Hi from Jodi and Julie!

The school year is winding down around here and we are already starting to make plans for the summer. We have found summer to be a great time to work on preparedness skills, especially if you have little ones at home that you want to get involved.  You can have fun and learn and practice valuable skills at the same time!  Here are eight ideas for ways you can practice preparedness this summer!

If you are camping with your family, grab your 72 hour kits and use those foods for meals. Practice cooking with your camping stoves, try different foods rather than sticking with hot dogs and s’mores. Use different fuels since you are cooking outdoors anyway. Use your Dutch Oven to make gourmet foods for your campout!

Dutch Oven Cooking Overview (with briquette chart)

Practice different emergency scenarios with your kids. Go over your Emergency Preparedness Plan together.  You can even try our disaster kit scavenger hunt if you don't have yours put together yet.  Make some little #10 can stoves, ovens, and grills and let your kids cook something on them! Practice cooking new things and let the kids participate with you. Let the kids help you with your canning adventures.

Make a #10 Can Oven or Cardboard Box Oven

Every time you barbecue you are really practicing powerless cooking. Try getting adventurous and cooking regular foods on your grill. You can do pizza, bread, vegetables, etc. It’s a good idea to monitor your fuel consumption so that you can have a better idea of how much to store. Figure out how to use it more efficiently to conserve fuel.

Summer is a great time to do your canning because your kids can be around to help. Having powerless options for canning is great in case you lose power and don’t want to lose all your meats from your freezer. Practice canning outside to keep your kitchen from getting too hot and practice powerless canning at the same time!

Helius Rocket Stove (can do pressure canning on this stove)

Summer time is a great time to work on your water rotation. There are so many thing you need water for in the summer, you might as well use your stored water rather than waste brand new water if you are planning to rotate anyway!

If you are at block parties or family get togethers, you can practice preparedness and spread the word to your neighbors about being more prepared. Bring a volcano grill and build a fire or cook food. You could also use food storage foods to make your pot luck items and let people know.  This is a good chance to find out if your neighborhood has a preparedness plan in place and/or to organize something if they don't.  Even a simple calling tree or group CERT class can be a great addition to any community.

Road trips are a great time to evaluate your car kits while you travel. But it’s also a perfect time to talk about your preparedness plans and make a plan for what to do in the future, go over inventory lists, etc. You have your kids contained, and your spouse’s full attention. It’s a win win!