Kids Bug Out Bag: What You Need to Know

As an adult, it’s fairly easy to make your own bug out bag.  After all, you know what you’ll need to survive for a few days.  Your kids will also need their own bug out bags, and they have slightly different needs. 

Kids Bug Out Bag : What You Need to Know

It’s important to pack not only the essentials but also some fun items to help them feel safe and to prevent boredom.

Why Kids Need Their Own Bug Out Bag

Kids need their own bug out bags with their own items in case of an emergency.  While you’ll be focusing on survival items, you’ll also want to include some times for comfort.  If there’s a situation in which your child will need to use their bug out bag, your child can become scared and confused.  It will help them to have familiar items packed in their bags.

Letting your child have his or her own bug out bag will also help your child feel important and like they have a sense of power during a stressful and confusing time.  It will give your child a sense of comfort to have their own items.

Why Kids Need Their Own Bug Out Bag

One thing to remember when creating a bug out bag for children is that the essential survival items will be in the adults’ bags.  Therefore, there isn’t as much emphasis on safety as there is comfort.  While an adult will want a utilitarian black or dark-colored flashlight, for example, a child may prefer a fun flashlight with a design or bright color.

Kids Bug Out Bag Designs

For your kids’ bug out bags, you can choose from a few different designs.  Depending on the age of your child, you might try a backpack, a bag with a handle, or a bag with wheels.

Kids Bug Out Bag Backpacks

While you’re looking for utilitarian bags for adults, children don’t need an expensive military-style bag with a lot of pockets.  Depending on the age of your child, you may want to consider using a backpack with their favorite character.

This backpack is lightweight and has plenty of pockets and compartments for stashing items.

Kids Bug Out Bag Backpacks

Kids Bug Out Bag Backpack With Handles

If your child is little, then you may want to use a bag with a handle.  This can make it easier for you to grab your child and the handle of the backpack or your child can grab the handle and carry the bag.

This basic backpack is available in several fun color combinations that children will like.  It’s inexpensive, and it has a handle for easy carry.

Kids Bug Out Bag Backpack With Wheels

If your child’s bug out bag is heavy or your child is young, then you may want a bug out bag with wheels.  This rolling backpack has several compartments.  The handle is just over three feet long, so it’s comfortable for older kids to wheel around.

Kids Bug Out Bag Checklist

You’ll be packing the essential oils for survival in your own bag, so you want to focus on your child’s needs and add a few items for comfort to their bags. 

You’ll want to pack at least one change of clothes in the bag.  This should be a pair of long pants, shorts, a shirt, and a sweatshirt.  Also, pack a few pairs of underwear and socks in case they get wet.  You’ll also want to pack a hat, jacket, and vest for children.

Kids Bug Out Bag Backpack With Wheels

Depending on the age of your child, if you have girls you will want to pack feminine hygiene items.  If your daughter is over the age of 10, it’s a good idea to pack these even if she doesn’t need them right now.  It’s something that’s easy to overlook, and you don’t want to forget it in an emergency.

You’ll likely have a large first aid kit in your own bug out bag, but you can add a small one in each child’s bag.  This first aid kit is small, and it has the basics that your child might need.  Hopefully, you won’t get separated, but if you do, your child will have access to basic first aid supplies.

You’ll also want to pack a toothbrush, toothpaste, and other hygiene items.  Your child will want soap, shampoo, and deodorant, depending on their age.

It would be a good idea to pack a fishing kit in a tin.  These are small and don’t take up a lot of room, but they will allow each person to have their own fishing kit to catch food.

You’ll likely have a big tent for the family, but you can pack small tents in your child’s backpack.  Depending on their age, they may want some privacy and time to themselves at night.

Finally, pack some comfort items in your child’s bug out bag.  You can pack a deck of cards or other small games that don’t need batteries or electricity.  Older kids may like a puzzle book or a copy of their favorite book to pass the time.  You can also pack some of their favorite snacks, but remember to rotate these every few months so they don’t expire.

Practice Using a Bug Out Bag

Practice Using a Bug Out Bag

Hopefully, your child will never need t

o use a kids bug out bag.  However, it’s important that your child learns where their bag is and how to use it.  Store the bag where they will see it and not tucked away in a closet.  Let them take the bag camping or even to grandma’s house so they are familiar with using the bag.

You may want to get out the bag and go over the contents with your child every few months.  This helps your child remember what’s in the bag and how to use the items in the bag.  Then help your child pack the bag and put it away so it’s always ready for when they need it.

Don’t forget to take inventory for your child’s bag a few times a year.  Their needs change, and you may need to pack bigger clothes or different snacks as they grow and their likes change.

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How to Start Homeschooling Your Kids during a Pandemic

When a pandemic strikes, life as you know it, will be altered. You’ll be forced to make decisions that could impact the health of your family. While certain things may cease to function, you can’t ignore a child’s education. It may take a while for the local school districts to come up with “distance learning” so you will find yourself figuring out How to Start Homeschooling your own kids.

How to start homeschooling article cover image

If schools are still operating, you’ll be forced to send your child to school. During a pandemic, this could be a bad thing for your child and your family because wherever large groups of people congregate, the germs can thrive. 

This simple fact is why when one child gets sick in a school or daycare center, the illness spreads so quickly. This fact is also an excellent example of one of the reasons that during the H1N1 pandemic, approximately 600 schools closed down temporarily in an attempt to stop the virus from being spread among the children. 

How to Start Homeschooling Your Kids during a Pandemic

That wasn’t the first time the swine flu caused massive school closures. Some of the schools reacted by allowing the students to learn online at home, which is a form of homeschooling.

Deciding to homeschool is not an easy one to make – especially if you’ve never done it before. However, in a pandemic, it can turn out to be what’s best and safest for your family. 

Knowing when to homeschool should depend on the outbreak numbers you see, as reported by the news and other media. You need to stay on top of how many families with kids are calling in sick. 

For example, in the swine flu outbreak, almost half the students at one school called in sick. Before it reaches those proportions, it’s time to keep your child at home for schooling. 

Before You Start

You can find out from your child’s school where your student is in the learning process of each subject, and you can pick up from there so that he doesn’t lose out on any schooling.

You want to be prepared now for homeschooling. You can purchase books online in your child’s grade level – including teacher workbooks, answer keys, and lesson plans. 

Look specifically for subjects your child is currently taking. Find matching quiz and test booklets or make your tests from the text your child is reading. You can buy field equipment your child will need for biology such as microscopes, slides, and specimens. 

How to Start Homeschooling

Load up on books

Anything you can buy that will give your child a hands-on experience will help his education. You can buy books at bookstores and thrift stores. The local library also often has textbooks on sale for pennies on the dollar. 

You can find algebra books, foreign language books, science, psychology, and more. There’s so much information available that your child could end up better prepared educationally when he can return to school. 

Ultimate Homeschool Planner

We whipped this gem up for you to help keep track of everything you might need to know so you can stay organized. Hands down the largest challenge are staying on task/track when homeschool planning. If you are looking for homeschool planning pages then we have you covered with a daily lesson plan pages set as well as a printable homeschool calendar.,

homeschool planner for distance learning

Get your FREE Printable Homeschool Planner from us here:

Make lesson plans

Start now printing off any materials you think you’ll use. Some homeschool websites will list resources, and you can print off lesson plans as well as lesson samples. 

While you are at it, find a few “fun things” to mix in for them, look for sites like THIS ONE to get ideas on movie studies, book report activities, or even seasonal worksheets.

Some online sites – such as Amazon – list some homeschooling digital books for free, so that would take care of a portion of what you need. You’ll want to have a lesson plan book and keep meticulous records of what your child learned so that you have a way to show accountability to the state that you live in. 

Check the regulations

Each state has different laws about homeschooling, so get informed now. You’ll also want to keep records of the day and hours your child worked on schoolwork so that you have attendance and time records.

Get Connected

It is very likely that you are not alone in this. Join online homeschooling groups to share hints and tips, as well as get them, from other parents who are in the same boat as you are.

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Youth and Natural Disasters: Prepping for Survival

On October 25th, 2010, Indonesia was hit by a triple natural disaster. It is our responsibility to teach our children how to survive catastrophic events like this as when prepared? Youth and Natural Disasters are easier to handle: you help them take “ownership” of the event by teaching them to be prepared.

Youth and Natural Disasters: prepping for survival fire picture for front of article

Beginning on October 25th, 2010, Indonesia was blindsided by a triple natural hazard that turned catastrophic. The 7.7 earthquake shook Sumatra; only minutes later, a lethal tsunami pounded the shore. Then Mount Marapi began its devastating eruption.

Our Earth changes rapidly. We must be flexible to change with our environment. To do this, we must have an understanding of how our world works. This is true for our children as well.

Too often, we neglect to discuss natural hazards and disaster preparedness with our children. Maybe we feel they are too young. Perhaps we do not wish to worry them about something that may not happen. Or perhaps it is because we lack the information they should know.

Youth and Natural Disasters: How to Prep for Survival

Here are some quick things we can do to make sure we make a difference about how our kids handle things.

Communication

Even if we have had conversations with our children about these unexpected dangers, a deeper look into these phenomena will help our children and us subdue our fears while gaining knowledge. This will help us better prepare for and deal with a catastrophic event with a level head.

A huge part of communication is listening. Listen to your child. Their questions are critical. They may also have some excellent ideas that we have not thought of.

Importance

Our children must understand what to do and why. We teach them to call 911, to look both ways when crossing a street, and not to talk to strangers. We explore the reasons why with our child. We do this to help keep them safe even when we are not close by.

The last thing needed during an emergency is someone panicking. If we do not know what to do, it is frustrating and can become terrifying. During natural disasters, children are especially susceptible to anxiety, fear, and injury.

Natural disasters do not always come with a warning. Know what to look and listen for. This gives us precious seconds to take action and get to safety.

How to help kids deal with a fire

Our impact on our living world can directly influence the severity of the hazard. There are times catastrophes could have been avoided. Educate your Youth and Natural Disasters aren’t going to be as scary.

Survival

Surviving the initial incident is only part of what your children need to know. They also need to understand how to function in the aftermath. This could include evacuation, relocation, dealing with injuries, and eventually foraging for food and water.

Understanding it could be a long time before things are back to normal is very important for your child. Your survival kit is only a temporary solution. Show them where to find fresh water and food. Learn how to make a temporary shelter with your children.

helping a kid with surviving an earthquake

Haiti has shown us the need to learn about illnesses and infections and how to avoid them or deal with them. Another critical issue is teaching children how to stay clean and avoid contaminated waters.

Education & Research

Involve your children in helping to prepare a survival kit. Discuss with them why you want to make the kit. Ask the kids what things they believe should be put in them and why. Be sure to talk with your child about the different situations the kit may be useful in.

how to help kids survive a tornado

Research our living world with your child. It will be enlightening and exciting. Learn how the Earth changes and how those transformations can directly affect us. Pay particular attention to hazards common to the area you live in. If you change your residence and move to a new region, update your knowledge, as well as your survival kit.

Recognize that this does not mean only learning what to do during an event, but what caused that event in the first place, and what to do after the event. Replace the mystery with knowledge.

Exploration & Experimentation

Learning about Earth’s forces will beckon us to explore our part of the world. Take educational field trips. Learn about natural historical events of your region. Above all, ask questions and search for answers. You and your child are an investigative team. Learn all you can, search for clues, and enjoy Mother Nature.

Children learn through doing. Preparing for the unexpected is no different. Have practice drills for hazards you may face. Find science models and experiments to give kids a visual link to what they’ve learned.

how to help a kid survive a natural disaster

Natural disasters frequently sneak upon us. The quicker we can recover from the surprise, the faster we are able to take action, and the longer we can sustain it. With education, practice, and discussion, our children can be the voice of reason in emergency situations. Give our children a fighting chance.

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Youth and Natural Disasters

10 Creative Entertainment Ideas for Kids during a Pandemic

During a pandemic, everyone is affected irrespective of gender or age. People from all walks of life are affected, and kids are not spared. By their very nature, kids are hyperactive- they need to move, they need to interact, and focus on specific activities.

HOW TO ENTERTAIN KIDS DURING A PANDEMIC

Quarantine can be difficult for all, but entertainment ideas for kids are important, as they don’t often understand WHY we are all stuck at home.

Entertainment Ideas for Kids

Not being able to go to school, play with other kids, or just run outside can have a lasting impact on their lives. It is every parent’s and guardian’s responsibility to minimize the adverse effects of the lockdown on children. Doing this requires a certain level of creativity throughout the lockdown. 

Play fun group games

There are quite a number of board games that your kids can play to stay distracted during a pandemic. The most important thing to keep in mind is to stick to the kind of games that they love. You can also take part in some of the games to make things more interesting.

You could pick the game once in a while. Instead, try to involve the kids in the selection of a game. Stress to them that selecting a game is their responsibility.

GAMES TO PLAY WITH KIDS DURING QUARANTINE

Play brain-stimulating games

Brain games or games that challenge the intellect will not only keep your kids mentally sharp but will also keep them competitive and entertained.

Compliment your children when they complete a level or stage to keep them motivated and feeling proud. Encourage them when they fail to achieve a certain level the same way you would encourage them when they are doing their homework. 

Try online games

You can also try playing online games with your kids or let them play with their friends online can be a great addition to our list of entertainment ideas for kids. However, keep a close eye on the kind of games and activities they choose to play online. 

entertainment ideas for kids helping with household chores

Let your kids help with the household chores

Household chores are yet another activity; aside from games, you can engage with your kids. Teach them or ask them to give you a hand with the tasks and make it enjoyable.

They can help prepare their favorite meal, help set the table, and help clean the house by dusting the furniture. They can also help with washing or folding the laundry. Some kids love it when they do something that their parents encourage or ask them to do. So, give it a try! 

Start a family project

You can come up with specific family projects that your kids can participate in. It could be any type of project that your kids will love. It does not have to be a school project. It could be the kind of project that they can actively contribute to.

For example, you can grow pot-based plants, repaint the bedrooms, or build a 3D puzzle or create your genealogical tree. You could even learn a family dance on YouTube or form a band if you have instruments lying around.

Give them books to read

Books are a great way of keeping your kids’ minds off the pandemic. So, try giving them books to read. You could give every child a different book according to their age and then ask for a 5-minute summary every day before they go to bed.

This will not only keep them busy, but it will also perfect their intellect as well as feed their curiosity. Make sure there is a reward for each completed book. Try the site www.SarahLynGay.com for cool ideas on things to do with certain books like her Seven Wonders Unit Study .

entertainment ideas for kids reading a book

Help with their schoolwork

While kids stay at home while schools are closed, they may be given assignments and homework. You can keep your kids entertained by helping them out with their homework.

If the school does not provide them with any work to do while at home, you can come up with your assignments. Focus on areas that your child is currently struggling with at school to help make the work understandable. 

Watch movies with them

Movies are, without a doubt, a great source of entertainment for both adults and kids. You could watch one or two videos a day with your kids as a form of entertainment. Check out SarahLynGay.com for fun things to do with movies like: How to Host a Magical Aladdin Movie Family Fun Night

blowing bubbles with a kid

Have them come up with their own ideas of entertainment

Coming up with great ideas of entertainment for your kids is a good thing. Nonetheless, if you want them to enjoy themselves truly, you can let them come up with their own forms of entertainment.

Doing so is also a great way to empower them when you have run out of ideas. All you have to do is approve of the kind of entertainment they choose and participate cheerfully when asked. 

Help cultivate their talents

Every dark cloud indeed has a silver lining. Even during a pandemic, your kids’ skills can be improved. You can take advantage of the situation and find ways of enhancing or also discovering your child’s talent. For example, if your child is an aspiring artist, encourage the artist in him or her by buying color books, pencils, and crayons.

You could also go the extra mile by visiting reputable art galleries online and explaining what each photo symbolizes, where and when the painting was made, and what inspired the artist to produce that particular painting. Try the site www.SarahLynGay.com for cool ideas on things to do with the littles in the world of STEM!

Other things involving kids

10 Of The Best Power Outage Boredom Busters

Power Outage Boredom Busters? Power outages can be a bad thing in more than one way. Aside from the obvious, they can be a huge issue for parents. Bored and scared kids will often act out to get their point across and when it’s dark?

power outage boredome busters

 That can be extremely dangerous. That’s why I love these 10 power outage boredom busters! They’re great for keeping both kids and adults entertained when the lights go out and the storm is raging on!

10 Power Outage Boredom Busters

Spotlight

Spotlight is played with a group of people in large, dark environments. One (or more in a large group) player is designated as the ‘seeker’. The seeker is given a torch/flash-light and loudly counts a number of seconds (thirty is a good number). During that count, the rest of the players must run and hide.

The catch? The person who is “it” can only “tag” people with their flashlight beam.

Some people might call this flashlight tag.

Shadow puppets

I know it may seem “lame” to some, but shadow puppets are actually a fun way to make it through a power outage. This old-fashioned pastime seems to have fallen by the wayside but it will help keep everyone entertained.

Check out this video so you will daze and amaze them with your mad skills:

Have a treasure hunt

Hide something (or a few things) in the house and set the kids off with flashlights to find it! First-person to find the item (or items) wins a small prize!

Go camping!

Set up a tent in the living room and have an indoor camping trip! We found this great post to help you plan it: Indoor Camping Ideas for Entertaining the Kids.

From how to pitch that tent or teepee, to games to play, down to food to serve, they have 20 fantastic ideas to pour over!

Power Outage Boredom Busters: Start a band

Grab a few pots and pans and spatulas and make “beautiful” music. Be sure to sing loud!

OK – that might get old quick, but we found this great video that shows how to make four different “instruments” for your band – that alone will keep them busy for a bit – and then they have to practice before their performance!

Play cards

Having an outage during daylight hours? Teach your kids to play cards! Play Go Fish or War for younger kids or 500 Rummy or Blackjack for older ones. They’ll work on their math skill AND have fun!

Actually, pretty much any board game will do – but a deck of cards can go a long way! Bicycle Cards has a lot of great games for kids to play on their site right here. 

Just watch out for “slap jack” – that gets a little rough, LOL.

My Favorite of the Power Outage Boredom Busters: Tell Scary Stories

Obviously, you’ll want to make sure they’re age-appropriate, but scary stories in the dark are a fantastic way to pass the time. Here are some tips:

Get a story.

Have an idea on hand about what you are going to talk about – pulling it off of the top of you head is challenging. I like to talk about Kate Blood. Doesn’t the name alone sound like a great story is coming?

Make it real.

Or at least make it SEEM real – by weaving in elements that make it seriously plausable.

Use suspense, not gore.

People’s imaginations can conjure up scarier things than we can probably describe to them. It’s the unknown that often makes our imagination run wild. This is where you bring in the drip – drip – drip of the blood off the knife or the tick – tick – tick of the clock before it shimes midnight.

Don’t just tell it; act it out.

The best story tellers really get into it themselves – they seem almost animated. Use your body to help tell your story.

Rehearse.

Practice makes perfect – if you have a “story up your sleeve” that is ready to share? You don’t have to memorize it for verbatim, but the general bullet points of flow will help make you a smash hit!

Start with a warning.

All good movies have disclaimers or ratings. Tell them right off the bat that maybe you shouldn’t be sharing this with them…

Use sound effects.

This is another great way to help sell your story – it adds layers of dimension to the entire experience.

Is there a sequel?

I think the best stories are the ones that don’t truely end – there is always that posiblilty that it could happen again, or is still happening. Is that grave really empty? What happened?

Don’t wrap it all up so there is aperfectly happy ending.

I hope that gives you a few fun tips on how to really rock that story – they will be begging you for another one!

Go on a ghost hunt

Things going bump in the dark? Grab your flashlights and go hunting for ghosts!

Power Outage Boredom Busters: Put on a show

Get out the dress clothes or play clothes and act out your favorite tv show or movie for the rest of the family. Remember to use flashlights and LED candles as spotlights!

This can be a hoot – before you know it, everyone is either cracking up or stunned as they realize that there might be an Oscar worthy actor in the family!

Tell a round-robin story

Have everyone sit around the room. One person starts the story with “Once upon a time” then passes to the next person. Each person adds 1 or 2 sentences to the story. You’d be surprised at how silly these can get!

Power outages don’t have to be boring and scary. If you get a little creative with them, they can also be fun! For moms and dads, they are also the perfect time to get things done around the house that you may have been putting off. I know that’s what I do with my time during them!

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