F A M I LY
Your
blackout
survival guide
Power cuts can be crippling. The effect
they have on the economy, traffic and
trying to figure out what to do with a
packet of frozen peas for dinner is
nothing compared to the problem most
moms face – the bored toddler! But help
is on hand with our guide to surviving
load shedding.
Be practical:
• Stock up on candles, torches, batteries and,
if you can, acquire a gas stove. Keep them all
together in one place so that you don’ thave
to scramble around in the dark to find them
when the lights go out. Don’t forget to also
keep matches or a lighter!
• Keep a few easy meals available for nights
like this. Stock up on crackers, bread, fruit,
cheese and spreads for when darkness strikes.
• Invest in gas or oil heaters. There is nothing
funny about being stuck in the dark and
freezing to death!
• Organise a “dinner and bath” plan with
friends or family. Arrange to eat and bath at
their home, and you can return the favour
when they get stuck in the dark.
Have a family feast:
• Have a picnic on the carpet. Cheese,
sausages, yoghurt, fruit, crackers and bread
are nutritious and not too difficult to
prepare by candlelight.
• If there is more than one adult to keep
an eye on the little ones, make a fondue
for a change. Nothing pleases a child quite
as much as roasting a marshmallow over a
flame or sticking a piece of bread on a stick
and dipping it into cheese sauce.
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• Braaiing will always be a South African
favourite. Dress warmly and settle around
the fire for story time.
Night-time playtime:
• Have a treasure hunt with torches. Give
instructions and clues according to your
child’s age and ability.
• When was the last time you all played
board games, like snakes and ladders and
dominoes? Entertain your kids with stories
about your childhood, a time before there
were games like X-box and Wii, and how
you used to play board games around the
kitchen table.
• Simon Says is a simple and great game.
Stand in front of the children and show them
what to do. The trick is to every now and
then do the incorrect instruction. For
example, say “Simon Says put your hands on
your tummy” while you put your hands on
your head. It teaches children to concentrate
and will ensure barrels of laughter.
• Who remembers the amazing flights of
imagination that we had with a few
blankets, pillows, a dining room table and
some friends? Build a house or tent by
draping the blankets over the table and
climb under it with your children.
• Play night-time safari. Hide an assortment
of toys or pictures of animals around the
house and go on a safari to find them.
Making animal noises is optional for
extra amusement!
Estene Vorster gives practical
and fun tips for surviving load
shedding and power outages
with small children
Read a lot!
• Read your children stories and rhymes.
Take advantage of your child’s book
collection on their bookshelf to find stories
for when the lights go off.
• Read stories from a magazine or newspaper.
Children are very curious about the world
in which they live. Skip the hard-hitting
news and find interesting titbits to share
with them. Make up stories. Start the first
sentence of a story and then everyone has a
turn to add another sentence to the story.
Teaching and learning:
• Use the Internet to search a couple of
websites for nursery rhymes and the lyrics to
childhood songs. Print them and keep them
in a file for when the lights go out.
There are lots of websites with free
educational games, ideas and flashcards.
Keep these in the same file to entertain and
teach your children by torchlight.
Take a look at www.educationworld.com,
www.spoonfull.com or www.kidspot.com.
• Keep your old magazines and newspapers
in a box. Also place some glue sticks, scissors,
pencils, crayons, and a ream of white paper.
Allow your children to pick a theme and
together as a family create pictures relating
to the theme. This will encourage creativity,
make the hours fly by and help prepare your
children for “big” school.
• When was the last time you went stargazing?
Dress warmly, take some blankets to lie or
sit on and show your children the magical
world of our planets and stars.
4/30/14 2:53 PM