Ok readers, there is a bright young lad among you. He’s asked us for some prepping tips. As usual, we have some answers, but we got his permission to post the email and open things up to readers for additional feedback.
Dear people of SHTF Blog,
Hi, my name is Prepper Kid. I was wondering if you had any tips at all for a 12 year old that would help expand my knowledge of TEOTWAWKI skills that would help me survive and thrive. I don’t have much money or space to have an extensive store of food and water, although I do have a bug out bag. I was hoping that you would help this fellow survivor to survive.
>My parents do not prep, I love nature and camping, that led me to survival and sustainable living (Offgridsurvival), and that site led me to you guys. I read every post and I’ve paid attention to everything you guys talk about.
Sincerely, a fellow prepper.
I think a bug out bag is a commendable start! I think your next step is to get your parents involved, in any way you can. Maybe send them to the easy-to-digest http://www.ready.gov/ site. If you can point out the common disaster for your area, and the readiness steps that are recommended for that scenario, perhaps they’ll see the wisdom in some basic preps. You’ll have a lot easier time of prepping with them on board.
As for the skills, keep on camping. Pick up as many outdoor skills as you can, fire starting, tracking, hunting, first aid, shelter building, these will all come in handy throughout your life. Maybe some readers will post links to their favorite tutorials.
We live in a technological age, so keep up on your math and science and tech knowledge, it will keep you employed while the grid is up. Do take the time to develop skills and hobbies that can be pursued without grid inputs too. That will give you something to do when the lights are out, whether they’re out for a few hours or a few years.
I’ll let the readers take things from here, after this last thought from me. I thought, what do I wish someone had told me at 12? I wish someone had told me to avoid debt. I wish someone had put some fire and brimestone behind warnings of debt. So PrepperKid, that’s my advice to you.
Keep prepping, enjoy the relative freedom you’ll have in high school for exploration of skills and interests. Stay safe!
– Calamity Jane
31 comments
See if a Forestry Summer camp is offered locally for kids, I know they have them around here.
Boy Scouts would an option, if you are a girl, “maybe” girl scouts. The girl scouts around are here are PCish and do “social” things and are light on real skills. I no longer encourage my girls to go.
Learn how to swim well.
Excel at archery, especially a compound bow. Learn to do it without a trigger.
Get a BB rifle and excel at shooting the eyes off gnats.
Put away a can of food a week and mark the date you bought it. We are starting to use the ones I bought back in 2008. It is a process and mind set. Rice is a cheap prepper food.
Take martial arts. If you want to actually defend yourself in a street fight against multiple attackers, take boxing or judo instead. Learn to run 5 miles at a time, getting out of Dodge and running from trouble is the best way to survive, imho.
Get a job. It was one of the best things that ever happened to me, I bought my first house at 21 with paperboy money. Working 60+ hours a week helped keep me out of trouble and drugs. One of the worse things? Wasting my money on a new car in 1981/82. I could have used someone to teach me better spending habits when I was younger.
Learn the Constitution, DOI, and Mayflower Pact.
Learn world history, it repeats itself.
Learn Ecclesiastes 4:9 and seek out those so inclined.
Learn as much as you can about the local Native Americans. After all they were the original preppers/ survivalists. Many of their every day skills are still quite useful today. Learn to recognize various local plants and their potential uses. Keep your mouth shut and your eyes and ears open. Even the fool has his lesson to teach. It’s up to you to learn the lessons.
Join a Boy Scout troop that does a lot of outdoor activities. Beware of websites that are long on wind and short on practical content. Read good survival books. Don’t believe everything that’s on YouTube.
STUDY,STUDY and STUDY. Join Boy Scouts, take MArtial arts classes, find a local shooting sports group or colegiate sports shooting group(scholarship money down the line) and more tha anything, study history, read your constitution and declaration of indipendance, read the federalist papers learn how we got to where we are and what those things mean to you.
The suggestions above are great, but I’d like to back up Calamity Jane’s advice of avoiding debt and take it a step further: take the time to study and understand what money *really* is and different ways of storing wealth. Look into gold, bartering, and things like that.
To piggyback on Jarhead, learn this very simple rule of investing. You do not need much to get much & you are at the perfect age to learn & embrace this easy principle. It is 100% guaranteed to work.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB-qoEkQGOo&feature=related
Welcome, Prepper Kid.
“sustainable living” is a noble goal. the way we understand it is a bit different from the popular notions about it. as john and Calamity have pointed out, you need to avoid excessive Debt, once you’re old enough to have credit. true sustainability is to live within your means. the resources of the earth are here for you to use.
you also need to begin the practice of OPSEC, now. avoid all trouble with the “Law”. don’t hang out with the “bad” kids. if you go looking for trouble, it will find you.
it’s a rough time now to be a kid. there are bad people out here. (and some of the things we discuss, are not age appropriate for you yet)
understand: right and wrong are not “relative”. “gray areas” are just a lighter shade of wrong.
never do anything to make yourself “popular”. anyone that doesn’t already want to hang out with you, isn’t worth your time.
there isn’t much else we need to tell you. first aid/rescue. shelter. clean water. good food. clean conscience, and the will to survive.
… and unfortunately, since you are a minor, there is nothing that we can really say to “you” at all.
as you can see, preppers are generous with their time and advice. most of what you will read here is pretty good. most of us are exactly who we say we are. (but there is no way for you to know for sure…)
Take all the Shop classes you can in school. When ever possible help others work on anything that needs to be repaired or fixed.
The ability to fix anything that is broken is a skill that will be a great value when all comes crashing down.
All the comments above have great information. At your age some of the things that would help are out of reach now, but you can start to plan for when you do reach the appropriate age. Check with your local scout group about firearms training. Many NRA chapters and hunting clubs have gun safety courses that even at 12 you would be able to participate. If not your parents, perhaps you might find a uncle or cousin that is a hunter and could give you training and experience in the basic hunting skills. Be selective in who you talk to about your prepping, OPSEC is inportant even at 12!
If your family drinks soda out of 2 liter bottles, wash them out and store tap water in them. They will last years, are nearly indestructible, and it’s free to do. FYI, don’t use milk jugs because of the possibility for bacterial contamination (or any container that was not used to store something to drink).
Any bottle can grow bacteria – it’s already in the tap water (in small amounts). For any period after a week, it’s better to keep an extra bottle or two of fresh water in the fridge & freezer if possible – then it may be OK right after a power outage.
But it is a good idea to learn to purify water, for drinking since it is your #1 MOST URGENT NEED. Modern filters are nice, but it’s necessary to understand the the boiling method (which is most effective) .
… and un-scented chlorine bleach, when you can’t boil it.
^5 Kid ! You are on your way. Lots of good advice above. Learn your woodcraft, silent stalking and concealment as if you were a hunter. Make your list of lists — go to Survivalblog.com for years worth of prepper articles and advice.
Scouting is a good place to learn — if it is a good troop. Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is another good skill building organization. Boys Birgade is like Scouts, but a bit more “Churchy”. FFA will teach how to grow food. There are other organizations out there — find the ones that fit.
OpSec is important. You are at an age when the hormones kick in — so keep your head even when the rest of your body wants to be stupid.
Our local Gun Range has classes on gun safety for kids and teens for a very reasonable price ($35). I would see if there is something like that in your area. Also, our community center has free courses to learn fishing and boating too.
When I was in middle school (decades ago), I went to an overnight camp for a week one summer that was put on by a conservation group or something. We learned archery, boating, how to use a rifle, fishing, swimming, how to identify plants and trees, tracking and a few other things. See if there is anything like that in your area. One of the advantages of a program like this is meeting kids with your same interests.
Another good avenue is to see if your area has a 4-H program. You can learn all kinds of agricultural skills from that. Some of the YMCA’s I think have an Indian Guide program for youth as well. Check into that. Go to your local library and find out if they have any events. My library often has classes offered by master gardeners. Of course, libraries offer a ton a books and videos that you can check out too that could increase your knowledge.
I like some of the advice above better than others. Here is my two cents.
Start small and continue with what you enjoy doing. You mentioned camping, and this is a great way to start involving your parents. While camping, practice your fire building skills, along with your fire starting skills (there is a difference). As your parents see your love of camping you can hopefully pass on that desire to them. You may also be able to justify asking for “camping” equipment for Birthday and Christmas gifts. Always be responsible with your fires. Showing responsibility and maturity is important to parents and they will usually support activities where you demonstrate those qualities.
Staying out of debt. is excellent advice. Look at how early settlers, mountain men and native americans lived. You do not need a firearm (or even a pellet rifle, which is better than a bb gun). Learn how to accomplish your task with a minimum of “stuff” and a minimum of effort.
Look at the necessities of life (shelter, water, food). What are the minimums you need to acquire these?
A good locking blade pocket knife is an out standing tool (a 3 inch blade is plenty). Be safe and responsible with this item, and learn how to care for it properly. If you are not allowed to have one, learn how to sharpen and care for someone else’s until you can have your own.
Listen and learn always. Practice all of your skills until you can do them almost without thinking about it.
Hey guys thanks for all the tips and i am currently working to get my parents to help me. I either have or will try all suggestions given to me. Thanks for the tips I really appreciate it.
If your state allows fireworks ( or even if it doesn’t 😉 ) Buy some orange smoke bombs for your car and BOB . Orange smoke is kind of a universal distress signal and if your in the woods , people seeing orange smoke above the tree line will most likely investigate .
Everyone has some wonderful practical suggestions, so mine are more “soft” in nature. It is great that you are so aware at such a young age…but be warned that many of your peers (and parents) may not view it that way. Watch what you say to others….learning OPSEC at an early age is important. (I was one of those kids that “woke up” early in life due to some family circumstances…I know from experience that it is easiest/safest to “fly under the radar” while at school, etc. Not saying you shouldn’t be prepping, just watch how you are recieved/percieved if you mention it)
Another thing- make sure you know/plan routes to get home from school. Odds are, unless you are homeschooled, the majority of your time will be there. If a disaster happens- is it best to stay there (such in the case of a tornado, etc), or strike out for home? Talk to your parents about this and get thier buy-in…such as what to do if there is a school shooting (unfortunately a possiblity these days)- have a designated “find-me” spot away from school in case you have to evacuate.
Learn to be aware of your surroundings…if you are driven somewhere by your parents- note the roads/landmarks. Test your mental memory of how to i.d. people. Look quickly, then away- try to remember what they were wearing, hair color etc..- test yourself by glancing back (believe it or not, I learned that by reading nancy drew in elementary school and still test myself today!)
And I cannot stress again what others have said about debt- AVOID it!!
You are doing great…hang in there!
Some long term skills:
If you can, start hitting yard sales and flea markets. You can find a number of things that you need cheaply, and also learn some real world economics skills such as bartering, haggling, and judging quality and value. While there, look for old hand tools. Buy one or two, and learn to master their use and care before buying more. Pretty soon, you will have a good collection of tools, and the skills to use and maintain them.
Prepper Kid , I am impressed with your questions! You parents should be very proud to have a child that is even interested in asking these questions. I believe you should show your parents or caregivers what you wrote and let them read these responses. That might get them interested in prepping to see your degree of interest. I am 68years old and just had my first grandchild and I can’t wait to get her into the woods like I did with both my daughters. I hope that between her mother and myself we can help her develop the type of attitude you have. I read all the comments and there are some very good ones but I believe the top one is about debt followed by opsec. Send me questions anytime. HAWKEYE1944
Thanks Hawkeye 1944 I really do appreciate all the advice everyone is giving me thank you!
Depends what’s in PrepperKid’s BOB. Were I him, I’d have a bag for each member of the family (as they’re not going to make their own), or one big “family bag”. Forget 12 inch survival knives, binocs, etc.. Instead, have one or two changes of clothes for self, mom, & dad; toiletries (toothbrushes, toothpaste, & can never have too much T.P.); first aid kit; maybe some food like peanut butter & crackers, or canned nuts (enough for 3 days for everyone); and, most of all, whatever cash his allowance (if any) allows him to sock away. And a list of things for his parents to round up last minute in case of minor (or major) disaster; things like prescription meds, contact lenses, other more “delicate” toiletries, pharmaceuticals, salves, etc..
Forget TEOTWAWKI. At 12 years old, he cannot do enough prepping, and he’s not in charge — parents are (unfortunately, in his case). But house-fires, floods, hurricanes, & tornadoes still happen.
Other than that, take an interest in gardening.
Good stuff↑
Focus on skills not stuff and get the rest of the family involved in learning skills with you. They’ll be “prepping” without even knowing it.
Learn map and compass skills and maybe go to an orienteering meet. Get a bicycle and learn basic bike maintenance. Learn how to cook from scratch and do a little gardening. If you don’t have a place to garden where you live most cities have community gardens where you can rent a space for a couple of bucks for the whole summer.
O’ and there’s all sorts of good fiction outdoor adventure type books for tweeners. Look for books by Jean Craighead George, Farley Mowat, and Gary Paulson.
There is a log of good information here in these comments. There is also a lot of good information in many of the survival sites. Study as much as you can. The problem you have is a lack of experience. So talk to older people. Especially grand parents. They are from a different time.
You should start learning about using rope, knots, bends, etc. Also para-cord use. There is a lot of info on knots on the web. This will help you through out your life.
You have started an interesting journey. Keep it up and also find people along the way that have the same interests.
I haven’t had a chance to read all the other responses, so I appologise if somebody already covered my ideas… At 12, you could join your local Boy Scouts troop, if you get in with the right group there are many things you can learn that will come in handy down the line. When I was in scouts, we had a lot of Military personell who would volunteer to teach us specific skills; For example, we had a group from Marine Recon come and teach us how to shoot various rifles (from .22 on up to the M40 .308 sniper rifle), we were close to Quantico so there were all kinds of folks who were willing to come out and lead us through several different skills like first-aid, wilderness survival and orienteering. I personally think Scouts is a good way to go for all youth (wether it’s boy scouts or girl scouts), if nothing else it can be a big confidence booster.
If scouts isn’t your thing, you could check out Civil Air Patrol (CAP). They are an “auxilliary” of the Air Force, and in many places they help with SAR (Search and Rescue), and local dissaster recovery. I was in Scouts, but my brother was in CAP, he actually learned how to fly small aircraft while he was with them. He also got to go to Ft. Bragg and go through most of the training for the US Army Airborn troops, they helped at the Pentagon after 9/11, and in all kinds of local SAR operations. The one thing I would point out about CAP, is that they seemed much less focused on the outdoors than Scouts was, my father and I actually taught several courses in backwoods survival for the group my brother was with (Fredericksburg Composite Squadron).
You could try to get your folks interested in starting a garden, you could always give them a line about wanting to eat more healthy or wanting to know what is in your food because of the recent lysteria cases associated with lettuce from California, but I would just shoot straight with them unless you don’t think they will go for it (but the other reasons are entirely plausible). Here in central-VA, my mother sells baked goods at the local farmers market, the folks there are an excellent resource for what kinds of plants to grow in our area and how to care for them. There are farmers markets all over the country, there should be one near you… Go make friends!
The most important advice I could give, is to learn as much as possible… There are very few situations that I have experienced where I have had to much information; and you never know what skills you might need around the next corner, so “broaden your horizons” as much as possible!
All the suggestions sound great. Gardening is a good idea (potatoes are easy to grow, and blueberry bushes), and wild plant foraging & hunting/trapping/fishing, and water purification like we mentioned before too. I’d add, look for an old copy of the Boy Scout “Field Book” which has more of the outdoors skills (like knot-lashing, tracking, etc) you’re looking for.
Not all YouTube is bad. Red Cross, Ray Mears videos are good, for example. When you see something done, it will stick in your head a lot better than if you had tried to read it. Look for serious historical re-enactors for off-grid skills.
Your relatives might not seem interested – but try asking them anyway about the “old days” before I-phones and maybe even before computers – you might be surprised at what they know. Maybe they just watch TV with you because they think kids only want to watch tv! If you know any old people ask them about history too. Sometimes people suddenly hit grandparent age and decide they have to tell someone everything they know… if they’re gonna talk your ear off, kid, you might as well hear something useful!
But maybe also watch shows & read articles about ‘people skills’ – anthropology, psychology, entrepeneurship. Learning to persuade people, how to reason with difficult people, how to motivate & lead a team, how to judge social situations – ‘people skills’ are just as important, and may save your life. You probably already know that some people will back you up, and that there are others you should stay far away from. Your generation is heavily judged – ‘keep your nose clean’ and have a good record because otherwise your troubles can accumulate, and who needs that?
Lastly, know that adults have worried for centuries. We always think the sky is going to fall. Usually it doesn’t. Just get some useful skills, you’ll know what you’re doing, so very few things will be an emergency for you!
Thanks izzy for all the helpful tips. I do have a boy scout field book and appreciate all the information provided by all commenters I appreciate all of it, thanks!
“Field Book” is worth searching for.