I am still not used to it. After four years of living in the midwest, the tornado sirens still worry me every single time. We have been blessed and lucky and we have always been safe. But we also have a plan, we know what to do when those sirens go off to help ensure our safety, but we also have never been fully prepared. Until now, thanks to Duracell.
The one thing we have lacked is a preparedness kit. Just something small we can throw in our little bathroom hideout when the sirens start to go off. We have a 72 hour kit, but we needed something that something that would also help keep our children happy and calm. Something a little more kid-friendly.
The safest place in our home is our downstairs bathroom. We don't have a basement, but the bathroom is an interior space without windows, and that is where we always go when a storm hits. So we all squeeze into the tiny space and wait the storm out. Sometimes it lasts for 15 minutes, sometimes it lasts for 45 minutes.
And my children get restless after a while. So I grabbed a few essential items at WalMart the other day to pack into cute little backpacks for them to help us all pass the time by and to help them stay calm.
I also picked up a bunch of Duracell batteries to help power our cute mini emergency lantern and our flashlight. Some stores have a great Duracell display of batteries to make it easy to grab and go. My store had them mixed with all the other batteries in an aisle near the back of the store. But they were still really easy to access!
Here are a few items that we have included in our emergency kit:
Snacks
Include something non-perishable and something you know your kids will enjoy. We put in crackers and lollipops. No those aren't necessarily the most healthy items, but my children love crackers and even the fussiest child perks up when the have a yummy lollipop to suck on! The key with these particular items is not nutrition, but distraction.
Water
Water is an essential part of survival and so I threw in a few kid-sized water bottles. Water lasts for a long time and kids love tiny water bottles.
Coloring Books and Games
Again, the key with this is distraction. Hiding out in a teeny tiny bathroom for 45+ minutes at a time, is not very fun. We all get restless so to help the kiddos pass the time, I found a few really fun coloring kits for my children at WalMart. They ranges from $1 to $4 each but are a great activity for children to do in a confined space with limited resources.
I also grabbed a really fun kid-friendly card game! My children LOVE playing games as a family, and card games don't take up much space so they are the perfect thing to add to a kit like this!
Lights
We added a variety of lights to our kit. We threw in a few glow sticks for our children in case we loose power, but we also threw in a powerful flashlight and a mini emergency lantern as well. Do NOT forget to put extra Duracell batteries into your kit too so that you have plenty of light!
Other Emergency Items
I found a great whistle and compass combo that went into our kit as well. It doesn't take up much room, but is a good item to be sure every member of your family has.
A battery operated or hand crank radio is also a great item to put into a kit like this.
First Aid Kit
We found the cutest kid-friendly first aid kits that we threw into our kids bags too. But honestly, a few band aids and neosporin work just as well too. However, I love that these come with wipes, band aids, neosporin and are cute and perfect for children. I don't know why, but cute kid band aids make boo boos better faster then boring plain ones. At least for my kids they do.
And now we are ready to wait out any storm. In addition to our 72 hour kit, this fun kid-friendly emergency preparedness kit will help to keep my family safe, protected, happy and calm during any storm! We threw all of our kid-items into a cute backpack that they both picked for themselves and all we need to do next time the sirens go off is to grab them and head to our bathroom!
This is such a fun way to help calm and entertain children threw any storm and I am so excited that I finally took the time to create them! No more scrambling when an emergency hits!
Rachel Hinderliter
These kits are so cute... your kids will probably hope the power goes out! This is definitely something we should have before hurricane season in Florida! Thanks for sharing, Ashley.
Ashley Phipps
Rachel! Oh yes, my kids are BEGGING to play with the kits! haha! At least I know they will be happy if something happens!
Barbara Hiatt
This is brilliant! Pinning!
Ashley Phipps
Thanks so much Barbara!
Colleen
Always nice that a person thinks ahead before storms arrive and you have done just that as well as we do here in Texas. A sever storm can come up so fast. Looks like you are well prepared.<br />Another thing you might consider is adding a set of clothing for each member of the family.<br />Another important item that I have in my kit is a whistle; a Heavyweight Metal Whistle and/or an air horn
Ashley Phipps
Great ideas Colleen!
Amy Anderson
These are great - love all of the supplies you have included. I need to put one together for sure!
Ashley Phipps
Ah thanks so much Amy!
sandylifestar
Thank you for your wonderful ideas. I am going to make a fun kit for my home also. I have teenagers, but we all need good distractions during a scary storm. I will also include a few items for our dogs; water bowl, small bag treats and extra leashes.