In light of the anniversary of the April 27th 2011
tornados, I am reminded how blessed I am. As we honor those who passed away and
who worked to help those affected, we can support the effort to rebuild and
prepare for the future. This is an excellent opportunity to model community
service, compassion, and preparedness for your children.
Talk to your children about the importance of being prepared
for an emergency. Discuss what an emergency is; however, keep in mind that you
do not want to frighten your child, just to make them aware. Therefore, when
introducing these topics, be mindful of the description and depth that you use.
The following highlights include how to create an emergency
kit and ways for you, as parents, to get involved in community rebuilding.
TAKE A LOOK: For Parents and Teachers http://www.ready.gov/parents-teachers
FEMA presents information for parents and teacher regarding
how to prepare your children for an emergency situation. The page includes
links to activities and other national organizations including the Red Cross. Most
importantly is communication!
TAKE A LOOK: Build a Kit http://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit
FEMA presents a simple Web page with information regarding
how to prepare your family for disasters. The site includes information about
what do to before, during, and after an emergency situation, as well as what
items you should compile to create an emergency kit.
Let your child help you collect the materials for your
family’s emergency kit. Also, practice tornado and fire drills at home.
The following video presents reasons why being prepared is
necessary. For example, in wide spread emergencies, rescue services may take a
while to arrive. Additionally, in the mist of chaos, having a plan helps you
stay focused.
TAKE A LOOK: Habitat for Humanity
Although this is not an activity your preschooler can
actively be involved in, they can see your involvement. Habitat for Humanity is
a well respected organization, which works to build homes for those in need and
who have lost their homes due to disasters. Volunteers are the fuel behind this
organization. Many teams exist, which either support Habitat for Humanity
financially or with their abilities. Many Universities’ philanthropy is Habitat
for Humanity; this includes Samford University in Homewood, Alabama. Check out
the above Web site to see how you can get involved!
I think it's so important for children to see their parents actively involved in helping others. There's no better way to instill a heart of service within our children than by seeing their parents set the example. You share some great tips for preparing children for emergencies. I will utilize these as my kids get a little older.
ReplyDeleteThe April 27th tornados were a huge tragedy, but now many people are more aware of the dangers of tornados. Like you said, we do not want to scare our kids, but we just want them to be prepared. I love how you put to let the child help make an emergency kid. Also, it is a great idea to go over a fire and tornado plan. The child will not be as scared if they know where they need to go during certain emergencies.
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