Preparing for Challenging Times

By Kimberly Miller

The following post is meant only for informational purposes and should not be taken as medical advice. It is highly recommended that you do your own research and consult with a medical professional if necessary.

 In discussions on preparedness, it is always a good idea to give some thought to medical emergency situations. Having the skills, supplies, and knowledge to deal with a health emergency could mean the difference between life and death for a member of the family. Knowing how to deal with such a situation is an invaluable asset and could be of service not only to your own family, but also to others within your community.

Of course, we are all familiar with the need for skills such as CPR and other basic first aid. But how many of us actually have these skills ourselves? And are there other important skills that can be helpful to have acquired in the occurrence of a medical emergency where no other help is available? It is wise to give some thought to this matter and put some time into planning for the event of a situation where we might be called upon to use some of these skills.

It is also wise to take responsibility for our own health and the health of our families rather than completely depending on a system of care that may not always be available or desirable. One thing many of us have learned over the past couple of years is the importance of doing our research and taking full responsibility for any decisions we may be required to make regarding our health care choices. Even within the medical community, there are differences of thought and philosophy with regard to medical decisions and it is always wise to follow up and use due diligence in such a significant matter as the health and wellbeing of ourselves and our families.

Another aspect of this to consider is the availability of and access to various types of medical care in the future. As discussed in previous articles in this series regarding food supply chains and other necessities, medical care is an area where it is a good idea to have alternative options available in the event when normal avenues are not accessible.

In this final article in our series on self sufficiency for the homeschooling family, we will be exploring a number of resources available for learning the skills necessary to become more self sufficient. There is a wealth of knowledge available to anyone who desires to learn more and pursue a more self sufficient lifestyle. If your family is interesting in developing some of these skills, this list of resources should be helpful in guiding you to the right place to learn more.

Don’t miss the first two articles in this series, where we discuss the reasons why a homeschooling family might want to learn to be more prepared for an emergency situation and then move on to become more independent in their sources of food and other basic necessities. Old fashioned skills that provide food, shelter, and other life necessities are available for us to learn and can greatly benefit the homeschooling family both in terms of learning opportunities as well as supplying us with what we need to survive most supply chain issues or other challenges to gathering basic living provisions.

Below is a list of resources to look to for gaining skills and supplies, along with a brief explanation of the resource and how it might be beneficial. Not all these resources will be helpful to every family, but there should be something within this list each family will find useful.

Books

The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery

This book has been around for quite some time and is a well trusted source of information for almost anything you might need to know regarding homesteading and living a self sufficient lifestyle. It is a barebones style of book written in simple terms; it’s not flashy but it contains so much important information that that won’t matter.

By Kimberly Miller

No one can deny that the days in which we live have caused us to pause and look at our lifestyles in a new way. Goods and services that we may have taken for granted in the past could possibly be difficult to come by in the future. It is important to reexamine some of the ways we have done things in the past and perhaps find different ways of doing them in the future.

Homeschooling families have, by nature, always been a do-it-yourself kind of people. We take full responsibility for our children’s education, not wanting to pass it off to someone else. Why not let that mindset translate into other areas of our lives as well?

Past generations understood this idea of taking responsibility for themselves. Our grandparents and great-grandparents lived through two world wars and a major economic depression. They knew a thing or two about getting by and doing what needed to be done to make it through. The generations that lived through the Great Depression had to learn out of necessity to do things for themselves. The ones who lived through those times with the least impact on their way of life were those that were largely self-sufficient. My father, for instance, grew up on a farm and as a young boy, he hardly even noticed that the family was struggling financially. They had food on the table and clothes on their backs and were, for the most part, content. Why? Because my grandparents—his parents—knew how to do things for themselves. They had access to food because they grew it themselves. They repaired and reused what they had because they had no other choice. They had the skills to do what needed to be done to care for themselves and their family.

We have the opportunity to be in the same position as my grandparents were. Right now is the time to learn the skills that will serve us well in times such as these. As homeschooling families, this can be an opportunity for learning and growing together. We can also better prepare our children for whatever the future may hold for them.

by Kimberly Miller

We are living in uncertain times. Inflation, skyrocketing gas and oil prices, supply chain issues, labor shortages, and natural disasters all point toward an unclear future where many scenarios are possible. A wise approach to this uncertain future is to do our best to prepare for whatever may be heading our way.

As homeschooling families, we understand the idea of personal responsibility. We take seriously the idea of looking after ourselves and our families to the best of our abilities, utilizing any of the tools we may have at our disposal. One of these important tools is our ability to plan ahead for the future. Families in bygone areas understood the need to think ahead and supply the needs of their families, anticipating what they would need in seasons in the future. They had the skills and the knowledge to do that effectively. We can learn many lessons from them, not the least of which is the importance of reclaiming some of the skills that have been lost in recent generations.

Though we may not know what to expect in the coming future, as homeschooling families, we have an opportunity to prepare ourselves for many possible events by thinking through the basic supplies and skills that are essential to have in order for survival. These skills will become increasingly important as our current situation tends toward more and more uncertainty.

This article is the first in a series that will address ways in which we as homeschoolers can implement learning opportunities while at the time reclaiming some of the most essential and time-tested skills our ancestors knew—skills that will be helpful for preparing us for the future. We will think through what we will need for survival and the types of skills that will be most useful in the event of an interruption in goods and services.

In this first article in the series, we will discuss ways in which we can be prepared in the immediate future. Preparedness is essential in the face of any kind of emergency situation.