It’s important to include your children in plans for emergency preparedness. This article has suggestions to help make those preparations fun for them so that they stay involved and interested. The best time to answer your children’s questions about emergencies is before they happen.
Educators can also introduce these concepts to their students – whether pre-teens or teenagers.
The American Red Cross has created a “Prepare with Pedro” educational program suitable for children in grades K-2 to teach kids how to be prepared and to take action. Info is available at redcross.org/pedro.
FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) has materials and games available in English and Spanish to help families and educators. This information and downloadable documents are available at ready.gov/kids. Some printed materials are also available upon request.
Watch a short video here to get your family started: bit.ly/kids-2weeksready
Games for Kids
FEMA has created a couple of games for kids to increase their knowledge of how to react in an emergency as well as how to prepare.
Ready 2 Help card game – The Ready 2 Help card game was designed for children 8 years old and up and teaches five simple steps to stay safe and make a difference until help arrives. Concepts include: Stay Safe; Stay Calm; Get Help; Give Info; and Give Care. You can download the card game in six languages to print your own cards – or make a request to be sent a card deck from FEMA.
Disaster Master online game – The Disaster Master online game teaches preparedness skills to older kids in a cool graphic novel style. You can print chapters of your own graphic novel as you move from level to level.
Build a Kit game – This game, also in graphic novel style, leads kids through different home locations to gather supplies for an emergency kit. At the end of the game you can print out a checklist of your own.
Activity Book
FEMA and the Red Cross have worked together to create an activity book associated with the Red Cross’ Prepare with Pedro program The downloadable activity book covers additional disaster preparedness aspects. Other Prepare with Pedro activity books covering hand washing, home fires, and resilience and coping skills are also available from the Red Cross.
Month 11 Preparedness List
Things To Do
- Visit the ready.gov/kids and redcross.org/pedro websites to familiarize yourself with their materials.
Items to Purchase
- Check your preparedness kit to have some cash available in it. Include plenty of small denomination bills.
Tigard CERT Inc. is a local non-profit organization allied with the City of Tigard that trains volunteers in basic emergency response and organizational skills following the Federal Emergency Management Agency model and guidelines for local Community Emergency Response Teams. For more information about Tigard CERT, please visit our website at tigardcert.wordpress.com.
