Will Your Child Be Able To Survive

 

…………………..

1. Stay Put
My top recommendation for kids in a wilderness emergency is that they stay put. This may run counter to their instincts of running around and looking for help, but it’s important to ingrain this survival strategy until you’re sure they’ll do it. One trick (especially useful for younger children) is to have them find a favorite tree, rock or other natural feature if they get lost.

……………..

2. Insulate Clothing
Hypothermia is a major risk for any outdoors person, but especially for children. Their smaller size puts them at risk to cool off dangerously at night or if they get wet, even in the summertime. Teach your young outdoor adventurers to use insulation in their clothes if they start to feel cold. Have them actually do this for training purposes.

……………..

3. Build Shelter
Shelter building can be a lot of fun for children, especially if you make it fun for them. Simple leaf huts and lean-tos are easy to build, and the kids can use it as a fort when you’re done. If you teach them to build the frame in a sturdy manner, and insulate the walls with thick vegetation, their shelter could certainly save their life.

……………..

4. Find Safe Water
Rain can be the safest source of water for kids in an emergency. But they also need to know how to boil water from a stream or creek. In the event that they cannot get a fire going, or find a container to boil with, teach them to find smaller, cleaner streams to drink from directly in a dire emergency.

……………

5. Signal For Help
This is their ticket to get home. Have each child carry a whistle on a necklace in the outdoors, and do some signal drills to teach them how to use it. Let the kids blow the whistle three times, as loud and long as they can (they usually enjoy this in training). Then repeat the procedure a couple times an hour. If they hear a noise (calls or other whistle blasts), then repeatedly blow three blasts until they make contact.
…………….

 

Source: Outdoor Life

Featured Image Source: Wikipedia