Roasting hot dogs or s’mores over the fire is definitely one of the first things that come to mind when I think of camping. I’m not really into the really “hardcore” camping though and prefer to have things a bit glammed up.
If you are looking to keep your kiddos entertained while camping, these custom roasting sticks are a fun and easy activity to do. To make things even easier, you can prepare the sticks beforehand and just take a few supplies with you for decorating. If you want to make yous a little fancier though, it’s also a fun activity to do before you head off camping to build up the excitement a bit!
Materials
- 1 inch wooden dowel {I purchased one long one from Home Depot and then cut it into 6 inch pieces}
- metal skewers {I purchased 4 foot lengths from Home Depot and cut them in half}
- Gorilla glue
- Paint
- sponge brushes
- painter’s tape
- clear wood sealer spray paint
- other supplies to decorate
To Do
- Cut the wooden dowel into approximately 6 inch lengths. Sand the edges.
- Cut your metal dowel to your desired length. Ours were about 2 feet each. Drill a small hole in the end of the dowel approximately 1 inch deep to fit your metal stick. Add Gorilla glue and glue the stick in place. Let dry.
- Gather your painting supplies. I taped off the top of the metal sticks so the kids would not get paint on there while they were painting the wooden dowel. I just gave them the paint and some markers and they went to town. The dowels are super easy to paint as you can just stick the metal end directly in the ground to hold it.
- For my sticks, I just used a little painter’s tape to create the stripes and diagonal swirl lines. {The pink one looks very cool when it is twirled around!}
- I also cut out some vinyl for the “Let’s have s’more” and Mod Podged it on. Although this did work fine, I think for durability, it would be better to use the vinyl for a stencil and actually paint the words on.
- Finish off with a couple of coats of clear wood sealer spray paint and let dry.
- Before roasting any food, burn the end of the metal stick in the fire for a few minutes to burn off any residue.
Now you will have some fun roasting sticks to enjoy for many camping trips to come! {and your kids won’t fight over which stick is theirs!!}
These would be perfect for roasting some S’mores bites!
For more camping ideas, check out these posts…
These are darling! What a cute idea!
These are so super cute!! I love the idea of letting the kids personalize them. We have a lake cabin (talk about not “hardcore” camping 🙂 and roast marshmallows all the time. I can’t wait to do this! I’m your newest twitter follower- love your ideas!
Krista@ Far From Normal
These are SO fun! We are always losing our roasting sticks and needing more what a fun idea to make! Great idea Jenn! 🙂
I love your roasting sticks! What a fun idea.
Just wanted to say thanks for this great idea. And, let you know why I love it so. ONE-Let kids personalize them, gives them something fun to do. TWO-Your stick is your stick, along with the responsibility of keeping track of it.THREE-These are a lot easier to see around a dark campfire, than the long metal skewers we use. FOUR-The wood protects hands from hot metal. As you could probably tell,I have quite a bit experience with kids and campfires. These are both great in form and function! Thanks again.
These are so much fun! What a great family activity.
I’d love to have you share this or any of your amazing posts at our weekly Super Saturday Link Party. It starts Friday’s at 6pm, hope we see you there!
Tracy
This is the coolest idea Jenn! I just love it, and they look so cute!
What a clever idea! I love it!!!
This is such a great idea! Much easier than searching for sturdy sticks when camping 🙂
I came across this on Pintrest and love it for a family reunion activity. I am having a hard time finding the wire or metal pole you are using. Do you know what it was called? Skewers all come up flat. I saw someone else using 12 gauge wire but how do you know if its safe for food? That’s the last thing I want is to poison of the 80 people creating these. Any help you have would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!!
Sorry, I don’t really have a lot more information. I just found them in our local home supply store. Maybe they are more seasonal and just not out yet since it is still early spring? I would think that the wire would be fine as you could just heat up the end in the fire prior to putting any food on it. I hope you have a wonderful family reunion!
Super cute!! Love the colors!
This is such a great idea, I wish I’d thought of it! 🙂 They look so much more fun and colorful than the ones you buy in the camping section. I know my kids would love the have personalized s’mores sticks!
Jenn I adore your roasting sticks! My dad made similar ones when we were kids and I inherited them. I think they need some fun sprucing up with paint after seeing yours. I’m featuring yours this weekend at the DIY Sunday Showcase Party!
Thanks for the feature! That’s very cool that you still have the sticks you used as a child.
I’m pretty sure there isn’t a cuter DIY this summer!
Thanks Ann! 🙂
These are sooo cute! Usually we just use the plain roasters, but these would make roasting marshmallows at bonfires so much more fun.
Jenni //
Thanks Jenni!
I’m seriously loving this idea. These would be great up at our trailer when we go glamping. I’d like to share this project at my weekend features post linking back to you. Hope that’s ok.
Glamping is definitely the way to go! Thanks for sharing!
What a cute idea. i want my own personal Roasting Stick! Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty – we love partying with you! Hope to see you next Friday. 🙂
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai