Build family bonds and test your preps at the same time – Image by NWF
Guess what? Thousands of our neighbors are going to be camping in their backyard this weekend. Yep, out under the stars (but near their own bathrooms and kitchens). It’s all because of the National Wildlife Federation’s annual Great American Backyard Campout, and it will be this coming Saturday, June 23.
A backyard campout is a great opportunity to allow your children to enjoy camping, especially if you have never taken them out to the real wilderness – an easy step toward more exposure to the great outdoors.
Great American Backyard Campout: A Great Time to Test Your Gear
While you are enjoying the Great American Backyard Campout, why not try out some of your prepper gear and supplies? If you have purchased any emergency preparedness items, such as little cookstoves, or even built your own rocket stove, now would be a great time to try them out. Why not plan a nice breakfast cooked on your camping stove? You’d learn a lot about it cooking a semi-leisurely meal while roughing it, as opposed to trying to figure out how the stove works during the aftermath of a disaster.
Don’t forget those MRE-type meals you bought – will your children actually eat them? Test them out by serving the ready-to-eat food for supper. It’s true that people will eat about anything when they are hungry enough but, hey, this is your family, and if they are going to be stressed already in a disaster situation, why not have food on hand that they enjoy? This weekend is a great time to see what they will readily eat and who knows, maybe enjoy! Just keep some hot dogs on hand, in case the kids rebel.
Using Emergency Prep Gear
Do you know how to use your emergency preparedness items you’ve stockpiled? – Image by Giles Douglas
You can go through supplies like flashlights, walkie-talkies, matches, all the little things in your bug out bag, and test them in action this weekend. Many items we might rely on might have an expiration date, as well. It’s important to know in advance what you have, how to use it, and if it actually works.
Backyard Camping Benefits
On another note, backyard camping, while not the remote wilderness experience, can build memories for you and your children that will last for a lifetime. Star-gazing and storytelling, giggling and bonding closer together all come together to build a stronger family, so enjoy your family connections as you test your gear and practice to make sure that you’ll be ready if disaster strikes.
A great “walk-through” for disaster planning awaits us this weekend, so why not take advantage?
