Kids Outdoor Safety 3-Step Survival Plan

You are responsible for you child's safety! Supervise them! Protect them from exposure, make sure they stay hydrated, and keep them within eye sight. In addition, take the time to educate your children on a good survival plan and how to take care of themselves should the unthinkable ever happen--they become separated from you or lost. To keep my children safe, I developed a simple three-step algorithm.

Step One

Stop. Make sure your children understand how important this step is, and how moving makes it much harder for you to find them.

Step Two

Meet Your Needs. For adults, I advocate the five survival essentials (health, personal protection, sustenance, signaling, and travel). Children, however, need to focus on four things to help ensure their survival.

1. Clothing. Clothes are the first line of personal protection. Make sure your children understand the basics on clothing care and use. Keeping clothes clean and dry and wearing them in a loose and layered manner is the key to how clothes insulate your children from hot or cold conditions. Discuss how a hat and dry socks will decrease heat loss and keep them warm. Make sure they understand the difference between playing in the sandbox and being in the woods.
2. Shelter. Shelter is the second line of personal protection. Using a tree well and a plastic garbage bag or solar blanket can provide enough protection to survive most nights. Take the time to review how to use a garbage bag and solar panel, and when hiking, point out a good tree well, and have your children climb inside so they can see how comfortable it can be.
3. Signaling. The minute your children stop, they need to immediately begin blowing their whistle and continue doing it in short bursts every 3 to 5 minutes until rescue arrives. If they have a signal mirror, they should flash the horizon every 5 to 10 minutes. If they don't have either, they can use a big stick and pound on a tree; this unnatural noise will attract rescuers to their location.
4. Water. Don't have your children ration their water. They should drink it. Better to be hydrated early on than dehydrated throughout the whole process. If they can see a creek from the trail, they should collect more water. They should not, however, wander around looking for a water source. Doing this takes them farther away from the rescue team and makes it harder to find them.

Step Three

Keep the Faith. Let your children know that if they ever get lost, you'll be looking for them. Knowing this helps motivate them to do whatever it takes until you find them, such as stay put, stay dry, and signal for help. If you are a spiritual family, discuss your faith and how they can turn to it for comfort.

To help my children remember the algorithm, I created a laminated card that illustrates the three steps on one side and has a family picture on the other. Perhaps this is something you'd like to do.

Download the Kids and Outdoor Safety Sheet (PDF)

In addition to the survival plan, it is important that your child carries a few mandatory survival items (at all times). These items include:

1. Whistle. The whistle can provide a great means of alerting others to your location. The whistle should be attached to the body as a necklace or tied to a belt loop and inserted inside a pocket.
2. Garbage bag. An industrial-size garbage bag can be used for protection from the wind, rain, and cold by making holes for the head and arms. To decrease heat lost from the head, create the hood when making the head hole. Show your children how to do this before departing home. Make sure your children know to NOT place their heads inside the garbage bag!
3. Petzel Headlamp. These small flashlights can be used to decrease the fear associated with a dark night and can be used as a signal.
4. Hat and socks. To prevent heat loss from the head, feet, and hands. During cold times, the socks can be worn on the hands or the feet (if the ones being worn get wet).
5. Water. Staying hydrated is very important. Water can be carried in a CamelBak or a water bottle that is attached to your children using carabiners or lines.
6. Energy bar. This item helps a child's will to survive. Please take the time, however, to discuss how important water is, and remind them that if they don't have water, they shouldn't eat.

Of course, depending on your child's age and experience, you can add more items to the kit. The list is unlimited but as a minimum should include the above items.

Further information on wilderness survival for adult and children can be found in Greg Davenport's book, Wilderness Survival, 2nd edition

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