ARTICLE BY JENN ROBBINS – PULSE FM COMMUNITY COORDINATOR
What do you do when the power goes out?
First things first, check social media, obviously! Even though the gusts of wind are blowing and there were definitely warnings, you need to know exactly who in your neighbourhood has power and who doesn’t.
Once you’ve established which Starbucks still has power, figured out how to manually open your garage and get your caffeine fix, deal with your confused and bored children!
Your kids will try to turn on the TV, turn on their tablets, and turn on every light in the house – repeatedly. If you have teens and tweens, they’ll surely open the fridge door and stare into it, letting all the cool air out, looking for something to eat by candlelight.
It will take some adjustments but yes, kids can survive without electronics! Here are some ideas to keep them busy inside:
- Blanket forts. Kids of all ages love blanket forts. If your older child is “too cool” – I suggest the adults start on a killer blanket fort with couch cushions, dining chairs and coffee tables involved (just stay clear of those candles). On the off chance they don’t jump in to play, they will definitely be jealous.
- Cards. Hopefully you have a bit of charge left to look up the rules of any long-forgotten card games. Hearts, Crazy 8’s and Go Fish are all great.
- Board Games. Put your flashlight to use and dig some old classics like “Sorry” or “CandyLand” out of the garage!
- If you don’t have any board games, try your own version of Pictionary or Charades.
Power outages are a of modern life. Take advantage of the situation by remember that yes we can live without Netflix and Instagram and party like it’s 1995!