This post is by Bernie Carr, apartmentprepper.com
One of the things I remember during the last hurricane when we lost power for an extended time was being bored from having nothing to do. We listened to the radio a lot for news about what was happening in the area, did a bit of reading, while there was enough light, but what about when it gets dark? Kids get bored very quickly, especially being unable to go outside and with no TV or electronics; pretty soon you will start getting antsy as well. In an emergency, you’ll want everyone to stay as calm as possible and having a few activities to pass the time will soothe frayed nerves and lift morale.
Here are a few ideas:
- Board Games – Start with the traditional board games: Monopoly, Clue, Battleship, Risk, Jenga, Chutes and Ladders for the little ones, a deck of cards. Uno is a family favorite; we also recently added Zombie Flux and Apples to Apples.
- Puzzles – keep a few sets of unopened puzzles
- Small toys – Legos provides hours of entertainment especially if you keep a new set just for an emergency
- Arts & crafts – markers, watercolor, colored pencils, paper, scrap-booking supplies and other age-appropriate projects
- Books – Tastes in books vary widely so keep a few unread books for each member of the family. If you use an e-reader make sure you have a backup way to charge the device
- Music – as with books, have a back up power source for the music player, and a wide selection of favorites. Playing musical instruments if so inclined is also a great way to pass the time and entertain each other.
- Writing – Keep a few blank notebooks and pens and anyone can start a journal or keep a record of events.
You don’t need a large budget to stockpile these entertainment items – they can often be picked up at garage sales and thrift stores. I’ve seen games that are still factory sealed that people have discarded.
Keep your entertainment items in one place, so you can easily find them in a power outage. We keep ours in a high shelf that is out of the way, but easily located. You can also designate an entertainment box or bucket that can be kept in the garage.
For advice on how to prep on a budget:
Great article. My husband and I love to play dominoes….so we have a few sets, plus crossword and soduko books. Besides a lot of reading books, I think that we would be happy with these. Guess I should pick up a few coloring books and colors for the grandkids….just to have on hand in case the lights go out if they are visiting. And a few extra toys, and stuffed animals. Sounds like I should make a visit to the toy asile!!! Thanks for the suggestions!
Hi Jimmie, Yes, a quick visit to the toy aisle would be a great idea, to keep the grandkids entertained. These backups would be useful, even for something “normal” like cable/internet going down for the day (like we had a few days ago). Thanks for the comment!
Charades and Shadow Puppets!
Good ones Cindy!
I recommend a few sealed decks of cards. I have relieved the boredom of many hours of waiting on the flightline at Hunter AAF ( Savannah, Ga.) by playing Euchre and Pinochle.
Hi Doc Brown, Excellent addition! Not knowing a lot of card games, I’d need to read up on some easy games and how to play them. Thanks!