72 Hour Kid Kits

I started something a few years ago that really works well for our family. If we were having an emergency I wanted the kids to be able to grab something that would help them through that emergency. So I took some old school backpacks and wrote in magic marker their first name, clearly on the outside. Then I filled it with all sorts of things that would help them. Some of it includes:
1. Foil Blanket
2. Regular Small Blanket
3. 2 Water Bottle
4. 3 Cans of Soup, meal, or vegetable (Pop open kind)
5. Gum & Candy
6. Small Stuffed Animal
7. Small First Aid Kit
8. Change of Clothes
9. Coat
10. Flashlight
11. Coloring Book
12. Colored Pencils
13. Book
14. Hand/Foot Warmers
15. Diapers/Pully if needed
16. Formula/Bottles if needed
17. Garbage Bag
18. Card Games
19. Toothpaste
20. Toothbrush
21. Shampoo
22. Medication
23. Foil Sleeping bag

After it was all full, then I put it in a closet right by the door. Right now they are up high and wouldn't be easy to grab. I hope to put them on hooks low in the closet, because we don't use that closet for clothes.

Anyway that is your idea for today.

What Do You Tell Them?

I had a very interesting experience yesterday that I have never had before. When I was in Elementary school the biggest tragedy was the Challenger. Do you remember when the Challenger went down? I remember singing the Christa McAuliffe song, and doing an American program to honor her. I remember feeling so sad that this had happened- the worst of that time period.

Anyway back to present time my daughters came home yesterday talking about 9/11. I have talked with my older daughter about it, but never my eight year old because I always felt she was too young. I guess I should have though because it was even talked about in the Kindergarten classes.

I think all of my kids came home with lots of questions. They couldn't understand why someone would do this. How can I explain that, when I don't understand it. I did my best, but it got me thinking back to the Challenger and how simple that seemed compared to this. I also thought of death, divorce, losing a pet, or really any loss. It made me want to find out what I needed to do in these situations. I found this quote that I really liked:

"Helping a child cope with loss is perhaps one of the most important roles an adult can play. In effect, you are helping that child develop skills that can last a lifetime."

Holy cow! Skills that can last a lifetime-I want to give them that. In my Safety area I have a couple of Healthy kids websites. this is one and I really liked how they kept it simple for kids. It helped you see how you could help them open up and talk about changes and loss. Also if you click on your feelings on the right hand side they have more topics like: Anger, Being teased, Cancer (when you know someone who has it), Telling Lies, Being Lonely, and dealing with grief- to name a few.

http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetailsKids.aspx?p=335&np=287&id=1649

Anyway I saw this quote for kids about changes and really liked it. I hope you also take the time to prepare your kids and During a tragedy to not forget these little kids that might need a little TLC and help understanding.

"Life is full of changes. Nothing stays exactly the same. People and things come into and go out of our lives. We can remember them as we get on with living each day and looking to the future".