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Fostering the Survival Instinct in Babies and Young Children, by Andrea J.
There has been a great push in this country by child rearing experts and the
medical profession that children must be "socialized". It has been
a pivotal buzzword for educators and parents alike. It is a main reason for
the negative
swell toward homeschooling. Yet, it is my contention that what we need to foster,
from birth, is natural instinct. Natural instinct is what we understand as
the survival instinct. It is an innate instinct of distrust. It is the instinct
that alerts us as we start down a dark alleyway on our way home from work.
It is the instinct that forces us to take a step back from a new person that
we meet that sets off alarm bells in our brain. It is this instinct that must
be fostered in our children and future generations.
From the moment our children
are born, they are whisked away from the mother
in
the
arms
of another. As parents, we hand our babies off to Aunt Betty and Uncle Ernie,
the
day care
worker, people we meet, and those we don't even know, the girls at the office,
and those child care workers at church and the gym. It is expected. Those that
don't hand their children over are scolded, scorned or scoffed at. Negative comments
about the welfare of the baby are passed around behind the back of the cautious
parent.
All of this passing around from person to person and situation to situation
kills the child's very first survival instinct- distrust. A baby who is bonded
closely
with his primary caregiver will not take kindly to being passed from person to
person. They will scream until they are returned to that person whom they trust
above all else. A child who has been passed around and has never bonded closely
with one primary caregiver will not display any sense of distrust with strangers
or strange situations at all.
This initial distrust can be observed in the animal
kingdom. From cow calves to elephant calves, the animal that is left with its
primary caregiver, usually
its mother, will not allow human contact. It will not stand to be touched or
petted. It will scurry behind the knees of its mother and peer out at the unfamiliar
person.
On the farm, we observe this all the time. Our beef cows calve in the
field and are raised by their mothers. Our dairy cows, on the other hand, are
separated
at birth and raised on a bottle. They bond with the people who feed them. What
about the beef calves? Any cowboy can tell you how tough it is to separate the
momma's and babies. On the other hand, the dairy calves will follow even the
farm dog
around with no sense of danger or distrust.
How does one begin to foster a sense
of distrust in children? Can it be learned in fifth grade when the local policeman
comes and tells the school kids not to
talk to strangers? Studies have shown over and over again that children will
go to strangers, leave with them and trust them. Is this the result of our "socialized" society?
How does this translate to these people as adults? Are these people more apt
to find themselves in difficult situations, unable to distinguish a potential
threat to themselves and their loved ones?
Allowing a baby to bond closely with
one or two people is critical in fostering the survival instinct. It is natural.
In fact, it is the most natural thing in
the world. How does one start? Start by breastfeeding. Feeding time is bonding
time. In a survival situation, powdered baby formula might not be available.
Breastfeeding not only encourages a close bond, but it is also very convenient.
A family on the move may forget a bottle, but I can guarantee that they won't
forget Mom.
Wear your baby. During the daylight hours, wear your baby. Native
cultures have always used various slings or wraps to keep their baby close
while working. Only
in modern times have we developed all sorts of contraptions to keep baby happy
and away from us so that we can go on about our lives as usual. A sling or
Maya wrap allows you to keep your baby content all day and close for feedings.
In
a survival situation, it keeps the baby quiet, warm and content.
Wearing your
baby also offers the benefit of not having to share your baby with strangers.
A baby in a stroller invites a host of onlookers and well wishers,
exposing your baby to a host of strangers and their germs. A baby in a sling
is almost always content and is but another step in the bonding process.
Sleep
with your baby. Many people will surely sneer at this one, but sleep, like
feeding, is a time of trust and deep bonding. Learning to sleep is important
for an infant. Putting your child in another room, closing the door so you
can't
hear them screaming is certainly not natural. The cry of a child is supposed
to drive us to action, it is part of our survival instinct. Sleeping with your
baby is natural, all species of animals sleep with their offspring. In any
survival situation, it may be necessary to share close quarters with your family
members,
it should be the norm, not the exception.
As baby's become toddlers, don't push
them into the unfamiliar. I see this all the time at family gatherings, a parent
forcing a child to sit on Grandpa's
knee.
Respect your toddler's sense of distrust; someday his life may depend on it.
We must stop pushing our children to be "social". If a young child
refuses to go to someone or resists a situation, clearly, there is no reason
to force it on him. That child will never learn to trust his instincts, because
we, as parents, don't trust his instincts'. Let the child lead. We are always
bothered by our children's reluctance to accept new situations and people not
because we want what is best for that child, but because we are afraid of what
other people will think about us and our style of parenting.
By not respecting
the reluctance of our children toward people or situations, we teach them to
ignore their own internal warning signs. Only humans are unique
in this, any other species would certainly perish.
Toddlers will always test
and push their limits, but a toddler who trusts his caregiver and has bonded
closely will be alert to that person's subtle nuances
and body signals. In an unfamiliar situation, a toddler will stay close to
the one he has bonded with. Often, without words, that person can convey a
sense
of unease or distrust of an individual or situation thereby keeping the toddler
safe from possible danger without being so obvious. The child who has not shared
this close bond, will often wander off, oblivious to dangers until an adult
chastises him for his misdeed.
Indeed, it has been my experience that the caregiver
with whom the toddler has bonded becomes the nucleus around which the toddler
experiences the world.
Initially,
the toddler will always stay close, venturing off only in safe, familiar surroundings,
staying close, often within touching distance, in unfamiliar territory or around
new people. The toddler will engage in an activity, always keeping the caregiver
within eyeshot, traveling back and forth between the activity and the caregiver.
Thus the toddler learns to trust the world under the watchful eye of his primary
caregiver, the one that he trusts above all else.
It is critical at this stage
that the caregiver does not take advantage of the trust that has been built
up to this point. If the toddler is not aware
of some
danger, a sharp, warning tone of voice will stop the toddler in mid action.
All parents' possess this "emergency" tone. Unfortunately, this sharp,
warning tone of voice is also often used in non-emergency situations, i.e. "Stop
kicking your feet at the dinner table!" All effectiveness is soon lost
and the toddler will learn to ignore the "emergency" tone of voice.
Abusing the power of the "emergency" tone also erodes trust. The
sky can only fall so many times.
In conclusion, if we truly wish to give our children an advantage in life,
we should begin at birth. Our comfortable lifestyles have made us complacent.
Civility
towards others at all costs has caused us to abandon and ignore our own instinct
of distrust. In the great name of socialization, we continue to place our youngest
and most defenseless citizens in possible peril by ignoring their protests.
If we, as a species, are to survive in the uncertain future, we must take our
cue
from the natural world and once again learn to foster the survival instinct
in our babies and young children.
The Memsahib Adds: Andrea makes makes excellent points
in her article. In our extended family we have noticed the same phenomenon
that Andrea describes.
In
our extended
family,
the children who were bottle fed and put in day care are continually is hazardous
situations
because they have no caution. They wander away from the family at the zoo,
at restaurants, and at parks. Furthermore they are easily led astray by their
peers because
they are not bonded to their parents.
Parents who choose a "close parenting" style will need to steel themselves
against the pressure they will receive from relatives and neighbor that will
chide them for not properly "socializing" their kids. Well meaning church members
will repeatedly urge you to leave your children in the church nursery. Friends
will chide you to leave your children with a sitter for the sake
of your marriage. Ignore them! We used hear this from our family. But, we have
seen
the
result:
our
kids
are confident,
competent,
and
safe. They can be trusted when using an axe or a gun. They are not shy, and
in fact are quite good public speakers, (Although we purposely sought out public
speaking training for our children, initially in a 4H club.)
My advice is to raise your children solidly, dispense fair and impartial discipline,
and minimize their exposure to television. You won't be sorry.
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Letter Re: Advice on Home School Curriculum Resources
Dear Editor:
We are fed up with the public schools. At the end of the current school year,
we plan to pull our children out of public school and homeschool them. What
curriculum
do you
recommend?
Thanks,
- W.J.
The Memsahib Replies: It is difficult to recommend just
one brand or type of curriculum.
There are many different learning styles as well different teaching styles.
We really
like
using materials
that have a Christian perspective such as
. We use the Alpha
Omega course books as our core curriculum. But, I also enjoy pulling in other
resources
to reinforce concepts, or for enrichment. We suggest that you
join your local homeschooling group as soon as possible. Often homeschooling
groups have used curriculum sales in May. You will have the chance to talk
with the other parents and see first hand some of the materials that are out
there. We can't overemphasize the importance of getting plugged-in with other
homeschoolers in your area as soon as possible. These groups will be an important
resource for learning all the local opportunities for co-op classes, field
trips, and social
activities. They'll also know the local school district and state requirements
for homeschooling. They can be a real source of encouragement for new homeschoolers.
(OBTW, for those
of you who are using
like us, please consider purchasing the
curriculum
using
the
link
in
our scrolling
ad
bar to
support
SurvivalBlog. Thanks!)
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Family Learning for Preparedness, by T.D.
My husband and I are like minded, (he realized way before I did), and he and
I didn’t
meet until I was in my mid-thirties. I was considered weird, called a tomboy
and later, a gear head. Don’t get me wrong, I cook, sew, knit and crochet.
I had many interests though and wanted to learn.
What I have seen lately and in some people we met that are like minded, is the
lack of initiative on the part of some spouses. I have seen some women and men
that
will ridicule their spouses or will just roll their eyes and feign interest.
I have seen some that their spouses have prepared and bought supplies but their
other half has no clue even how to do the basics. If you are truly vested in
being prepared, your spouse and children need to brush up on the basics also.
This should give you some good ideas on how to learn where you are lacking.
Do you have a grain mill? Mortar and pestle? Does he/she know the basics? Can
all of you bake and cook from scratch? Are your children picky or will they eat
everything you put in front of them? Can they sew? Do they know the basics on
edible plants? Can they hunt or fish? Can your children do what is needed? Can
you do the repairs needed to your home/vehicle?
Our daughter is 16 and she is learning about cars, she can fish with the best
of them and she is a good shot. Our youngest is three years old and he will be
learning as we go. Both will be able to cook (one does now), sew, set traps,
care for
farm
animals, strip and clean weapons, basic survival, fix the family relic (car)
and hopefully get through anything that is thrown at them.
The first step is to start early – my husband is Creole and we eat a lot
most people don’t. Turtle soup, crawfish, head cheese and some even eat
tripe. My son will eat everything he is offered, he was eating crawfish when
he only had 2 teeth. So our routine was this; we fix it and tell you later what
it is. It works well with older kids; younger kids will eat what mom and dad
eat. It is a well known fact that most really young or really old will not eat
a “different” diet, unless they have been doing so all along.
When your child starts showing interest in guns, at about 6-7 years old, take
them hunting. Show them what guns do. My father did that I have always had respect
for what they can do. Children love doing what mom and dad do so they will take
to hunting with pride. We start ours fishing at 2-3 years old for small fish
and getting them used to being around the water supervised. They know how to
check nets and bait hooks by the time they’re 5, that’s when we teach
them how to clean the fish (mom or dad using the sharp knife).
With cars teach them as soon as they’re out of a booster seat. I have
seen too many men and women who can’t even check the oil in their own
cars. Your children should be a help in most situations not a hindrance, even
if it’s
just handing you the tools you need. Our three year old will do most simple
tasks
he is shown and he does them willingly, he is so happy to be a help.
If you are in the military they have a lot of classes on the base that can
help with some of this. Most bases have a repair shop and you can utilize their
mechanics
and tools to learn about repairing your car. They offer other
things so check
into at the base [or post] repair/craft shop.
Work out your plans to include the jobs you expect your children to do. When
things get bad, if we’re on the move our 16 year old is to keep her little
brother while we move and defend if necessary. When stationary she can shoot,
load and take care of first aid. She will be able to pull her own weight and
then some. Our littlest one will follow suit as he grows.
Use barter to attain the skills you don’t have, watch family, use the
Internet and community college. Take a vacation to Pennsylvania or Tennessee.
You can learn a lot in an Amish community, I learned how to make butter and
I am
going back so I can
learn to shear. Some teach and charge others will share what they know for
free. You
can also buy produce and goods from the Amish. Davy Crockett days are in August
and you can watch the craftsman work and it is for the whole family. All vendors
must have a "period" looking tent up and must dress in period clothing.
The on site cooking is also period.
Volunteer to gain skills; veterinarian office and humane society is a good
place to learn about wound care, antibiotic use and dosage, just go watch,
then you
will learn, most places will not turn down a volunteer. Zoos are a great place
to learn about husbandry, housing and more than basic wound care, as smaller
zoos take care of injuries themselves (after a vet is consulted), most of what
you learn at these places about wound care can be used on humans. Colleges
have book sales where you can get books on farming and some older trades/crafts
very
cheap (books are 1-5 dollars). Local small gun and knife shows are also a bountiful
source of information [and logistics], from hard to find books to hard to
find ammo.
Buy reference books! We recently went to a "Friends of the Library" book sale and spent just $12. We now have the McGraw-Hill's 20 volume set on technology ($5), doctor's desk references ("fill the box for $2"), a whole box. These included: beginner, intermediate and advanced practical chemistry, triage handbook, a nurse's reference guide, medical encyclopedias, and a diagnosis reference. We also got the EIR special report "Global Showdown Escalates", Practical Handyman from Greystone Press ($3). In many towns, you can join the Friends of the Library for $5 to $10 dollars annually, or just hit the book sales once per year. Our $12 investment filled the back seat of our car!
Even if you don’t live where your retreat is take the time to “visit” the
area. Go to the local library, stop at the local shops and grab the touristy
maps. In Amish communities the maps tell you about the local farms and what
produce and goods they sell. They have fliers that have information on classes
offered
locally. The department of education has listings for adult education classes
on things like welding. Introduce yourself to the locals, visit the farmers
and the farmers market. Attend the church while you are there, it is the quickest
way into the fold and into being welcomed by the locals. Whether you live there
permanent or you will someday, you will want to be on friendly terms right
away
then when it all goes down.
In Tennessee when we were there, we saw newcomers (less than one year there)
helping
and
being helped by the Amish. Neighbors coming together when they’re needed,
no questions asked other than when do you need me. They all pull together and
work well.
If your family isn’t ready, or is almost ready, taking these steps or some
of these steps will help you get there. If you’re not “together” as
a family in your preparedness then you need to find a way to be. Get the spouse
interested in this even during an outing or vacation. Find a way to get your
children involved. Preparing isn’t just for one person in the family, it’s
for everyone. - T.D.
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Letter Re: Practical Bookbinding for Your Downloaded Survival References
Hi Mr. Rawles,
I hope you're having a great day! I was tumbling around the Internet and stumbled
upon a
site on do-it-yourself bookbinding.
It's got a great deal of information on binding your own books simply and easily
using two bolts, two wing nuts, some wood scraps, a wet cotton ball and some
Gorilla Glue. I tried it and found that this is a great way to EMP-proof
my PDF collection
of [public domain] WTSHTF books.
Have a great evening. Best, - Ian
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Letter Re: Self-Sufficiency--How Do We Do It All?
Dear Memsahib and Jim,
I am a daily SurvivalBlog reader and contributor, along with my husband.
I am very interested in learning more how Memsahib and other retreat
women
manage to do all that they do. How does a day or week in your life go? How
do you can, bake, cook, shear, spin, weave, knit, sew, teach, et cetera and
get it
all done?
We are moving to our retreat soon. I have baked, cooked, knit, learned to spin
and weave, and have canned in the past, but not all at once. I forgot to mention
clean, wash, take care of a garden, etc. etc.
We need a blog [post] about how to accomplish everything and remain sane.
Not to mention home school and run a family, continue church life, etc.
For those of us who have been working and raising a family in a large town
and are moving to a retreat life, we need some how to's!!!
The order of things is of the most importance or we will never accomplish all
our tasks!!!
Memsahib, does your work every stop? Do you feel like you have no personal
time?
I also work as a registered nurse and will try to continue with my specialty
in teaching young mothers how to breast feed and care for their newborns.
Thank you for your input from all of us women who will try to "do it all" on
our retreat sites. Thanks again, - Kathie
The Memsahib Replies: Thank you so much for your huge vote
of confidence. How nice to think there is a woman out there who thinks that
I do it all! :-) First
let me say first, no I
don't do it all. And secondly I don't worry about doing it all either.
I'm writing this reply specifically to married women with children. The most
important thing is to keep your priorities right: I believe the correct order
is: God, your husband, your children, and then everything else after that. Also
remember it is not up to you to insure the survival of your
family. God is in control of everything. And after God is your husband. I hope
this will lift some
if the burden that you are feeling. Don't shoulder the burden of the family's
survival yourself. That is not your role. I think that is usurping your husband's
role
of provider and protector of the family.Your job is to be a helpmeet to your
husband.
Okay, that said, I have acquired a lot of skills that could be put to use in
TEOTWAWKI, but I do not try to do them all now. I think to attempt that would
put me in an early grave like my pioneer great grandmothers! I think this is
time for learning preparation skills, but if you tried to actually do them all
there is no way you would have time to learn any new skills. For example I have
a lot of food preservation skills. But at this present time most of our larder
is full of mostly purchased foodstuffs. For the satisfaction of it, I have fed
my family entire meals from food I personally raised including the milk that
came fresh from our cow. It feels great to know I can do it. But I don't try
to do it on a day to day basis.
There are some things that we do that allow for extra time in my schedule. We
don't own a television. I think I get a lot more done for the lack of watching
television. Also, I do not have a full time job outside the home. Not having
to commute saves a lot of time. Another thing I attribute to getting more done
is the fact that we are out in the middle of nowhere, so I don't shop. There
is no place to shop. Every two months or so we stock up to top off our supplies.
I also know the capacity of our larder well. I'm very strict with my family about
sticking to the list! This saves time and money when we are out shopping. Also
we only shop for clothes twice a year when we visit family in the big city. My
sister knows all the great thrift stores. And, she knows which department stores
have the best sale prices on shoes socks and underwear. If we didn't have growing
children we probably could go several years without buying clothes! By the way.
I do know how to sew clothes. And I know how to knit sweaters, hats, socks, mittens,
and such. But I don't make my family's clothes because I don't particularly enjoy
sewing. (For now, I go to the thrift store. I often can buy down jackets, Merino
wool sweaters and nearly new blue jeans for $3 each, and shirts, slacks, blouses,
skirts, dresses for less than than that.)
Another thing is that our family does which frees up quite a bit of time for
me
is cleaning up after themselves. Our children for example clear their places
after
meals,
take their dishes to the sink and putt the scraps in the chicken bucket, and
rinse their plates and glasses, and put them in the dishwasher. When there are
clothes to be folded at our house all the children fold and put away their own
clothes. Our children also have an individual chore based on their age, such
as setting and clearing the table, unloading the dishwasher, keeping the wood
box filled, and feeding their pets. And you may have realized by now I make use
of
all the
modern appliances which make household chores quicker. In the past, we've lived
without running water and without electricity. I know I can survive without them,
and
I may have
to in the future. But I sure enjoy the luxury of having them now!
The "survival skills' that I do practice daily are the ones that I personally
really enjoy. I practice them as recreation and relaxation. For me personally
that is raising small livestock. I really enjoy going out to the barn and feeding
my critters. I especially enjoy my sheep because I also enjoy the fiber arts.
I also really enjoy gardening. So my hobbies dovetail nicely with my husbands
desire to be well prepared. So what hobbies and interests do you have? Which
ones could you cultivate as prepping? Just because I don't care for sewing doesn't
mean that it wouldn't be a great dovetail for you.
You might say another one of my hobbies is acquiring "life skills".
Some people have a personality that is suited for focusing on one skill and developing
that skill to a master level. My personality is more suited to trying everything.
I try to make the most of each situation in which we've lived to learn what I
can. My motto is: when God gives you zucchini take the opportunity to experiment
baking, drying, frying zucchinis! The older women of the communities we've lived
in have been wonderful teachers. They have taught me how to can pickles, make
grape juice, milk goats, make soap, knit socks as well as sharing the abundance
of their gardens and orchards. But I in no way feel compelled to now makes all
the food we eat from scratch, knit all our clothes, make all our soap, and neither
should you!
I would be remiss if I did not say that I think it is very important to use this
time of liberty of ideas and travel to attend Bible studies. Yes, you can and
should read and study the Bible at home. But, I find that the commitment to do
a study with other believers disciplines me to stay in the Word even when life
gets hectic. And our pastor has many valuable insights into the Scriptures. If
you have the ability to attend a good Bible study, then do it! You
may not always have that opportunity because of poor health, high gas prices,
lack of transportation,
or lack of religious freedom. Reading the stories of prisoners of war, I am struck
by how their knowledge of God's word helped them endure. As the Bible says, "make
the most of time, because the days are evil".
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Sources for Free Survival and Preparedness Information on the Internet, by K.L. in Alaska
Recent comments in SurvivalBlog provided excellent advice on using the public
library. You can gain lots of knowledge with no expense, then purchase only
those books you want to keep on hand for personal reference. Also, many colleges
and universities loan to local residents, so you can use them too, even if
you aren't a student.
If your local libraries participate, a great resource is Worldcat. It lets you search for books from home,
then go check them out, or get them through interlibrary loan.
What will happen to the Internet when the SHTF?
There's no guarantee it will survive. Even if the World Wide Web endures in
some form, most of the individual computers connected to it will not. Hopefully
by then you will have already downloaded all the free info that's going to
help you cope with the new world.
You may want to download a copy of information
on this web site or any other web site with useful content. It would be a shame
to face some disaster when all the resources of the internet are no longer
at your fingertips.
In preparation for a worst case scenario,
it's a good idea to begin now to collect the knowledge that will come in handy
later. You can download whole books, save them to jump drives, and keep an
entire library in a very small space. All kinds of free manuals, guides, tech
tips, and schematics are available on the internet; for everything from firearms
to furnaces to computers to appliances.
All of the downloads listed
here are in the public domain or allowable for copying. Stay away from sites
that may involve copyright infringement. If you use a file-sharing site such
as Limewire, Kazaa, or any site that uses bit torrents, you are not only downloading,
but also uploading. Your participation involves automatically uploading to
other users. If the file is illegal, you are distributing illegal material,
not just downloading it. Stay away from these and stick with the legitimate
sites listed below.
Keep in mind that some of this information you
download might be illegal to use at the present time. You can't practice dentistry
on your neighbor just because you have the book. Nevertheless, you have the
right to possess this very vital information. After TEOTWAWKI,
all bets are off. The information you collect today might save your life or
the life of somebody you love.
Many downloads are in Portable Document Format
(PDF) form, so to read them you must have a suitable program such as Adobe
Reader, which is the free version of Adobe Acrobat. There are alternatives
to Adobe that can read PDF files, if you prefer. Some of these files are very
large. If your internet connection is slow, it's better to right click and
download rather than try to read a huge file online.
Some documents you may want to print out. Others
you can just leave on disc. Just be sure to store your drives safely. Not included
in this list are the many web sites that are very good resources in themselves.
Rather, these are the files you can download for offline viewing at a later
time. Download them while you still can!
Project
Gutenberg was mentioned as a good place to go for eBooks.
The Smithsonian
Institution is another great resource. They have digitized many older
books, maps, and documents in their collection.
Wikisource has
a nice collection of free eBooks.
One way to search for books no longer in copyright is to use Google
Book Search. Check "full view." If it comes up in the search,
it can be downloaded as a PDF file.
A good alternative to Google is the Internet Archive which includes books,
images, audio, and more. The Internet Archive also hosts the Wayback Machine,
which archives copies of an incredible 85 billion pages from the internet of
years past.
Over 100,000 free eBooks can be accessed through Digital Book Index
2020ok is a directory of
free online books and free eBooks
The British Columbia Digital Library has an impressive Collection, including
dictionaries, encyclopedias, and most importantly, the Holy Bible. It also has a Guide to other digital libraries.
Scribd is an online document
library of free research articles, eBooks, and other content.
A great resource for home schoolers is the Internet's largest
directory of free audio & video learning resources maintained by LearnOutLoud.com.
Check out the postings of Home Schooling
On-line Resources on the The Mental Militia Forums, as well as the "Must
Have" Books/reference material topic.
More than 3,200 pages related to the U. S. Constitution can
be downloaded from The Founders' Constitution
Firearms For any
firearm you own or plan to own, you should have a drawing of its Exploded View,
which will help identify parts and how they fit together. One of the most comprehensive
collections of Exploded Views is the paper edition of the Numrich Arms Catalog, which
in itself is a gold mine of information and very inexpensive for a volume of
over 1200 pages.
But if you only need certain Exploded Views, there are many
places on the internet where you can download them for free:
Gunuts is a good place
to start with hundreds of drawings. Another source is The Okie Gunsmith Shop, which
is apparently no longer operating, but you can still download drawings and
parts lists from its web site.Big Bear Gun Works has
another good list. For pre-WWII firearms, check out Gunsworld. For examples of specific
firearms manufacturers, see Remington, Browning, and SKB Shotguns
The book, The Defensive Use Of Firearms by
Shane C. Henry is available as a download from rec.guns. An enormous amount
of additional gun information is available on the rec.guns web site.
There are several good sources for Military Publications: GlobalSecurity.org has
a huge collection of Military manuals.
Try Integrated Publishing for
access to millions of pages of engineering manuals and documents.
The U.S. Army Materiel Command maintains the LOGSA web site for access
to thousands of Army technical manuals.
The U.S. Air Force maintains the Air Force e-Publishing web site.
As mentioned recently, The
Small Wars Journal has a Reference
Library of downloadable military documents.
The Brooke Clarke
web site has a good guide to accessing military field manuals
Surviving War and Nuclear
Attack For a basic guide, download How
To Survive A Chemical Or Biological Attack.
Nuclear War Survival
Skills, along with some other very interesting books, can be found on
the Oregon
Institute of Science and Medicine web site. This book includes plans
for the Kearny Fallout Radiation Meter (KFM). If you have not bought a radiation
meter, you should at least download the book for future reference. You can
also get the Free
Plans from The Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Nuclear War Survival Skills is also available on the KI4U web site as an online
book, but not as a download.
The Equipped To Survive web site
has some free ebooks, as well as books for sale: Survival,
Evasion, and Recovery and U.S. Army Survival Manual FM 21-76.
The Volunteer Center of Marin County, California has prepared A Guide to Organizing
Neighborhoods for Preparedness, Response and Recovery which you
can copy from their web site.
Medical Resources The Disease
Net has a library of downloadable manuals on survival, weapons, emergency
medicine, and less serious subjects.
Virtual Naval Hospital is
a digital library of naval, military, and humanitarian medicine
The very important field manual, First Aid For Soldiers FM 21-11 can be downloaded here.
One of the best medical handbooks available is the U.S. Army Special Forces Medical Handbook ST31-91B.
It can be downloaded free (as well as additional essential guides) from Delta Gear, Inc.
A newer version of the Medical
Handbook, plus more great material can be downloaded from NH-TEMS
(New Hampshire Tactical Emergency medical support).
The
American Red Cross has some of their disaster guides online for download.
For most of their material, you have to go to the local office. Some of it
can be copied from the Earth
Changes Media Survival Tips page.
The Red Cross Book, First
Aid in Armed Conflicts and Other Situations of Violence
The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency book, The
Ship Captain's Medical Guide
Hesperian makes
available free downloads of its books for medical treatment in primitive conditions.
Two highly respected guides it publishes are Where There Is No Doctor and Where
There Is No Dentist.
Here is a direct link to the must-have book Survival and
Austere Medicine: An introduction. Australian Survivalist Online
has several additional Files
for downloading.
The Department of Agriculture has
a treasure trove of information for free download. This agency maintains The
National Agricultural Library, a collection of free information on Agriculture,
Food and Nutrition, and other related subjects.
Another USDA web site is the Cooperative Extension
Service. Click on the map to navigate to various Extension offices around
the country. Don't limit your search to just your own state. Many of them
have invaluable information on animals, crops, construction, food preparation
and much more for free download.
The
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) offers downloads about preventing plant and animal diseases,
among other topics.
The USDA Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) offers Fact
Sheets about food handling and preparation, and emergency preparedness.
Other Important Reference
Resources The classic outdoor guides, The 10
Bushcraft Books by Richard Graves are available on the Chris Molloy web
site. Free manuals for electronic equipment can be downloaded from eServiceInfo.com. Another source is UsersManualGuide.com. For Ham Radio
and Test Equipment Manuals, the KO4BB web site has Free Downloads, as well as LINKS to many other web sites with free downloads. A few examples
of repair information for outdoor equipment are Penn Reel Schematics,
and Mercury outboard
parts.
Paid Services In
the unlikely event that you can't find free information on the Net to fix that
generator or whatever you need to repair, there are web sites that charge for
information. As a last resort, you can check Sam's PHOTOFACT service manuals,
or RepairManual.com. Hopefully,
that won't be necessary.
The foregoing just begins to scratch the surface. Some of
these free downloads are also available as books or CDs from eBay, Amazon or
from some of the survivalist web sites. That is fine. Sometimes it is easier
to just pay the money and buy the book. But nobody can afford it all, and downloading
gives you access to millions of pages - much more knowledge than you could
acquire through any other method.
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Homeschooling During the Crunch, by Nathaniel
Let's say that you and your family having been taking the advice provided here
by Mr. Rawles and are squared away for the Crunch—you've got your bullets,
beans, and band-aids, all piled high in a structurally reinforced home out
in the middle of nowhere. You've got just about every survivalist book ever
printed, plus the tools and skills you'll need to provide for yourself and
your family. You also, of course, have the basic life skills that you'll
need to simply stay alive—things like shooting, tracking, cooking,
and first aid.
Have you thought, however, about the education of your children?
Public schools, private schools, and universities will likely close their
doors. And even if
any remain open, the education they provide would be of questionable value
when society is falling apart. Clearly, the most important things for children
to know will be the things that survivalist parents have been teaching them
for a long time—skills like shooting, cooking, sewing, and first aid—and
none of those are taught sufficiently well in the typical school.
But will children
really need to learn anything else during the Crunch? After all, what is the
value of "book learning" when you're far from civilization,
simply trying to survive? Does it really matter who wrote A Tale of Two Cities?
Of what importance is learning to tell the difference between it's and its
or good and well? And who cares about calculating the length of the hypotenuse
of a right triangle?
Actually, all of that is important. The three R's (reading,
[w]riting, and [a]rithmetic) will always be of value, no matter how bad things
get, as will
a variety of other subjects. Why? Because in all except the most horrific SHTF scenarios,
people move out of their bunkers after several years and again begin to interact
with their neighbors, first just to barter, and later to gather
socially. Society eventually rebuilds, and as it does so, leaders are needed
to fill the gap—people who are able to communicate effectively and think
critically about the problems they face. How are such leaders raised? In part,
through their education.
We've already established that traditional educational services will almost
certainly be non-operational once the Schumer hits
the fan, so survivalists must look elsewhere for a solution. Essentially, that
solution is some form
of homeschooling, because when society isn't functioning, your children will
have no one to learn from other than you.
Are you ready for that? Some of you
already homeschool your kids—that's
great. But regardless of whether you already do or not, you may not be prepared
for the day when there are no more easily obtainable textbooks, no more homeschool
co-ops, no more video lectures, and no more sources of basic school supplies.
Could you, with only the resources that you have now, teach your kids the important
things that they need to know for the next three, four, or five years? How
about the next ten?
Before going any further, let's clear up some common misconceptions.
First, you don't need to be a professional teacher to be a successful homeschooling
parent. College degrees in education might make you more capable of teaching
a class of thirty students, but you certainly don't need a degree to teach
one or two kids at a time. Second, you don't need specialized curriculum or
fancy textbooks. Textbooks are a relatively new invention and can be useful
in some cases, but they certainly aren't essential if you have a good attitude
and the right tools.
So what do you need? Well, you need some general supplies,
a few basic tools, and most importantly, books—lots of books.
The essential
tools and supplies are for the most part obvious—pencils
and paper are a good start, and you can stock up for pennies during back-to-school
sales at major retailers. Don't settle for junk, however—you'll be kicking
yourself for buying those cheap mechanical pencils when they're all breaking
after a month or two of use. The best strategy is to simply buy a mechanical
pencil sharpener if you don't already own one, and plenty of boxes of old fashioned
yellow pencils, with separate rubber erasers still in their original plastic
wrapping. Don't forget the tools you'll need to teach math, either—items
like protractors and well-made compasses are essential. Something else you
may not have thought of is a slide rule, since calculator screens and batteries
are prone to failure. Slide rules last for decades if properly cared for, and
have the added benefit of forcing their users to engage their brains. Of course,
since you're going to be teaching your kids how to use these tools, make sure
you know how to use them yourself.
Next up is books. This is the most important part of your homeschool preparation,
simply because the right books are packed with valuable information that's
accessible to anyone who is able to read—both the teacher and the student.
Furthermore, it's possible to get most books for only a little bit of money—used
book stores and library book sales are excellent ways to build a large library
on a small budget.
The key reference works that everyone ought to own include a Bible, an exhaustive
concordance, and a modern unabridged English dictionary. A complete encyclopedia
would also be a valuable resource, and versions printed a few decades ago can
be obtained at little cost. Your Bible and concordance should be of the same
version, and the version should be both readable and accurate for serious study.
Some prefer more literal versions like the New American Standard or the English
Standard Version, while others like the grandeur of the King James Version
or the readability of the New International Version. Get a version you like
and will read, and get the concordance to go with it.
To teach your child to
read, depending on age, you'll need a variety of interesting and educational
books. Teach phonics and short-sentence reading, and then move
on to picture books like the Frog and Toad series (Arnold Lobel) and stories
by Dr. Seuss. Eventually, you'll be able to make the move to some of the older
Newbery Prize winners, like A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine L'Engle), Carry On,
Mr. Bowditch (Jean Lee Latham) Amos Fortune, and Free Man (Elizabeth Yates).
Other excellent children's books include The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson
Burnett), the Little House series (Laura Ingalls Wilder), The Chronicles of
Narnia (C. S. Lewis), The Princess and the Goblin (George MacDonald), anything
by E. B. White, My Side of the Mountain (Jean Craighead George), The Sign of
the Beaver (Elizabeth George Speare), Anne of Green Gables (L. M. Montgomery)
and the Redwall series (Brian Jacques). Pre-teens and teenagers ought to be
able to start digesting heavier works—begin with John Bunyan, Mark Twain,
and J. R. R. Tolkien, and then move on to Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Fyodor
Dostoevsky, Herman Melville, Ernest Hemingway, and other great authors. Poetry
is also excellent reading material—start with the classics by poets like
Rudyard Kipling, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Robert Service. You can also
read any of these works aloud to younger kids, thereby giving them early exposure
to the masters of the written word.
A strong writer is necessarily an accomplished
reader, so by providing literature to your children, you are also encouraging
the development of their writing
skills. Writing can be improved by a lot of practice and by studying examples
in literature, but resources like The Elements of Style by Stunk and White
(get the 3rd edition—the 4th edition was made more politically correct
by a shameless ghost writer) make it much easier. Do not underestimate the
importance of the skill of writing—it forms the basis of all effective
communication.
Mathematics can be taught without textbooks as well, but depending
on your own familiarity with the subject, it may be difficult. Today it's not
uncommon
to find people who can't make change in their head or balance a checkbook,
so if that describes you, make an effort to develop your math skills. You ought
to be able to explain concepts like arithmetic (including long division and
three digit multiplication), percentages, units of measurement, distance and
graphs, and simple logic. A working knowledge of geometry, trigonometry, logarithms,
probability, statistics, and calculus would be even better, but some find this
difficult to attain. At this level, many will find it necessary to use textbooks,
but there's usually no need to have a separate textbook for each grade: entry-level
college math textbooks cover a wide variety of topics and older versions are
extremely inexpensive when purchased at book sales or online. Get one that
has the answers in the back of the book, or one that comes with a solution
manual.
As the new society develops, there will be a need for people who understand
how government works and who understand the basis of government by the people.
Works like Two Treatises of Government (John Locke), The Federalist (Hamilton,
Madison, and Jay), and Democracy in America (Alexis de Tocqueville) provide
a better understanding of government than any civics textbook ever could, and
supplementing these works with opposing viewpoints like those found in The
Communist Manifesto (Engels and Marx) can generate healthy discussion.
History
can be taught in a variety of ways, but one of the easiest is through biographies.
Learning about the lives of people like Alexander the Great, Marcus
Aurelius, Augustine, Martin Luther, Leonardo da Vinci, Shakespeare, George
Washington, Simón Bolívar, Napoleon, Robert E. Lee, George Washington
Carver, Theodore Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, Martin Luther
King, Jr., and others can provide a basic understanding of world history. Historical
fiction like that written by G. A. Henty can also be a valuable resource, because
it simultaneously engages young readers and teaches history.
You may decide to teach a foreign language, or perhaps a "dead" language
such as Latin, Ancient Greek, or New Testament Greek. A dictionary, grammar,
and Bible in the language are all you absolutely need, but for foreign languages,
a few fiction (especially juvenile fiction) books can make it more fun. It's
also extremely helpful to have access to someone who already knows and speaks
the language well, so make sure you know the language capabilities of the people
in your retreat group.
Science is best taught through experiments, and it's
often possible to incorporate science lessons into everyday life. Turn your
latest kill into a biology lesson
by analyzing all the organs and talking about what each does. Physics is critical
for understanding bullet drop, and many chemistry experiments can be performed
with supplies found in the survivalist kitchen. The theory behind these sciences
can be easily discovered in a low-cost college textbook purchased at a book
sale, but beware of physics texts that are calculus-based unless you're prepared
to teach that as well.
Despite its reputation among the more practical-minded, art encourages creativity
and appreciation for Creation. The easiest way to teach art during the crunch
will likely be drawing, because all you need are pencils, paper, and a view
of the great outdoors. Drawing also has practical value, because a precise
drawing can communicate some information more effectively than the written
word. Other forms of art, such as painting and music, require more supplies
and equipment, making them more expensive and harder to continue once re-supply
is impossible.
There are other subjects that you may wish to teach, such as
geography, astronomy, or economics. My advice is the same for these topics—find
excellent practical books on each, and let them guide how you teach. Some kids
enjoy learning directly
from books, but others will prefer a more hands-on approach. Use some creativity
to provide the learning experience that best matches your child's style, and
remember that all the information you need is hidden in the pages of the books
in your library.
In addition to purchasing all these books and supplies, you
should to get the experience of teaching your kids now, before you need to
do it. Just like it's
foolish to build an arsenal of firearms but skip weapons training, it isn't
easy to suddenly turn into a good teacher for your kids. Taking the time
now to homeschool will help you get ready for when it's necessary, and besides,
both you and your kids will likely benefit from the additional time together.
If you can't homeschool full-time due to time or financial constraints, do
you best to practice teaching in your spare time, by reading to your kids
and
doing fun experiments in the basement. Do whatever you can, both in terms
of skill development and resource acquisition, because you owe it to your children
to start preparing for the day when other options are no longer available
and
their education rests entirely in your hands.
JWR Adds: Even SurvivalBlog readers that currently send their
children to private school should plan ahead for circumstances that might necessitate
home schooling. This could be because of self-quarantine during a pandemic,
a natural disaster that disrupts transportation and public school schedules, TEOTWAWKI,
or even just the loss of income because of a layoff. Regardless, you should
plan ahead, and start stocking up on home schooling curriculum!
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Reverse the Public School Brainwashing and Keep Your Kids Safe, by Captain Dave
The recent school shooting at Virginia Tech demonstrates a huge underlying
societal problem that many of us are either ignoring or are ignorant of. Because
society has spent much of the last several decades trying to stamp violence
out of schools and out of our children, we end up with kids who are made-to-order
victims that will line up to be shot execution style rather than fight back.
The answer to school violence is not to arm the campus police, have campus
SWAT teams, or class rooms that can double as fortresses, it is to teach our
children to protect themselves aggressively and confidently with whatever weapon
may be at hand. Clearly the schools are not doing this, so responsible parents
need to be sure they are.
While it may be politically incorrect to say so, how many of us have wondered
why the 30 college kids in a classroom didn't mob the gunman, tackle him, hit
him with a chair, or otherwise fight back? Why was the only defender a concentration
camp survivor old enough to be the students' grandparent? I believe that the
answer to those two questions is the same: Because in two generations our feel
good society has gutted the right to self defense in our public schools and
created a generation of victims. That's right – they have brainwashed
our children into pliable victims who will not defend themselves.
Creating Willing Victims
In our school district, kids in middle school and occasionally in lower school
are handcuffed and arrested when a fight breaks out. Because of "zero
tolerance" towards fighting, even kids who defend themselves when attacked
are arrested and suspended, regardless of who was "in the right" or
what witnesses say. The concept that students have a right to self defense
does not exist in these schools and the lesson taught is "do not fight
back." Is it any wonder that kids who are indoctrinated in this system
have no idea how to defend themselves or that it is even permissible to try,
even when faced with a gunman killing their fellow students?
This politically correct emphasis on non-violence is really a drive to non-confrontation
that teaches kids to be victims at an early age. Violence not only still exists
in our schools, it is worse than ever because the system does not allow kids
to counter force with force. This means that kids cannot fight back when they
are harassed on the school bus, spit on in the lunch room, assaulted in the
hallway, or beaten in the locker room. Teachers routinely do not intervene
in bullying or one-way assaults. This bullying behavior is allowed until the
target decides to fight back, at which point school rules treat both
the attacker and defender the same way. I am afraid that these days,
the only place bullies and their victims really meet after school to settle
their differences is on
television or in the movies.
Stamping Out the Competitive Spirit
In addition to creating willing victims who are powerless to defend themselves,
public schools are stamping out the competitive spirit out of our children.
This is terribly unfortunate, because competitiveness and the desire to win
are two of the things that have helped make America great.
In public schools, competitiveness is looked down upon because it might hurt
a less competitive student's self esteem if they don't do as well as someone
else. For the sake of self esteem, standing out must be discouraged and everyone
must be equal – equally bad, that is. (Didn't we fight the Cold War to
keep this communist mentality from spreading? And now it is being enforced
in our schools.)
Public schools are routinely taking those kids who are smarter or otherwise
above average and forcing them to work at the level of the slowest kid in the
class. For example, in my daughter's public elementary school class, smart
children were teamed with slower kids on team projects to bring up the slower
kids' grades up.
This approach is an example of backwards thinking. Instead of allowing kids
to succeed or fail on their own merits, the system promotes mediocrity. Worse,
the smart kids are bored by the slow progress and frustrated at having to do
the teacher's job of instructing the other kids. They also learn early that
by appearing smart, they have to do everyone else's work, and so some decide
to hide their intelligence. The slower kids learn that society will promote
them even when they don't do the work (so called social promotion – don’t
get me started), so there is little incentive for them to try harder or to
improve their performance.
We used to encourage success and honor our high achievers; now the public schools
teach your kids that standing out and excelling is wrong because when you stand
out, someone with a lower average may get their feelings hurt. So much for
pride in a job well done.
This effort to improve children by falsely boosting their self esteem is wishful
thinking. Kids know where they stand regardless of what the teacher says, and
it sends the wrong message when teachers and school officials honor everyone,
regardless of their performance. We need to go back to rewarding the high performers
and addressing the problem with a child who isn't finding success, even if
it means we have to hurt their self esteem by holding them back a grade.
Sports, the Last Bastion of Competition
About the only place in public schools that competition still exists is on
the sports field. In fact, the coach is about the only teacher who can still
yell at kids without a parent calling up and complaining.
But how long will this last? If football were not such an institution and economic
boon for high schools and colleges, I have no doubt "well meaning" school
administrators would have banned it by now. Already, there are fewer hours
of PE class in most schools than ever before. Adults are even interfering with
pick up games at recess by saying that kids can’t pick their own teams
because someone might have their feelings hurt by being selected last. I'm
sure everyone reading this has heard of a school district where dodge ball
has been banned because it is too violent or dangerous. When did we start to
coddle our children so much that getting hit with a big red rubber ball became
something we must protect them from?
In most organized contact sports, you can still hit the other player. As a
coach of a girls soccer for six seasons, let me tell you that it is difficult
to get a young girl to be aggressive on the soccer field. Even by age 7, they
are so indoctrinated in non-violence that they back up or will run away from
a charging player instead of advancing or holding their ground to steal the
ball or disrupt a fast break. The short-term result is that the one or two
aggressive kids dominate play, largely because they are unchallenged. The long-term
result is that later in life the girl will become a woman who shies away from
confrontation and is afraid to stand up for herself. Another ready victim.
Yet even organized sports are changing. At young ages, the parents and coaches
are told not to keep score, because losing may cause a child to lose self esteem.
As if a kid old enough to swing a bat can't keep score! Such behavior on the
part of adults who are supposed to be experts in childhood development is laughable.
Let's face it, in life you will win some, and you will lose some, so the sooner
you learn to be a good sport when you lose, the better off you will be. Pretending
that "everyone wins" also eliminates the life lessons that come from
losing, such as picking yourself up and trying again.
Sports are tough, but so is life. Get used to it young and you will survive
better when you are older. I was knocked unconscious playing "touch" football
in sixth grade. In high school, I broke my leg in a soccer game. (The coach
told me to walk it off, and I tried to.) My younger sister almost lost her
front teeth in a softball game in junior high. (Her braces actually kept them
from getting knocked out – it was the only time she was happy to have
braces.) Were we disillusioned or too dispirited to return to the game? Of
course not. We both overcame these temporary setbacks and continued playing
sports. It's the old getting back up on the horse that threw you idea, which
is an important lesson for success later in life. How will our kids learn perseverance
and to overcome obstacles if we clear all the obstacles out of their way? No
wonder the Virginia Tech victims did not fight back – they had been taught
to wait for someone else to come and solve their problem for them.It's Not
Your Father's School Anymore
When my father went to school during World War II, he and his friends would
often bring their .22 rifles or single shot shotguns to school so they could
shoot rabbits and other small game on the way home. When I went to school in
the 1970s, I remember bringing cap guns to school on Halloween, and I carried
a pocket knife every day after I turned 10. Today, dressing like a cowboy for
Halloween or bringing a pocket knife to school can get you expelled, and don't
even think of bring a .22. Not only will the child be expelled, authorities
will likely charge the parent with a crime, confiscate any weapons in the house,
and restrict their right to own a gun again in the future. My, how times have
changed.
So are schools any safer today than they were 30 or 60 years ago? Of course
not. Just as gun control does not reduce violent in the real world, it does
not reduce it in schools. In fact, there is evidence that concealed carry permits
for teaches and administrators is far more likely to forestall a bloody school
massacres than laws and metal detectors.
I don't have to tell you that we live in a violent world where things are not
fair – perhaps the one lesson that public schools do consistently teach
our youth. Unfortunately, public schools do not teach kids how to counter violence,
how to walk with their head held high, and how to avoid or deal with trouble
before it escalates. Instead, it teaches them to be fearful, to slink around
with their heads hung, and to call an administrator, police officer or other
member of the nanny state when something goes wrong. This curriculum has not
only rendered students powerless and created a generation of easy victims;
it has lead to the type of slaughter we saw earlier this year at Virginia Tech.
Further, I postulate that the zero tolerance policies that force good kids
to be victims rather than fight back cause frustration and suppressed anger
in otherwise normal kids. It is this anger and frustration that causes the
oppressed kids to one day reach the bursting point and bring a gun to school,
seeking to end their torment. We will never know how many kids fantasize – without
taking action – about bringing a gun to school and killing their abusers.
But we do know that school shootings driven by revenge on bullies and tormentors,
such as Columbine, show no sign of abating.
How many adults would allow ourselves to be subjected to verbal, psychological
and physical abuse by our peers for six or eight years? Yet kids from fifth
grade up routinely deal with this kind of abuse at the hands of their fellow
students. Should we really expect high school kids, with their raging hormones
and adolescent angst, to survive years of this daily abuse without cracking?
Maybe this is why the use of antidepressants is so high among teenagers today.
Unfortunately, the policies of feel-good, self-esteem raising, zero-tolerance
school administrations have created a generation of ready-made victims and
a revenge-based school shooting culture that never existed before.
Reversing the Brainwashing
So what can you do to fight this conditioning and brainwashing? My advice is
as follows:
First, enroll your boy or girl, in extracurricular sports as young as possible,
preferably by age six. Sports like football, soccer, basketball, lacrosse,
field hockey, roller hockey and ice hockey are in my opinion better than sports
like golf, tennis and baseball because there is contact and aggressive play
is both encouraged and rewarded. In their lives, your kids will have to face
violence, and learning to face it in the controlled environment of the playing
field is the first step in successfully facing it in an uncontrolled environment.
Contact sports do not teach violence and aggression, but they provide an outlet
for the aggression that the schools otherwise bottle up. Sports also teach
kids how to channel aggression and anger into positive activities.
If finances are an issue, choose soccer over a sport that requires lots of
pads such as football or hockey. You can outfit a youth soccer player for less
than $50.
Second, when time and finances allow, enroll your kids in other extra curricular
activities where they will meet and mingle with kids from other schools, towns
and cultures. As they get older, they will need to have a network of friends
outside of the people they go to school with. This provides an escape; when
everyone at their school knows they did something stupid, the kids from the
next town over will probably have no idea. These extra curricular activities
can be programs that teach valuable and vanishing skills, such as Scouts, junior
shooting competitions, and 4H.
Third, do things with your kids. Spend time with them so they can observe your
behavior in difficult situations and learn by your example. Have dinner with
your children regularly and ask them what they learned at school. If you disagree
with what they were taught, provide your contrasting opinion in a reasonable,
even handed way. Remember, any time spent with them is better than no time.
Use examples from your life to and tell stories with morals. Even a drive to
the store and back gives you time to talk and is better than time spent watching
television or playing video games.
Fourth, try to find other responsible adults for them to spend time with; relatives
who think like you do are a good choice. The more one-on-one time they have
with a right-thinking adult, the better, as that influence will slowly infiltrate,
overcoming the brainwashing and protecting them from it in the future. I say
this from experience, having raised two politically conservative children who
understand the second amendment, regardless of what the school tries to teach
them
Fifth, encourage your children to stand up for themselves and tell your child
that you won't punish them if they fight back and defend themselves. There
is a fine line to walk here, as they must understand that 1) the school will
still punish them, but that you will back them and they will not get in additional
trouble at home. And 2) they can't go around looking for or starting fights.
The other person has to throw the first punch or two, so to speak. In my personal
experience, a good martial arts school can help give kids the confidence and
discipline to walk this line as well as the skills to enforce it.
At the same time you give them permission to fight back, teach them that the
best fight is the one that they avoid. Teach them to not to make enemies – there's
no profit in it and potentially much pain as they will have to see the other
kid every day for the rest of the school year. Teach them to think and reason,
and not react emotionally. Cooler heads do prevail. But teach them that when
a fight cannot be avoided, they need to do whatever it takes to win it clearly
and decisively in a way that discourages re-engagement at a future time.
Sixth, talk about what to do in a school shooting scenario. Don't avoid the
topic or turn off the television – address it, just as you would another
survival situation such as an earthquake or tornado. Discuss when to run, when
to hide,
when to fight back. Discuss what, if anything, the school told them to do and
whether it makes sense. Teach them to be aware of exits and where to sit in
the room. Teach them to look for hiding places and that a table is unlikely
to stop a bullet. They also need to know that that action beats reaction. Demonstrate
how it is harder to hit a moving target than a stationary one. At the same
time, reassure them that while it is very unlikely they will have a school
shooting at their school, it is better to plan ahead of time than to panic.
Finally, if you can afford to do so, get them out of the public schools and
into a good private school. Preferably a small one with class sizes under 20,
where kids will have opportunities to learn at their own pace. Home schooling
is another excellent alternative, and is usually very safe, but unfortunately
is often not an option for single parent households or households in which
both parents work.
Because private schools are expensive and generally do not refund your tuition
if your kid is expelled, parents have a much greater vested interest in keeping
their kids in line and well behaved. This makes a world of difference, as does
having independent administrators who do not need to please an elected official.
The Private School Experience
We chose private school, and after the mortgage, it is our largest single expense.
It also requires that we drop off and pick up our child each day, which required
some scheduling changes as well as some additional dollars for gasoline. We
evaluated several schools before picking what we felt was the best one for
our daughter.
Yes, private schooling required a sacrifice, but in our experience, it is well
worth it. Not only does our daughter get far more individual attention from
teachers that she did in public school, she is encouraged to work ahead in
the book. Rather than be held back by the lowest common denominator, kids in
her school compete to see who can finish the most vocabulary words, math sheets,
and reading assignments in the given time. She is no longer bored in class,
and competition encourages her to push herself harder than the teacher could.
She is much happier and well ahead of where she would have been had she stayed
in private school.
Several of the sports teams are co-educational, so the girls learn to play
with the boys – they have to be aggressive if they want to play. Kids
pick their own teams at recess and make their own rules, often with much healthy
argument
and dissent, yet the teachers usually do not interfere, letting the kids work
out their differences. Yes, the kids get bumps, bruises, and abrasions, but
they wear these playground injuries with nonchalance, just like we did 30 years
ago.
Most refreshing is the attitude of the administrators. I met with an administrator
at my daughter's school to express my concern that she was going to punch an
especially annoying boy if he kept up his inappropriate behavior on the basketball
court. The administrator said "Yes, we are aware of his behavior and are
taking steps to address it. We have discussed at our staff meeting that your
daughter or another child may sock him, and a good number of us think that
it would be well deserved." Imagine that -- a school official acknowledging
that a student had a licking coming and that the school would not punish a
girl for defending herself against his boorish and inappropriate behavior.
In the end, no one punched him because the school and his parents got the problem
under control. But it was a refreshing attitude, and one that could never exist
in our politically correct, zero tolerance, public school child warehousing
system.
Whether you go the private school route, are able to home school or have no
option other than public schooling remember that if you take an active role
in your child's life, your influence and teachings will exceed those of the
most liberal school system. So take the time and teach your child well.
« Letter Re: Mercenaries a Post-TEOTWAWKI Threat |Main| Note from JWR: »
Reader Poll Results: Your TEOTWAWKI Resume -- 100 Words and 100 Pounds
Some of these stretched the 100 word limit. (I skipped posting one that rambled
on far
beyond the limit.) The poll's premise in a nutshell: "If
someday you went to the gates of a survival community post-TEOTWAWKI and
pleaded the case for why you should be let past the barricades and armed guards
to become a valuable working member of the group, would you get voted in? Taken
objectively, would you vote yourself in?"
I am a shoe maker (not just a repairman) can repair saddles tan leather have
done ranch work mechanics weld gardening skills set a broken bone stitch up
a bad wound can bake bread etc, shooting skills need work only 5.5 MOA on AQT.
Can milk a cow make butter some basic carpentry skills can use a wood lave
make one if needed to know how to set up wind / water power to a shop or mill
make
some one laugh when things are bad can teach can also learn.know how to adapt
over come make things work specialization is for insects.
Some limits to work: mild back problems cannot do a lot of over head work.
1 CETME rifle with 12 mags, ALICE pack, compressed MREs, 1 folding shovel camo
nylon rope water filtering canteen extra canteen freeze dried canned soup 1
empty
small can rubbing alcohol cotton balls (cheap cook stove) 1 cooking kit 1 med
kit 1 multi tool 1 roll toilet paper 1 wash cloth 2 tooth brushes tooth paste
1 belt with bayonet for CETME one pocket knife canteen & pouch cleaning
kit for rifle and butt pack 2 mag pouches fishing line and hooks matches 4
Bic
lighters 1 Iver Johnson 5 shot .38 S&W revolver 36 rounds of ammo, Flecktarn
camo pants and shirt vest 1 light weight sleeping bag wool socks and
a
spare pair sturdy boots, Carthart coat tan 1 pocket size bible etc,,
--
Many years' experience in:
Primitive Skills:
*edible and medicinal native plants
*cordage and rope making
*hide tanning
*bow and arrow making
*bow hunting
Contemporary Skills:
*organic gardener
*orchard (fruit and olive)
*beekeeper
*firearms use
Mid-50's, good shape for age, 6'4", 225#. Wife, mid 50's, 5'10", 150#
(who shares many of the above skills, plus expert at canning/freezing, quilting,
tatting, making clothes and moccasins).
Both have a sense of humor and aren't afraid to work.
In packs, besides personal gear:
*heirloom seeds
*needles
*lighters
Carrying:
*one .308 MBR, one .223, with magazines and ammo
*two .45 Governments
--
Age 25, weight 160, excellent health, single. Engineer, engine mechanic, builder,
jack of all trades. Trained and competitive marksman. Skilled teacher. Tolerant,
thick skinned, sense of humor. Introvert, not loner. Schooled in college, educated
in real life. History buff and cook.
Competent with photovoltaics, backhoes, generators, concrete, gardens, propane
systems, AC and DC electricity, firearms, computers, welding.
Most importantly: not a prima donna, armchair commando, or busybody.
Equipment includes rifle, pistol, small amount of ammo, soft body armor and
binoculars.
--
Age: Near 60. Can still
see well enough, without glasses, to shoot back.
Old, tired, wore out. Been around the third world several times. (South America,
South Seas, East Asia) Can't lift a third my own weight. Don't eat much. Know
how to do just about anything.
Will arrive with 30 Lbs water, 30 Lbs freeze dried food, Ruger Mini 14, S&W
659, 100 rds for each, a few old books. and 50+ years usable knowledge. That
about 100 pounds? (Worst case here. Actually, I would attempt to bring my entire
robotics shop. Attempt, I said! )
Skills: Artificer. If you can picture it, I can make it. Make a windmill from
a starter motor. Make my own tools as I need 'em. Bend railroad rail with no
more than an axe and 6 young men for the bull work. Machinist, electrician,
carpenter, stone layer, robotics engineer .
--
Age 25. Ex-military.
Trained extensively in: Perimeter reconnaissance,
Land-navigation.
Instructor of: full-spectrum warfare, defensive fighting positions, combat
operations.
Expert marksmen: M16A2, M4A1 (GUU-5/P), M9. Expert in FN-FAL,
M1A/M14, AKM, M16/AR-15 Family, 1911-A1, M9, CZ-75. Proficient with many other
firearms.
20/15 vision. Reloading/Gunsmith hobbyist.
Physically/Mentally Fit.
Pragmatic/Realist/Professional.
Equipped: FAL Carbine (18"bbl). Custom 1911A1. PASGT Kevlar Helmet/Vest. Boots/Socks. Woodland BDUs.
Custom LBE: Seven 30rd FAL Mags(210rds). Eight 8rd 1911-1 Mags( 64rds). Two 1-quart Canteens (Full). Multi-tool.
Medium ALICE pack: Five 20rd FAL mags (empty),
Two SA Battlepacks (280rds). Two Boxes .45ACP (100rds).
First-Aid Kit. Extra BDUs (1 set). Cans of Soup (5). Mess
Kit. Local Map/Compass.
--
Phd/MBA expert (37) on alternative energy and appropriate technology. Tool
maker and builder/manufacturer/processor of useful post-TEOTWAWKI machines,
trade goods, and alcohol (own BATF-licensed alcohol fuel still). Russian MBA
wife (35) survived fall of Soviet Union and 1998 crisis. 4 yo and 10 mo daughters.
Home machine shop, tools, anvil, forge, ethanol still, large printed alternative
energy / appropriate technology / engineering / survival library, and inventory
of preparation items greatly exceed the 100 lb per person limit but would be
worthy of a group salvage/recovery mission. G.O.O.D. bags contain standard
items recommended by Rawles, et al. Additional personally carried gear would
include M1A w/ Leupold scope, AR-15 with trijicon night sites, Glock 21 (45ACP)
with Trijicon night sites, Berkey water filter, laptop with large collection
(>500 books) of appropriate energy and appropriate technology books on CD,
Robinson curriculum on CDs for home schooling kids, ten 15"x15" fresnel
lenses capable of starting fires in 30 seconds, disassembled 2" diameter
alcohol still column with supply of vapor locks and 1 lb of ethanol yeast,
and a few of my more portable tools (blacksmith hammer, hardy, & gloves;
measurement tools; multimeter; temperature measure).
--
48 y/o 6ft 180lb male – good health
- Can walk 20 mi/day in full gear
- “Rifleman” with .308 MBR
- Doctor (emergency medicine and minor surgery)
- Gunsmith and reloader
- Cook
Backpack (40 lbs)
Sleeping bag/tarp
(2) BDUs & wool socks
Rain gear
Soap/camp towel/toothbrush
Food bars for 1 week
Water filter/bottle
Cookset/Trioxane tabs
Compass/map
Small survival kit (Fishhooks, matches, snares, etc)
AR-7 and 200 rounds
Web gear (35 lbs)
Knife
First aid/trauma kit
G23 + 2 mags (51 rounds)
8 mags .308 (150 rounds)
HK91
Barter/buy-in: (25 lbs)
Minor surgical set
Sutures/dressings
Local anesthetic/syringes
2000 doses various oral antibiotics and pain meds!
--
I feel I would be a great asset to your community. I am a seventh degree black
belt in American freestyle combatives and I could easily teach your people
the skills to handle themselves in this perilous time. I also have an extensive
background in firearms handling,gunsmithing and reloading. My real expertise
thought is as a meat butcher. I can literally take a beef ( or any wild or
domestic animal) from the field to the table. I bring with me a full set of
cutlery tools, including saws,steels and several knives. I also carry a AR-15
w/8-20 round, loaded mags. A Glock 19 w/mags, and a Rem 870 tactically modified.
I have a full set of ultralight camping gear including, freeze dried food,tent,
sleeping bag,etc. My loyalties are to God, Country, and my brothers at arms.
--
repaired furniture
a little basic farm work(irrigation, pick rock)
assembled some field sprayers
signalman
roofing
painting
inventory control/purchasing
drafting
some hunting
a lot of fishing
a lot of target shooting
cashier(a lot)
lube and oil cars
janitor
built 40 wood tables for an assembly line
sorted recycled paper
stock shelves
gas station attendant
a little gardening(corn,peas,onions)
unarmed watch
yard work(mowing, weeding)
sandwich/donut driver
some bow and arrow
some encrima [Philippine stick fighting martial art]
some cooking
printers helper
some CPR
--
Male, 38, 160 pounds. Reasonable shape.
Skills:
Suturing, minor surgery, advanced airway management, cautery, fractures, casting,
NBC treatment, tooth extraction and making dental fillings. 2 home births.
Pistol. Morse code.
Supplies:
Sutures, antibiotics, casting supplies, complete surgery tools and dental extraction
set.
.45, scoped M21 sniper rifle plus ammo. Field scope, rangefinder. Level 4 bulletproof
vest, helmet, FRS radios.
Water filter, water, food, tent, sleeping pads and bags, heirloom seeds.
Two boys, 7 and 9 and wife. All with level 3a vests. Kids with .22 rifles and
ammo. Wife with 9mm, AR-15 and ammo. Knows some gardening. Kids learning morse
code.
--
Strengths-
Have excellent interpersonal/negotiation skills
Have made a sufficient study of military history/combat tactics/military strategy
Maintain a vegetable garden/fruit trees
Have studied/used survival techniques in N.A. and C.A.
Have knowledge of indigenous edible plants/animals in N.A. and C.A.
Have skill-at-arms on US/ComBloc small arms
Am expert in usage of map and compass
Have field grade(ditch) medical skills
Maintain personal combatives skills
Can forage and improvise like nobody’s business
Have seen the elephant
Weaknesses –
No livestock husbandry experience
Not a carpenter
Middle aged
Average driving skills
Probable TEOTWAWKI employment:
Retreat security
Weapons maintenance and training
Strategic Planning and Implementation
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Poll Results: An Exercise in Humility--a Poll on Embarrassing Mistakes »
Letter Re: Advice on Where to Learn Practical, Tactical Skills
Dear Jim:
As my confidence in the dollar depreciates and my desire for skills
increases, I'm wanting to convert FRNs
into hands-on knowledge. What weeknight or weekend workshops would
you recommend? Are there any places
where you can learn Army Ranger skills without joining the military?
Animal husbandry, and so on? - Spencer
JWR Replies: There is a tremendous wealth of free
or low-cost classes available--enough to keep you busy every weekend
of
the year
if you are willing to drive a distance. If you have time and
just a bit of money, you can get some very well-rounded training in
skills that
are quite applicable to post-TEOTWAWKI living. In
my experience, the most cost-effective training opportunities in the
U.S.
include:
American
Red Cross First Aid and CPR classes
Local Community College, Park District, and Adult Education classes.
They offer classes on metal shop, auto shop, wood shop, leather crafting,
ceramics, baking, gardening, welding, and so forth.
RWVA Appleseed Shoots.
These are held all over the nation. They offer great training for
very
little money. The West
Side Sportsman's Club,
located on the west side of Evansville, Indiana is hosting the national
RWVA shoot on June 30 / July 1st. The
Red Brush Gun Range, located on the east side
of Evansville is having another Appleseed, and they're also having
an Appleseed Boot Camp. The boot camp starts on Monday
October 22 thru
Friday
Oct. 26th. Then
the Appleseed Shoot is on Saturday Oct. 27 and Sunday Oct. 28. The deal is
if you want to attend both the Boot Camp and the Appleseed match, you
do so for $200. Yes, for just $200 you can have seven
days of
top
notch
marksmanship training.
U.S. Army ROTC classes,
the ROTC Ranger program (administered by individual university ROTC
Departments), and ROTC
Leader's Training Course, aka Basic Camp). The first two years
of the ROTC program--including Leader's Training Course--are available
to any full-time enrolled
undergraduate college student
(including "cross-enrolled" junior college students) with
no contractual obligation. Participation in the ROTC Ranger
program by anyone other than enrolled ROTC cadets is usually up to
the discretion of the instructor or the PMS.
When I was in a ROTC Ranger program back in the early 1980s, we had
two Marine Corps PLC students
and an Administration of Justice (police science)
major in our Ranger program, as supernumeraries. So even if you don't
sign up for ROTC classes, you might be able to be involved in a Ranger
program.
Of particular note: If you sign up for the four week ROTC Leader's
Training Course at Fort
Knox,
Kentucky,
you will actually get paid to
attend, plus get a couple of free pairs of combat boots. To be eligible
to participate in ROTC, you must be under 31 years of age
on Dec 31 st of the year that you expect to graduate. (Or possibly
34 years old, with waivers.) The best chance to get a slot at the ROTC
Leader's Training Course is during your sophomore year of college,
but when I was there I met a graduate student that had wangled a slot.
(He eventually got a direct
commission, by virtue of his ROTC "contact hours")
LDS (Mormon)
cannery classes/canning sessions. Many "wards" have
their own canneries, which are generally open to non-Mormons. (OBTW,
the LDS food
storage calculator web page is a very
useful planning tool.)
FEMA /
CERT
Classes (Classroom and Internet courses, some with team commitment)
ARRL amateur radio classes.
Species-Specific or Breed-Specific Livestock and Pet Clubs
NRA and State Rifle and
Pistol Association training and shooting events
Fiber
Guilds (spinning and weaving) and local knitting clubs
Mountain Man/Rendezvous Clubs (Blackpowder
shooting, flint knapping, soap making, rope making, etc.)
University/County
Agricultural Extension and Cattleman's Club classes
on livestock, gardening, weed control, canning, et cetera
Medical
Corps small
group classes. I heard that they have scheduled just one hands-on
Combat/Field Medicine Course thusfar for 2007. It
will be at the OSU Extension Campus, in
Belle Valley Ohio, April 20-21-22. That class is full, but
check their web site for additional course dates. They offer
great
training--including advanced life saving topics that the
American
Red
Cross doesn't teach--at
very reasonable
cost.
Volunteer
Fire department (VFD) classes
(usually with some commitment)
Candle and Soap Making Clubs/Conventions
Boy Scouts and 4H.
Informal, un-enrolled ("strap hanger") training is available
for adults--just take your kids to the meetings and don't leave.
I would also consider these less important (but still worthwhile)
training opportunities, as time permits:
Sheriff's posse and Search and Rescue (SAR) programs
Police department "Ride Along" and Police Reserve programs
Civil Air Patrol (CAP) courses.
Civic/Ethnic Club cooking classes
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Notes from JWR: »
Prepping for Children, and Teaching Them Preparedness, by RSC
Perhaps the most difficult demographic group to prepare for is children.
Their needs are constantly changing as they age, grow, and learn. The
sheer
number
of variables involved can be mind boggling, but with enough planning
and foresight all their needs can be met. We have eight children
under the age of 12 still at home (with three grown and gone), so this
is something
we have given much thought to.
If you are of child bearing age and still have your God given equipment,
you must prepare for infants. Even if you have stocked birth control,
it is not foolproof and a child can result. If you can not have children,
you should still prep the bare minimum because if society falls apart
there is a good chance that children in need will be looking for homes.
We live in a perverse generation, and while we often think of the animals
that will be abandoned and roving, in reality there will also be needy
children. Whether their parents left them through choice or died, children
will need cared for, and all Christians should be willing to take on
that responsibility as much as they are able. It is better to have
prepped ahead, then to try to make do after.
Infants and Toddlers
Prepping for an infant is not difficult and does not have to be expensive – all
of their needs can fit in one large Rubbermaid type tote. You truly
do not need the majority of things most baby magazines tell you to
get. If you do not plan on having children, just the barest of basics
should suffice. If children are in your plan, then you should prep
more. If you never need the preps – someone will and they will
be valuable trade material.
The first thing needed is a good book! Emergency childbirth is good,
but there are more comprehensive ones out there if you want more information.
We have home birthed several of our children without a midwife. Hopefully
your normal preps call for 4x4 gauze pads, betadine, and other medical
supplies. Cord clamps are nice, but clean cotton cording works too.
A nasal syringe should be included. Most home birth books and web sites
give a list of supplies – use common sense so you don’t
oversupply.
At a bare minimum you should stock 3 dozen cloth diapers (less may
be needed depending on laundry facilities). These can be obtained cheaply
or even for free. Try looking at thrift stores, requesting them on
FreeCycle,
or even making your own if you sew (directions can be found online).
I purchased 6 dozen Chinese pre-folds eight years ago. They
are now on their fifth child and still going strong. To go along with
the diapers, you will need 3-5 diaper covers in each size. Fleece and
fabric are all the rage – but they are bulky, expensive, and
I think they wick moisture resulting in more leaks. I have used nylon
pants for years. They are very inexpensive new – I pay $3 for
2 pair. With proper care (rinsing or wash and line dry) they last forever.
Avoid the plastic Gerber type pants at all costs. While cheap, the
plastic degrades and they split. Diaper pins are inexpensive. I prefer
to order the old fashioned metal ones as they last longer, can be sharpened
when they get dull, and can be used for many things besides diapers
(what man wants his overall strap held on with a yellow ducky?). I
am still using the same metal pins that I bought for baby #1. For inexpensive
new diapering items, check babybestbuy.com.
Feeding an infant should not require any special preps, since in a
perfect world Mom will nurse the infant until it is ready to eat table
foods. We have never fed a child infant juice, baby cereal, or the
awful looking jarred baby food. Since we do not live in a perfect world,
we should take a few minutes and dollars to ensure that baby can be
fed if something happens to mom. I suggest the baby bottles that take
the disposable bags. The bags are cheap and eliminate the need to carefully
wash or sterilize bottles. In a pinch, the bags can be washed and reused.
We have stocked 5 bottles, an extra 20 nipples, and 500 bags. Infant
formula is very expensive and has a short shelf life. While not ideal,
infants can be fed goat or cows’ milk (you can pasteurize it
on the wood or Coleman stove if worried about the health of the animal).
If a dairy animal is not an option, you can stock canned milk and corn
syrup and make your own formula. A simple web search will give you
several different recipes for what the old timers fed their babies.
If even that is not an option, you can successfully raise a child without
milk – although I certainly do not recommend it. My husband was
highly allergic to all dairy (they even tried mare’s milk). They
would boil beef, grind it, strain it, and feed it to him in a bottle,
then supplement with calcium drops. Please remember that these methods
are only to be used when the alternative is death. Once a child can
eat table food, it will eat what you do. Our two year old loves enchiladas
and chili. Our 8 month old eats anything we feed her. Children learn
to be picky – they are not born that way.
Clothing an infant is the simplest of all and does not require any
large cash outlay or space. For infant clothing, pick up some cotton
baby gowns with elastic at the bottom and socks. A child can wear those
for the first 3 or 4 months. I recommend a good quality baby sling
(I use the Maya wrap) or a 4 yard length of heavy duty cotton that
can be tied into sling formation for carrying baby. Wearing your baby
will keep it warm and safe. Babies do not require swings, playpens,
and jungle gyms. They require warmth, food, and lots of love.
You will want clothing for when the child starts moving about on its
own – about 6 months or so. When choosing the clothing to stock,
try to choose things that are adjustable, can easily be cuffed, and
do not have parts to wear out. Baby crotch snaps are notorious for
giving out. Avoid “cute and ruffly” and go for “easy
to launder and adjust.” Stains are going to come out of natural
fibers much easier than polyester and petroleum based fibers, and also
darker colors rather than light. Girls can wear overalls, but boys
can’t wear dresses. I have also found that it is better to pay
more for high quality (even used) than it is to purchase the cheapest
clothing. We have OshKosh clothing that is now being worn by an 8th
child and still looks new. After using a wringer washer for a year,
we also have discovered that the cheaper quality clothing does not
stand up to less than ideal washing conditions. If you will be using
a wringer, you might keep in mind that they eat buttons and zippers.
Perhaps your greatest asset in this area will be the ability to sew – a
hem can be put in or let out in moments and can make a pair of pants
or a dress last a year rather than two months. You might stock a snap
setter and assortment of snaps (less than $30 for all) and also an
assortment of buttons for those needed repairs.
Another item you will need is blankets. I love to quilt, and so I usually
use quilts and/or crocheted afghans. These have an added benefit of
being able to be sewn together into bigger quilts and afghans as the
child gets bigger. Two crib sized quilts becomes one twin sized bunk
bed quilt, four sewn together becomes a full sized or small queen sized.
Again, the ability to sew will serve you in good standing as you can
turn old clothing into new blankets.
Children's Clothing
When choosing clothing, please consider fiber content and your heat
source. We heat with wood and only choose clothing that is 100% cotton.
Most commercially made sleepwear is made from polyester blends, as
per government guidelines. The reason for this is that cotton burns.
Polyester has a lower burn threshold, but melts into your skin – which
is why airline travelers are encouraged to wear natural fibers. Our
oldest daughter has the habit of backing up to the wood stove to warm
up in the mornings and her polyester nightgown melted. Since then,
we use only cotton.
I shop the local thrift stores when they have $1 a bag days. We also
get offered hand me downs quite often and we never turn them down.
I have to do a bit of digging, but I have managed to stock clothing
from children through adults, including shoes, hats, gloves and winter
coats. I only purchase high quality brands that are in good condition.
All shoes, boots and hats get sprayed with Lysol. All clothing gets
sorted into totes by size and stored in a shed. When a child grows
into the next size, we go through the shed before going shopping. In
these good times, my daughters and I wear only dresses but I stock
only pants for practicality. There have been times when a local house
burned down, or a homeless family came through, and I was able to re-clothe
them from my shed. I avoid all “stylish” clothing and choose
timeless items – jeans, sweatshirts, flannels, etc. I keep a
list in my wallet so I do not end up with 20 size 10 winter coats and
no size 14. I also limit my “stash” to one tote per size
of clothing, and 2 coats per size. When saving clothing that our own
children have outgrown we follow the same guidelines – only those
in good condition get stored. I do not store summer clothes, per se.
We do not wear shorts or tank tops due to modesty. We go barefoot at
home on our farm. Summer clothes would just take up space that could
be used for winter clothing – which is a necessity. Warm winter
clothing is a need, and as such will be good for barter and gifting
when it is no longer available new.
Miscellaneous Physical Needs
In addition to clothing and food, we stock a year to 18 months worth of children’s
multivitamins and medicines. We keep a close eye on the expiration date and donate
them to a children’s home 2 months before they expire if we have not rotated
through them (2 months so that they have time to use them). We have a relative
living near the border that travels to Mexico once a year for us to stock up
on children’s antibiotics, cold medicines that we can no longer buy in
the US without being treated like a criminal, etc. Again, these are shipped to
an orphanage in Mexico when they near their expiration date. We also keep diarrhea
medications and laxatives on hand that are formulated for children. All of these
items can be rather expensive, but I would rather spend the money and not need
it than need it and not have it. I also stock a quantity of children’s
electrolyte powder that can be added to water.
Our children are not allowed to be picky eaters. Because they have been taught
to eat everything, we do not worry about stocking special food for them. We grow
a large garden and our children have been taught to love fresh foods – people
are amazed when my children tell them that Brussels sprouts are their favorite
vegetable, or that asparagus is a close second. We try to eat what we store and
store what we eat, so our children do not turn their noses up at beans, rice,
lentils, and the like. I do stock more fruits and vegetables than I would for
just adults, because I think growing children need a more balanced diet.
Education
Once a child's physical needs have been met, it is time to think of their educational
needs. Not only would it be good to school your children in times of societal
breakdown for the sake of intelligence, but it will keep the children occupied
and give them a sense of normalcy.
We have always home schooled, so we have a certain curriculum that we like. Last
year we felt our other preps were sufficiently in place and it was time to look
towards schooling. We sold an asset and used the money (just under $3000) to
purchase the school books for every child from now until 12th grade. It seems
silly to have the high school books for our 8 month old, but we do! Our chosen
curriculum is mostly non-consumable and is one of the more affordable ones available.
You might need to spend much more than that if you use a consumable curriculum.
One good thing is that it will not go to waste – we would be buying it
anyway, just not all at once.
If you do not already homeschool, or can not manage to spend that chunk of money,
you can still provide for their educational needs. Our local school district
has one weekend a year where they give away all of their old text books and supplies.
We have gotten two complete sets of World Book Encyclopedias on those days. Call
your school district office and see if they do the same thing. You could get
the books you need, plus
