Friday, March 9, 2012

To Go Packs - Part 2 Our Kids



How prepared are our kids for an emergency at home, school, grandparents, or any where they go in general?  As adults we are not always ready for the "What If's" how do we expect our kids to be?

I know many friends and parents in general, want to keep their kids safe from the things of the world....  but the more the world starts knocking on our doors, the more prepare our kids should be!  We have many things that could affect our kids; strangers in the neighbor hood, natural disasters (at home or school), tragedies at school, and so many more.  All we have to do is watch the news and see that our kids should be aware of some of these dangers and what they could during them.  Kids are stronger then we give them credit for. They are ready to learn and willing to be apart of everything at any age!!

There are many things we can do to get our kids ready for emergencies without upsetting them:  

  1. You can have first aid classes in the kitchen.
  2. When you're camping, there are so many skills they can learn.
  3. Boy/Girl Scouts is a great place to learn skills and make friends.
  4. Do family emergency drills for: Fire, Earthquake, or whatever dangers maybe in your area.
  5. Set a timer and tell them they have 20 minutes to get their emergency bag packed and in the car.
  6. Have them help put "To Go Packs" together.  That way they have things they like and they know what is in their bags.
  7. Talk about what happens during a Lock Down at school.
  8. For older kids you may want to talk to them about the possibility of a shooter at school and what they should do. (None of us want to talk about this one but unfortunately it can be a reality these days.)
The more prepared the family is together, the calmer everyone will be if somethings happens.  Plus if there is an evacuation, you'll be on the road before everyone else.

One thing you may want to remind your kids.... if you have food storage or other things stocked up at home (to "Stay Put"), remind your kids not share that information.  The less people that know what you have stocked the better.  When is comes to emergencies it is nice to have enough to share with family and friends, but the more people that know you are ready the more of a target you become for those that are not prepared.
You can use the story of the "Ants and the Grasshopper"!


Here are a few things to digest more to come!