Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at the accelerating urban exodus (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Gold stocks surge as spot price continues to rise. JWR’s Comment:  This month would be a good juncture to trade some of your physical gold for physical platinum. When I last checked, spot gold was at $1,804, while platinum was languishing down around $818 per troy ounce.  It is generally best to ratio trade when the market is at the extreme ends of pendulum swings. Count on reversion to historical norms.

Economy & Finance:

Thousands of Chase Bank customers in US reporting money missing from their bank accounts, some missing thousands dollars.

o  o  o

Nearly half the U.S. population is without a job, showing how far the labor recovery has to go

o  o  o

Pandemic Compresses Brick & Mortar Meltdown: Brooks Brothers Files for Bankruptcy, Ascena (Ann Taylor, etc.) Prepares to File, Tailored Brands (Men’s Wearhouse, etc.) Not Far Behind

o  o  o

Alasdair Macleod: Banking Crisis This Month & Fiat Failure This Year

o  o  o

Accounting Firms Take Billions in PPP Payouts

o  o  o

No V-Shaped Recovery for Airlines. Ticket Sales Slide Again. United Announces 36,000 “Involuntary Furloughs”

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“American families are leaving dysfunctional cities such as New York City, Seattle and San Francisco and heading for Montana, Colorado, Maine and upstate New York in the Catskill Mountains among other safe havens.

Big cities have always offered a trade-off between higher taxes and urban stress in exchange for entertainment, great restaurants, museums and intellectual buzz.

Today the venues and buzz are gone, the crime rates are soaring and all that is left is the stress and taxes. So people are getting out.

Changes like this are not temporary. Once people move out, they don’t return ever. Their children may return someday but that could be 15 or 20 years away.

And those who leave tend to have the most capital and the most talent. This leaves the cities as empty shells populated by oligarchs with personal bodyguards and the poor, who have to deal with the street-level violence.

This shift can be helpful for individuals who move, but it’s devastating for the economics of major cities. And that’s devastating for the U.S. economy as a whole.” – Jim Rickards, in The Daily Reckoning

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — July 12, 2020

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On July 12, 1865, George Washington Carver, the African-American scientist whose numerous discoveries helped to improve agriculture in the South, was born. He died on Jan. 5, 1943.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 89 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. An assortment of products along with a one hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 89 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Tyranny Theory, by A.T.

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It’s been said that left to itself, government will naturally devolve into tyranny.1 The natural tendency of government is to continue to grow and bloat ever larger, to the point that the state has almost complete control over every aspect of the individual’s life. Freedom often dies a slow death by a thousand cuts. The Founding Fathers of America understood this and did everything they could to prevent this from ever happening in the United States. As a result, The U.S. Constitution is the best government document ever written by man.

However, I would like to propose a theory on how things are going to naturally progress should they be left untouched. The past year has been a wildfire. We’ve long known that the violent mob known as The Left hates President Trump with a passion and will quite literally stop at nothing to usurp his presidency. Every choice he makes is fought against tooth and nail by the mob, and I believe that as a result, a lot of people are beginning to wake up. To see the true colors of The Left, and begin to understand how dangerous they are to freedom.

Though the culture war and growth of the voice of The Left has grown for decades, the past six months have truly shown just what it is that they are capable of, and I believe it should scare every single person who both loves freedom and despises government oppression.

To state the theory simply, it is this: Tyranny will grow when the good give ground to the wicked.

When good men leave positions of power to the wicked, and when an ignorant populace will willingly fall in linen with tyrannical/unconstitutional decrees, tyranny will grow exponentially.

Mathematically, it can be represented by the following equation:

Tx = G + S

Where T = a state of tyranny, X = growth factor, G = the number of good men leaving positions of power, and S = a majority of the voting bloc being sheep.Continue reading“Tyranny Theory, by A.T.”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

1

“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.

For every man shall bear his own burden.

Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” – Galatians 6:1-10 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — July 11, 2020

7

July 11th is the birthday of John Quincy Adams. He was born in 1767 and died in 1848. Not to be confused with his father– John Adams– the younger Adams also served as a diplomat, congressman, and as president.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 89 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. An assortment of products along with a one hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 89 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

How to Teach Situational Awareness to Children – Part 5, by T.Y.

4

(Continued from Part 4. This concludes the article series.)

Game 9: tracker

Summary

This will introduce your children to hunting skills through identifying animal signs in your area.

Concepts Taught

Animal tracking.

Materials required

You will need a drawing pad, pencil, and a basic book or printouts that shows detailed pictures of tracks from animals in your area.

Before the Activity

If you live in an area where animal tracks are easy to find, then you need no preparation. If not you will need to find an appropriate area, such as a park or forested hiking trail.

How to Play

  • Tell your children that you are going on an animal hunt. Ask them what animals they might expect to see when they go outside. Say something such as, “We might not see any real animals, but they will have left some signs to let us know they have been there.” Ask them what you could look for as signs that an animal had been around.
  • Give the children a drawing pad and pencil to bring with them and head outside for a walk.
  • Take them to places where animals may have been and look for signs. Some examples could be next to a bird feeder where you may see spilled bird feed and possibly tracks, near a place where dogs run where you might see paw prints, in the forest you may see deer scat or hoof prints, and around the base of nut or fruit trees you may see cracked shells or partly eaten fruit.
  • When you find a sign of an animal, try to figure out what type of animals might have been there. Use your resources of the animal tracks combined with the surroundings to determine what animal has left the signs. Have the child draw a picture of what they think the animal was doing when they left the signs and copy the animal’s tracks from the ground or from your resources.
  • As your children progress, help them to begin estimating how fresh the tracks are, where the animal came from and where it is headed. Encourage them to look around and tell you why an animal was coming from a certain direction (shelter, cover) and why it may be headed in a specific direction (water, food).

Assessment

While the children are playing outside or while you are taking family nature walks ask them to show you signs of animals. See if they can identify what types of animals have been around and what their tracks would look like.

=============================================================

Game 10: Germinate!

Summary

By planting and caring for seeds your children will learn how to germinate and grow basic vegetables seedlings.

Concepts Taught

Gardening.

Materials required

You will need an empty soda bottle or milk jug, planting soil, vegetable seeds and water. Some vegetable seeds that are easy to germinate and grow are melon, summer squash, green beans, and cucumber.

Before the Activity

Cut the bottom of the bottle off about 4 inches from the bottom, but do not cut it all the way around. Leave a small part uncut to act as a hinge. You can lift the top of the bottle back exposing the bottom 4 inches of the bottle as a container for holding the soil. Poke some holes in the bottom of the bottle for drainage.

How to Play

  • Invite your children to grow a plant with you. Ask them what a plant requires to grow. The basic necessities are that the seed needs soil, water, and sunlight.
  • Have your children fill a container with soil and add some water to dampen it. Mix the soil and water together until it is the consistency of a rung out sponge.
  • Allow your children to fill the bottom of the bottle with damp soil, tamping it down lightly with their hand.
  • Next, have them use their finger to poke a hole in the soil, place the seed in, and then cover the hole back up with soil.
  • Give the seed some water and then close the top of the bottle back over, leaving the lid off for ventilation. Place the bottle on a plate in a warm sunny spot.
  • Each day water the seed together with your children and make observations. When the seed germinates discuss what is happening and together assess if the seedling’s requirements have changed. As the plant grows you will notice that it needs more water, more sunlight, and more space.
  • Harden the seedling off after the danger of frost has passed. Explain to your children that you do not want to “shock” the plant by transplanting it outdoors before it becomes acclimated to the temperature variations. To do this, bring the jug outside during the morning, slowly exposing it to the outside temperatures. Use the hinged top to regulate the temperature inside the bottle (if it is hot, open the top and if it is cold, close it).
  • When the seedling has acclimated to the outdoor elements, transplant it into a garden or larger pot where it can finish growing. Enjoy harvesting and eating fresh vegetables from your seedling!

Assessment

Allow your children to have a small garden. This can be an area the size of a sandbox or even in a few pots on a balcony. Help them to plant and care for vegetable seeds. Do they know how to plant a seed? Do they remember to water it? Can they tell you the basic things that their garden requires?

=============================================================

Game 11: fish sticks

Summary

Teach your children how to catch fish with a stick and a line, rather than a commercial rod and reel.

Concepts Taught

Semi-primitive fishing skills.

Materials required

You will need items to fashion a makeshift fishing pole such as a bamboo pole or long stick, fishing line, and a commercial fishing hook. You will also need a container for bait.

Before the Activity

Locate an area where fish are present and fishing is allowed.

How to Play

  • Tell your children that you will be going fishing today, but that you are leaving the rod/reel at home (if you have one). Your challenge is to make your own fishing pole that they can use to catch a fish.
  • Together you can find a pole that would be a good length and is sturdy enough not to break. Have the children tie the fishing line on the pole and offer help as needed to make sure it is not going to slip off.
  • Show your children how to tie on a hook and then ask them what else you need to catch a fish. As you progress with this game, you can experiment with making hooks from natural materials, such as thorns.
  • Find your own bait by digging for worms or looking under rocks and rotten logs. Collect bait in a container and then help your children to bait the hook, if needed. Having extra line and hooks will come in handy.
  • Have fun fishing! If your pole design does not initially work, you may need to make adjustments. Brainstorm and problem solve together. Are you fishing at the right time of day? What is the weather doing…what stage is the moon in? How does weather and the moon affect fish activity?
  • Hopefully you will catch a fish, but if not use this time to discuss fishing techniques, such as using bobbers and sinkers and using the correct type of bait.

Assessment

Fishing is a skill that can offer a lifetime of enjoyment. Do your best to help your children enjoy fishing experiences by spending quality time together, packing a picnic, and hunting for treasures while you are by the water. Monitor if they look forward to fishing trips and assess their skills by challenging them to make their own rod from scratch, find their own bait, and successfully catch a fish.

=============================================================

Game 12: Camp Out

Summary

This is the culmination game that ties the other prepping games together! Make a shelter, sleep outside, build a fire and cook over it, preferably with the fish you caught playing Fish Sticks! You can play Lost in Space, Tracker, Scavenger Hunt and more, all safely in your backyard or at a campground.

Camping lets you show your children how to survive without modern conveniences, even if only for overnight. It allows you to teach them about potential hazards, such as dangerous wildlife, bad weather and fire, and how to remain alert. Prepare them ahead of time by playing the games in this book so they gain confidence in their ability to be self-sufficient.

Concepts Taught

Integrate all survival skills.

Materials required

You will need a camping spot and materials as specified in the earlier games.

Before the Activity

Play and practice as many of the previous games as you can. Alternatively, you can simply introduce some of the previous games, such as Tracker, Drink Up!, etc. on a camping trip.

How to Play

  • Plan a camping trip! It can be a formal, multi-day trip in the woods or at a campground, or it can simply be overnight in your backyard.
  • Allow the children to help you plan the trip by using a checklist of skills you want your children to learn and demonstrate.
  • Start by making a checklist together of each important survival category. For example, start with shelter. Ask them what you will use for a housing structure (tent, primitive shelter, etc.), what you will use for a bed (sleeping bag, hammock, etc.), how you will stay dry and so on. Do the same for food, water, heat, and sanitation.
  • Before packing, have your children check the weather report and let them recommend what to pack based on the forecast.
  • Once the list is complete let your children do as much of the packing and checking off the list as possible. Be sure to add to the list anything you will need to complete the games you plan to play on the trip.
  • Suggested games to play include, Weather Report, Drink Up, Extinguish, Fire it Up, Breaker Breaker, Fish Sticks, What’s Your Sign, Tracker, What If?, Guts and Snapshot.

Assessment

For each game, follow the assessment guidelines as described before. For the camping trip itself, check how effectively your children planned the trip, completed the checklist and packed the supplies. Did they forget any crucial areas or survival items? Were they efficient in packing?

As they mature and their skills improve on later trips you may want to throw them some “curve balls.” For example, what if you misplace the water purification tablets. How will they respond? Do they know multiple ways to purify water?

The goal is for your children (and you) to become comfortable with their (and your) survival and decision-making skills. Achieving that takes practice, sometimes with stress induced. However, remember that this is all about learning very serious survival skills in a very FUN way. So keep it fun!

==

We owe it to our children to help them truly prepare for life. I hope you enjoy teaching your children these lessons, and that they give both you and them the confidence they need to survive and thrive.

Editors’ Prepping Progress

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To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year. Note that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

I had a couple of extra trips to the post office last week, mailing out the rush of orders that came in, from our recent sale at Elk Creek Company. Part of the heavy sales volume was attributable to the sale prices, but also the general angst among gun buyers is obvious. They want what they want, now. And since many gun stores have sold out most of their inventory and most gun shows have been canceled, our pre-1899 cartridge guns are much in demand. We’re offering folks some nice guns that are both practical to shoot and highly collectible, delivered right to their doorstep, with no stinking paperwork.  I left the prices reduced on about 20 guns, for folks who might have missed out on the Independence Day weekend sale.

This past I’ve also been very busy chainsawing logs to stove length and splitting wood. The kids have handled all of the wood stacking. I’ll be happy when I have the firewood project done. Only then will feel free to move on to other projects. Haying season is just around the corner!

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

1

“This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up.

When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”

So the Lord relented.

“This will not happen,” the Lord said.

This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land. 5 Then I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”

So the Lord relented.

“This will not happen either,” the Sovereign Lord said.

This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb,[a] with a plumb line[b] in his hand. 8 And the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Amos?”

“A plumb line,” I replied.

Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.

 “The high places of Isaac will be destroyed
    and the sanctuaries of Israel will be ruined;
    with my sword I will rise against the house of Jeroboam.”  –Amos 7:1 -9 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — July 10, 2020

2

July 10th is the birthday of British novelist John Wyndham. (His full name was John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris, but Harris shortened that to just John Wyndham for his pen name.) He we was born in 1903 and died March 11, 1969. Harris was a good friend of fellow novelist Samuel Youd (1922-2012), who wrote under several pen names, including John Christopher. Both men were famous for writing what are often called “cozy catastrophies”. Several of Wyndham’s novels and short stories have been adapted to film, with varying degrees of success. One of the best of these was a parallel universe story called Random Quest.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 89 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. An assortment of products along with a one hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 89 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

How to Teach Situational Awareness to Children – Part 4, by T.Y.

3

(Continued from Part 3.)

Game 4: Bug Out!

Summary

Teach the concept of evacuation and what is important to bring by simulating an event where their toys must leave home.

Concepts Taught

Strategic evacuation.

Materials required

You will need a favorite character toy, a bag, and some basic supplies for the toy to have such as clothes, food, water, blanket, etc. A doll with doll items would be perfect, but you can also use a superhero action figure with some play food, or even a stuffed dog with pretend dog food and bowls.

Before the Activity

Choose one of your child’s toys that will have to bug-out or evacuate their home. Have available some items that the toy will need to pack for their evacuation around the child’s room along with a bag.

How to Play

  • Play a simple game with your child using the target toy and the items they need for day-to-day living. For example, if you are playing with a superhero figurine that is flying and jumping on the child’s bed, make part of the game be that he needs to stop for a drink of water or something to eat. Later in the game, play with the child that he is getting cold and needs to wrap up in a blanket. Play this way until the child is familiar with the toy’s daily needs and where to find the items necessary to fulfill the needs.
  • Next, you will simulate a scenario where the toy needs to evacuate. Try to use a situation that could actually happen in your location. For example, if your area is prone to snow storms, use that. If not, you may say that a tornado is coming or there is a forest fire nearby. Tell the child that something is happening and the toy must bug-out or evacuate to a safe place.

Note: If these terms are new to your child, explain what “bug out” or “evacuation” means. Make it fun by smiling and saying, “Oh no! A snowstorm is coming! Let’s bug-out—quickly!”

  • Hand the child the bag and tell them to pack it with things the toy may need.
  • As necessary, give them guidance about what items belong in the bag. For example, say something such as, “Your dolly might get hungry, should we put some food in the bag?” Or, “What if your dolly gets cold in a snowstorm before she gets to her shelter. What could we pack for her?”
  • With the bag packed, take the toy and the bag to an imaginary safe location, which could be another room in the house. Review the items that the child packed in the bag and see if anything might be missing. Relate it to their life by asking what they might put in a bag if they had to leave their house in an emergency.
  • As the child matures and becomes more complacent with the game, look for safe opportunities to introduce more realistic elements, such as evacuating with the toy in actual bad weather to an outside building or playhouse. That way your child will get a more realistic appreciation of the importance of life-sustaining items and skills.

Assessment

If your children are new to the idea of evacuation, assess their reaction to the imaginary situation. Do they stay calm, yet concerned for their toys? Do they understand that the toys will have to leave their homes and that they can only survive with what they bring with them? Observe what items your children choose to put in the bag. Over time, they should pack a bag more quickly and with items that cover all the toy’s basic needs.

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Game 5: Scavenger Hunt

Summary

Go on a scavenger hunt outside to teach your children about the resources in your area.

Concepts Taught

Identifying natural survival resources.

Materials required

You will want to take pictures of items you want your children to find and print them out in a list type form. You will also want a marker, and to make it extra fun give your children a magnifying glass and binoculars!

Before the Activity

You can play this game many times with different items on the list. It is good to categorize the items each time you play it. For example, you can go on a scavenger hunt for wild edibles, and the next time you can hunt for fire starting materials. Other ideas include medicinal plants, water sources, shelter building materials, etc. Whatever items you wish to teach about on that particular scavenger hunt should be on a paper that you can bring with you. You will also need a marker for checking items off the list.

How to Play

  • Tell your children that you will be going on a scavenger hunt!
  • Before leaving the house, show them the list of items you will be looking for. Discuss what they have in common and where you might find them. If there are items they are unfamiliar with, you can explain them briefly, but tell them that you will discuss them in more detail when you find them.
  • Take a walk outside and let your children find the items on the list, crossing them off as they go. Each time they find an item you can observe it more closely and teach them about it.
  • If they would like, they can collect a sample of each item to bring back to the house for further study. For example, if you are hunting for edible plants, they could bring some inside for cooking later. If you are hunting for fire starting material they could collect samples and sort them into categories when they get home such as, wood, dry leaves, pinecones, synthetic materials like string or paper, etc.

Assessment

Observe what items your children are becoming familiar with. Can they identify them quickly and correctly? Do they know where to look to find certain items? Can they add more items to the list?

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Game 6: Drink Up

Summary

Teach your children the best places to find drinking water along with unexpected sources such as ponds and puddles once you have practiced purifying and disinfecting it.

Concepts Taught

Water purification.

Materials required

There are various methods of making water safe to drink. The materials you use will depend on which method you are practicing, but they could include a pot with a small fire, a water purification tool such as a Lifestraw or a Big Berkey water filter/purifier, or water purification chemicals such as Aquatabs.

Before the Activity

Become proficient at purifying water using whatever method and tools you are supplying. Practice this skill yourself many times before inviting your child to participate. If you need help, refer to the book Start Prepping!, which describes in detail how to make water safe to drink.

How to Play

  • Tell your children it’s time to get a drink of water. Go to the faucet, but pretend with them that it doesn’t work. Hypothesize with your children about reasons why the water might not work such as, the electricity is out or there is a broken pipe. Say that you are very thirsty, but you can’t get water from the usual source. Ask your children where else you might be able to get some water to drink.
  • Explain that you will have to go outside to look for water. If they can, let them lead the way to a water source. Discuss the different sources that are available to you such as ponds, streams, puddles, rain barrels, etc. Ask them if they think it’s safe to drink water directly out of these places. Explain how the water could be contaminated with bacteria from the soil or animals, which would make the children sick.
  • Tell them that you know some “magic” ways to make water safe to drink. There are many ways and each time you play this game you may want to demonstrate another method.
  • Follow these steps for the various methods:

Boil it – Collect some water in a cup. Pour it through a filtering cloth, such as a bandana, into a pot. Put the pot on the stove or hang it over a fire and boil the water for one minute. When the water cools it will be safe to drink.

Use a Water Purification Tool – Follow the manufacturer’s directions for the tool you are using.

Chemical Treatment – Follow the manufacturer’s directions for the chemical treatment you choose.

Solar Purify –After pre-filtering water through a cloth, fill a clean, clear two-liter bottle. Place it outside in full sun for a day and the sun will purify it.

  • After you have demonstrated the method, allow the children to take part the next time at whatever level they are capable of.

Assessment

By asking your children what types of water are safe to drink you will see if they understand the difference between potable and non-potable water. Have them point out different water sources in your immediate area and explain how they would make it safe to drink. As they progress, they can demonstrate their water purification skills by showing you how to do each step.

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Game 7: Light Brigade!

Summary

Teach children how to light a dark room when the electricity goes out by practicing various ways to create light.

Concepts Taught

Navigating through a power outage.

Materials required

You will need a variety of materials to create light such as a flashlight, candle and matches, oil lantern, glow sticks, etc.

Before the Activity

Assemble your materials and close shades, turn off nightlights, etc. to make sure the house will be dark when you turn off the lights.

How to Play

  • When unexpected, turn out the lights and simulate a power outage. Tell your child to FREEZE! so that no one walks into anything in the dark. Explain that you are having a pretend power outage and the lights will not work. Their challenge is to light up the room. Ask them if they have any ideas of how to create light.
  • Let your children guide you and try out their ideas, but your goal is to show them where you keep the flashlights and how to get there safely in the dark. Help them to walk slowly and to feel their way around the house to get to the flashlights, if necessary. Then practice turning the flashlight on and off and using it to navigate around the house.
  • During later games, if appropriate, you can show them how to light an oil lamp or candle. Otherwise, let them see you light it and carefully carry it around the house. Show them flammable materials that they must avoid.
  • When your children are ready for the challenge, tell them that soon there will be a pretend power outage and they will become the Light Brigade. It will be their responsibility to call out the words “Light Brigade” and make a siren sound when the power goes out! Then they must safely navigate to the flashlight, and bring light to the rest of the family.

Assessment

Flashlights are simple tools that even very young children can use, but skills such as navigating through a dark house to find them and using them to light a path as you look for other family members in the house is challenging. Assess how well your children move in the dark. Do they walk slowly? Do they hold their hands out in front of them so that they don’t walk into anything? Observe how your children handle a flashlight. Can they turn it on? Do they hold the light out in front of them when they walk? Can they shine the light around to search for items?

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Game 8: Lost in Space

Summary

Find your way home after pretending you are lost. Depending on the age of your children, you can simulate an adventure while driving and allow them to use a road map or compass to follow street signs. Or, vary this game by setting up a map of your home where they must navigate through the rooms they are familiar with.

Concepts Taught

Map skills.

Materials required

You will need a road map, compass, and possibly a pencil if marking a photocopied map.

Before the Activity

Be very familiar with the area you are navigating and choose a location with little to no traffic. Be sure that you know many alternate ways home and are able to navigate your own way home should your child take you on some wrong turns.

How to Play

  • After taking a short drive out, tell your children that you are pretending to be lost and you want their help finding the way back home.
  • Stop the car in a safe place and provide your children with a road map. If the children are experienced with this game, you can make it more challenging by only providing a compass and no map or if they are very new to the game you may want to provide a photocopied map and a pencil so they can mark their route home.
  • If necessary, help them find your location on the map and your home street.
  • In the beginning, you may have to help the children plan the route to take, but your goal is to have them navigate as much as they can. As they use the map more, they will become more proficient at determining the best route to take.
  • Have the children call out to you what street you are looking for and which direction you should turn. Together you can read street signs while you search for the correct one.
  • If your children tell you to take a wrong turn, take your time and follow their directions so that they may learn. When you both find yourself off course or if the child becomes confused, pull over and regroup. You can say things such as, “This doesn’t look familiar to me. Have you seen this on the way home before? Maybe we are off course.” Look at the map together and use guiding questions to help them get back on track such as, “Where are we now? Where do we want to be to get back on track? What road could we take to get there?”
  • Celebrate when you arrive home and together review the route you took. In time you can find alternate routes. Don’t be afraid to toss in imaginary roadblocks to get trigger their problem solving.

Assessment

Monitor your children’s progress to determine if they are reading the map correctly. Watch them and ask questions even when you are not playing the game to see if they are internalizing a sense of direction when you are driving. Ask them randomly if they know what street you are on. Have them begin to estimate time and how long it might take to get to a specific destination. See if they use landmarks to become familiar with a location. As they become more comfortable with maps, allow them to help you choose a route when going to an unfamiliar place.

(To be concluded tomorrow, in part 5.)

Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, I’ll describe the risk of a fourth major crisis for 2020: A banking and derivatives market collapse. (See the Derivatives section.)

Precious Metals:

First off, the latest from South African metals analyst Hub Moolman: Gold New All-Time Highs and Beyond

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83 Tons Of Fake Gold Bars: Gold Market Rocked By Massive China Counterfeiting Scandal. JWR’s Comment:  Which is worse, morally? The Chinese stacking fake gold, or the U.S. Treasury claiming a fake tally for hundreds of tons of gold that no longer resides in the Fort Knox vaults?

Economy & Finance:

Economist Nouriel Roubini: ‘My Prediction for a Great Depression Is Not About 2020, but the Decade of the 2020s’

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US Bankruptcies Busting Out to Match 2009 Peak Mean Trouble for Stock Market

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Fed Reveals Bond Purchases Including AT&T, UnitedHealth, Walmart. JWR’s Comment:  On the macro scale of the markets, these are quite trivial bond purchases. (Millions, rather than Billions.) What is troubling is that the mechanism is now in place for much larger purchases, in some future crisis.

Commodities:

H.L. sent us this: USDA Crop Report Shocker Sends Corn Futures Surging

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COVID Impact – 1.5 Billion Pound Potato Mountain Trapped In Supply Chain

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Visualizing Thirty Years of Crude Oil Prices

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Huge Debt Payments at Worst Time for Canadian Oil DrillersContinue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — July 9, 2020

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July 9, 1956 was the birthday of actor/director/producer Tom Hanks. His acting in the movie Saving Private Ryan is riveting.

And July 9, 1938 was the birthday of actor Brian Dennehy. He is most often remembered for his role as the alien leader in Coccoon and as Sheriff Teasel in Rambo: First Blood, but he was also in the cast of in many other movies and in hundreds of television show episodes.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 89 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. An assortment of products along with a one hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 89 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.