S'More fun

"Hey, wanna s'more?"
"S'more what?"
"No, no, you want a s'more?"
"I haven't had anything yet, so how can I have s'more of nothing?"
"You're killing me, Smalls! These are s'mores stuff. Okay - pay attention!
First, you take the gram. You stick the chocolate on the gram. Then you roast the mallow. When the mallows flamin', you stick it on the chocolate. Then you cover it with the other end. Then you scarf! It's kinds messy but good. Try some!" THE SCIENCE OF S’MORES

Graham crackers, chocolate, a toasted marshmallow. What more can be said about a s'more?
Plenty, if you're asking Reginald Mitchell, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Stanford University. His specialty is combustion sciences, so he knows a good deal about marshmallows - when they're near a campfire, that is. Turns out toasting a marshmallow is actually a six-step process:

1. Swelling. As the marshmallow heats, the moisture in it expands, causing the marshmallow to swell.
2. Escape. As the moisture expands, it blows tiny holes through the marshmallow and escapes as steam.
3. Sugar rush. Depleted of moisture, the marshmallow is now a sucrose char. Oxygen in the air rushes to its surface - it's ready to burn.
4. Flame on. Oxygen diffuses from the air to the marshmallow's outer surface. At the surface, carbon reacts with the oxygen, producing a blue flame. This is called burning in the diffusion limited mode.
5. Oxidation. Simultaneously, carbon atoms grab oxygen atoms, producing carbon monoxide, then carbon dioxide.
6. Oxyinterruptus. Pulling the marshmallow from the fire and blowing it out interrupts the oxidation process. This creates soot, evidence of incomplete combustion.

Found at: http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m1216/n5_v198/19554054/p4/article.jhtml?term=

Each year the youth get together to look at pictures of Scout Camp, Girls' Camp, and High Adventure. In the past, we've done a fireside, but in an effort to make firesides more spiritual, we planned this for a Saturday night activity. First, all the youth and their parents and leaders (with children) gathered in the front room for a slide showing on the ceiling (it worked the best).
Then we all went outside for a roasted dinner on the fire pit. After kids were done eating, they went out to the soccer field behind our house for a little exercise! I didn't get a picture of that one because I was off on a motorcycle ride!!!

Thanks for all the prep work, YM and YW leaders! We didn't do anything but have the house in some sort of order! It was great!

I was teasing Bishop for being so dressed up. I'm glad he was able to loosen up a little bit and enjoy roasting with us! He did a fabulous fireside the next night about prayers!!! Thanks, Bishop!

Of course, what ward/youth activity would be complete without a cute picture of Annie and her buddy Brynnley?

I'm still looking to do fires at least twice before we have to leave our house. If you're interested, come on over tonight or tomorrow!!! Right, Andy? :)