Hi there! I am a Big Sister to an eleven-year-old girl who has always lived in cities and doesn't belong to Girl Scouts. I took her out for a drive through Red Rock National Park (near Las Vegas) Saturday. She was thrilled by the scenery, and she started asking me questions about camping. I explained that DH and I used to go camping quite often, but not anymore because of his arthritis. I asked her if she'd ever been camping and she replied no, she hadn't, but she'd like to.

I want to give her a tiny taste of "camping" by taking her out to a park and grilling hot dogs and making s'mores. However, I'm embarrassed to say that we always used a propane stove when we camped, and I know zip/zilch/nada about using charcoal.

Aside from the obvious food stuff and sticks to roast the marshmallows on, what do I need and what should I ask for at the store to make said charcoal fire? How long does it take to get charcoal hot enough to roast things over? Do you need lighter fluid, or kindling? How do you dispose of the coals--and make sure they're cold enough to dispose of?

I've seen these kind of aluminum pan-type-thingees that people are using in parks...any thoughts about those?

Thanks in advance...I'm still really embarrassed about not knowing this stuff at my age--I WAS a Girl Scout, after all!