This summer, think outside the typical day camp or trip to the beach. Instead, use this time to bond with your children in a wholly unique and rewarding way.
Parents, properly prepare your children for the zombie apocalypse and give them a summer that could very well save their life.
1) Institute a weekly zombie education movie night. This will help your children understand the seriousness of a real-live zombie apocalypse. Suggested resources: The Walking Dead, World War Z, Zombieland, Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, I Am Legend, 28 Days Later, and/or Zombeavers.
2) Make a decorative zombie apocalypse survival tote. This is the ultimate DIY craft. You can decorate your sure-to-be-trendy zombie tote any way you like. Let your children’s creativity for world destruction run free! We suggest lots of green puffy paint and red glitter to make realistic-looking zombie faces.
3) Fill your now-decorated survival tote. Here comes the real fun! Brainstorm as a family what the essentials would be in case of a real attack. Make a game out of it. Take turns shouting out ideas and make your children explain why the item is essential.
Suggestions to get you started: gallons of water, flashlight, baseball bat, Ramen, duct tape, deck of cards, your favorite pair of socks, shovel, disinfectant, Ace bandages, and chewing gum.
4) Come up with an emergency plan. To best prepare for an imminent zombie attack, have your children draw a to-scale map of your house (though a 3D-scale model is probably most appropriate). Then, have them design a minimum of five potential escape routes. It’s highly recommended you have them present this formally to the entire family when complete. Great rainy day activity!
5) Build an emergency shelter in the backyard. Forget the traditional tree fort. Get the real power tools out, buy some sheet metal, and build yourself a fortress! If someone cuts off a limb, refer to your zombie apocalypse decorative tote!
6) Role play potential invasion scenarios. This is a great way to test out those well-intentioned emergency plans. See if they work. Throw them some curve balls. Have your children test you. It’s an enlightening way to find out which child you truly love best.
7) Run emergency drills in the middle of the night. Test your children’s prowess by staging a mock attack. Go all out. Dress up as zombies and see how they react. If they’re not sufficiently scared the first time, consider using paintball guns. That should get a reaction.
8) Find a local zombie apocalypse event in your area. Zombie invasion is a real threat to society; you’ll be pleasantly relieved to see all the opportunities out there to take these skills you’ve taught your children and put them to good use. Why not run a zombie-themed 5K? Get fit as a family while preparing for survival!