on individual slips of paper and placed in a bowl. When ready to play, the bowl is passed around the campfire and players take turns grabbing a slip and asks the group the question written on it. The other players take turns answering the question.

Here’s a list of possible Would You Rather? questions!

Either way you play,

it’ll be fun to compare and contrast your ideas

as everyone shares their answers!

Sound Train! (preschool and up)

Players take turns being the leader and choosing an initial sound for each round— for example, ‘t’ or ‘m’. Players then take turns saying a new word that begins with the chosen sound. (for example, tennis, turkey, tomato, trip OR monkey, mittens, manger, marshmallow). The game continues until a player is unable to think of a new word to add. The last person to give an answer during a round chooses the new sound for the next round. For older players, you can add a time challenge in answering OR you can have older players keep a simple, repeated rhythm (i.e clapping twice followed by a knee slap). Each player must say their word before the beat is finished to keep the rhythm going.

Memory Circle! (preschool and up)

This game may sound familiar as we’ve both heard it called by other names. Find out who has the best memory in your group!

Begin by selecting a category (animals, colors, sports, foods). Then players take turns naming one item in that category ( ie. dolphin). Then the person next to them will add another animal and also say the first player’s word (i.e. cheetah, dolphin). Then the next player repeats the first two words and adds their own answer ( ie bear, cheetah, dolphin). Keep going around the campfire and see how long you can keep your memory circle going… maybe even twice around the campfire!

Laurie’s family - two years ago!

Spot the Leader! (preschool and up)

You really have to watch closely during this game!

One player is chosen as the first guesser. This person will close their eyes and count to 20. Another player is quietly chosen to be the group leader. The leader will then lead the group in doing an action in front of themselves (opening and closing their hands, patting their head, snapping their fingers, turning head side to side etc.) When the guesser opens their eyes, they observe the group and try to figure out which player is the leader. Anytime the guesser looks away, the leader quickly and quietly changes their movement and the group follows the leader’s actions. The guesser gets three guesses to figure out who the leader is!