Time weighs heavily on children’s minds during and in the aftermath of a hurricane and can make them out of sorts.

One sure fire way to keep them entertained and worry-free is to help them assemble an activity survival kit – before hurricane season begins. This will ensure that the contents aren’t only age specific but are of interest to your child.

This process helps prepare children for a disaster scenario; allows broad discussion of the topic and gives them handy resources to keep them active and engaged.

The kit must be small enough to fit neatly into a children’s backpack.

Suggestions for such a kit include:

• a mini craft set with colouring pens, drawing paper, safety scissors and Playdoh in a pencil kit or large Ziploc bag,
• a skipping rope/tennis ball,
• a day diary, depending on the child’s age it can either be a plain exercise book or a lined one – so they can record events; their impressions,
• one or two of their favourite books,
• a flashlight for navigating in the dark,
• one week’s supply of batteries for their PlayStation, portable DVD player or iPod,
• some small toys and/or two or three DVDs,
• a favourite pillow and duvet – creature comforts like these can make even a shelter seem cosy,
• a jigsaw puzzle and a board game,
• small packets of non-perishable snacks, and
• a travel pack of wet wipes.