Starting up a collection of food for
storing can be difficult when you are a mother during the summer.
When the kids are home from school, your role tends to be more of an
entertainer than food storage extraordinaire. Do not fear- there is a
way to stay on track with your goals for this project without
shipping your kids off to your parents’ for the summer. Here are a
few ideas…
- Age Appropriate Learning. Depending on what age your child is, think of what they are learning at the time, and use it to help you! If they are learning to read, have them read the recipe card for practice, and then run around the house and storage bringing you all the ingredients. If they are younger, have them dump the ingredients into the mixing bowl, or stack cans in the storage area. If you have older kids, have them write labels or get half of the list at the grocery store for you. You can also test them on their fractions or math when stacking things or doubling a recipe. (One hint that might help to motivate: Kids will do anything if you make it a race or game of some kind!)
- Cooking Lessons. So much of food storage involves cooking. You’ve got to use the food the food every once in a while and cycle through it in order to get your money’s worth, and you’ve got to know how to cook with the emergency foods that you’re storing. So, instead of plopping the kids in front of the tv and having the kitchen to yourself, make it a family activity! Teaching kids how to find their way around the kitchen and make food early on is an excellent idea. It is a fun learning and memorizing activity for kids, and it makes it less work for you once they can make food on their own.
- Gardening. Many food storage junkies also like to have their own garden that they can live off of in case of an emergency. This is a great idea for getting your hands on fresh produce when your town or state is in crisis. Your kids can help you out in the garden by weeding, planting, digging holes, watering, or fertilizing. Just give them a lesson on what to do and they will love feeling like an important helper. You can also teach them what ripe fruit or vegetables look like and have them help pick. Not only does this help you, but it is a valuable learning experience for kids to be outside with nature in a world where they are surrounded by technology all the time.
- Pick their Brains. Many times I have been surprised by an idea that my child had that I would have never thought of. If you have limited space and money, food storage is all about creativity. Kids are in the prime state of life for being imaginative, so have them help you solve problems with your food storage. Teaching problem-solving skills young is important for their overall growth and it will also help you get more ideas for how to store your food. Show your son or daughter the pile of food you need to find a place for, and walk around the house together on a hunt for a new food storage spot. Older kids improve your original organization or build proxy shelves out of plywood and cans.
Whatever you do to
get them involved, I can guarantee you and your kids will have a
bonding experience and make a new memory. You can get more done this
summer if you just set your mind to it! Click
here for more tips on food storage.
Author Bio-
Dirk Puckett has been in the emergency preparedness industry for more
than 20 years and is a proud family man.
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