If you have kids in school, you’re probably all too aware of the fact that summer vacation is not really a vacation for parents. Instead, extra planning needs to go into daytime activities to keep the kids occupied—whether you’re with them, at work, or away.

At this point in the summer, you may have already planned out all of the activities you’ll need: swimming lessons, horse-riding lessons, day camp and more. Or maybe your creativity has run dry and you’re in need of some new ideas. And maybe you’re looking for an activity that you can share with your kids—and one that doesn’t break the bank?

Well, what about an emergency preparedness day camp? Invite your friends and their kids to join, and maybe even divvy activities up between days and parents, to create a week full of emergency preparedness learning.

When you were a kid, did you ever pretend that a tornado was coming and you had to clean up the rec room before it hit? If you can turn a chore like cleaning into a game, you can turn anything into a game.

So gather your friends and their kids, and consider using games and activities like the ones listed below to help teach your kids about emergency preparedness:

• Quiet Time Activities – Part 1 : A “Be Prepared” Children’s Activity Booklet put out by the Government of Canada
• Quiet Time Activities – Part 2: Learn from Sesame Street about how to plan for an emergency and prepare a survival toolkit as a family
• Role Playing Games: Create a scenario that you walk through with the kids to test their knowledge. Click here and scroll down for some scenario ideas!
• Build an Emergency Kit: Set up a scavenger hunt where the kids have to find and check off all items on an emergency kit list. Add to the fun by hiding some of the items outside in the yard, and make sure there’s a prize at the end!
• Make food for your survival kit: Choose a simple and tasty recipe like apple fruit leather. Get the kids to help with peeling, chopping and mashing the apples into a sauce. Then let them help with spreading it into a leather even if it gets messy. They’ll be thrilled by its sweet flavour.
• Practice shelter building with a fort: Even if it’s just for a couple hours in the middle of the day, find a park or a yard where you can practice building a shelter.

Once you start brainstorming, the ideas are endless! So if you’re looking for a fun and practical way to entertain your kids at the same time as teaching them, consider this!

-Content created by Sophie Wooding – Writer, gardener, cyclist and emergency preparedness enthusiast!