“I would surely trade my life to save my child”.
And with this idea in mind we think we offer our children the best protection. Of course: THIS IS A MISTAKE!
Disaster may strike at any time and any place. Though you will no doubt do all you can to protect your children or grandchildren from harm, you may not always be around to look out for them. Even though they’re still young, they should know some basic survival skills so that in the event you aren’t around, they’ll know what to do. It is never too early to learn.
Last Saturday, 27 July 2018, Columbia Asia Hospital, Seremban organised a ‘Survival Camp’ for children aged 7 to 12 years old which was held at Klana Resort Seremban. About 50 children gathered excitedly and eagerly at 8.00 a.m. together with their parents.
To me, it is a parent’s responsibility to teach their children the skills that they will need throughout their lives. In our modern world of pre packaged food and general convenience, survival skills sometimes do not enter our minds, as many of us rarely use them. However, the thing about survival skills is that you never know when you may need them.
The programme began with the facilitator briefing the children about the Do’s and Don’ts and the ‘ice-breaking’ session. A session to get to know one another better and then they were divided into smaller groups to perform activities as a team.
The first activity was ‘How to use a compass’
Your kids are growing up in the world that is accustomed to GPS and Google Maps. These technologies and others like them are making forgotten arts of compass and map reading. However, if your children are lost in the woods or on a mountain, these “old School” skills could save their lives.
In addition, the crew also taught them to be observant of the terrain as they move about outdoors. They taught the children to take notes of the angle of the sun, landmarks, winds and weather changes. The crew also taught the children to keep track of how long it took to walk from point A to point B, taught them about directions such as North, South, East and West.
A compass is still the most reliable navigation tool and knowing how to use one is an invaluable skill. Reading a compass teaches kids basic directions and lets them learn how to find their way.
Building shelter- Pitching a tent
Putting up a tent is part of every camping trip, so the crew taught the kids how to assemble one. Pitch a tent is a basic camping pre requisite which everybody needs to be good at. The crew briefed and demonstrated how to build/pitch a tent. Then, later the children had the opportunity to fix and pitch the tents by themselves. They had a tremendous and thrilling time once the tent were pitched, all the children went inside the tent to hang out. It was an amazing moment.
Basic Self- Defence
This is a skill your child needs to know to stay safe. You don’t need to teach them any fancy skills-they need to know basic skills. The crew taught them how to get away it someone grabbed them. They demonstrated techniques and ways how to handle basic self-defence.
First Aid talk and Demonstration
Kids are prone to bumps and scratches…. It’s never too early to teach and show your kids how to clean and bandage a wound or how to make a simple splint. Staff and employees from Columbia Asia Hospital, Seremban gave a simple demonstration with basic items which included bandages, gauze, cotton balls, safety pins, hand sanitizers and other small personal items. The staff taught them and showed how to treat minor injuries. The children also learnt how to distinguish minor injuries from ones that require a doctor.
My final thoughts
Adults often underestimated kids. Most of us equate their youth for helplessness, when the truth is, kids are capable of looking after themselves. Think of their brains as sponges. They can absorb information like crazy. When you teach them survival skills in a fun and engaging way, they’ll be able to retain these skills well into their adult life. Some of these tips may seem to be things your child will need to know, but realistically , none of us know what tomorrow will bring!
Thank you, Columbia Asia Hospital, Seremban for organising this successful event.
chrisywong.com 