Hurricane Preparedness Lesson Plan

Is it hurricane season again? Time to check your food supply, flashlight batteries, and all weather radio, just in case.  Then use the opportunity to create a kid’s hurricane unit study!

An added benefit is that by allowing your children to help prepare, you will help them take control of the situation.  Your hurricane preparation lesson plan will show your students what to expect and what is needed of them during an emergency, and the kids will be less likely to panic.  Knowing what to expect is an important safety aspect during a major disaster.

Start with teaching research basics.  Where is a good place to get information on hurricane preparedness?  FEMA has lots of information, including a special section for children, and the Red Cross also has free lesson plans for teachers.

Additional activities can include subjects ranging from math to geography.  Here are just a few ideas.

• Make a list of supplies needed, and using online resources or a quick field trip to the store, determine a budget.
• Mark possible evacuation routes on a road map, and calculate how much gas will be needed if you have to leave your home.  Where will be a good place to fill up?  Where will you go?

• Consider the problem of communications.  Have your students create a list of emergency contacts, including relatives or friends living out of state.  Perhaps they can compose a letter or email asking for permission to use Grandma as a contact.
• Make a menu plan for a week using your hurricane stash of food, and make a few of the meals for practice.  Did your kids underestimate how much they’d eat?  Do you need to find new recipes for canned meat?
• Have a brainstorming session on how you can do everyday activities without everyday resources. If there is no electricity following a storm, how will you cook?  Maybe you can construct a solar oven.

Use the effects of a hurricane as a lesson in critical thinking and problem solving.  Make concrete problems – you need cash, but there’s no electricity at the bank.  How can you prepare for that?  Little brother is bored during long stops in evacuation traffic.  How can that be prevented?  A tree branch broke a window.  How will you keep the rain out?

A wonderful benefit of homeschooling is that everything, even hurricane preparedness, can be a learning experience.  Take advantage of real life learning and reap peace of mind along with education!