How to stave off bunker fever

[ChickenLittle]

In all the reading I've done in regard to prepping, throughout the web, I have not found a single suggestion on this.

Has anyone packed a pack of cards in their preps? A soccer ball? Maybe an old fashioned hand crank record player?

Finding a way to "let go" and dump all the anxiety and stress that builds up will be a necessity to your sanity. This will be especially true for the children in your group.

What are some games you like to play that require little to no commercial made parts?

can someone teach me how to play kick the can?

 

[old_anorak]

Sure, I can teach you how we played it as kids. With only one person, you just kick the can and run to where it lands and kick it again; see if you can aim and hit a target with the can. With more than one person, kick it back and forth; play keep away; see who has more accurate aim.

We have books, cards, a hoola hoop for laughs, jump ropes, song books, jacks (stepping on them with bare feet is torture), dominoes, trivial pursuit, crosswords, find a words, color pencils and paper, notebooks, etc...

I despise video games with a purple passion. Can't stand the noise.

With kids, you definitely want to keep their minds occupied and keep them learning. Might not be a bad idea to go to a office supply store or a store that caters to teachers or home schoolers and pick up work books for several years ahead of where they are now.

Teach the kids how to identify animal tracks and how to track them. Want to keep a 4-6 year old occupied? Mix cornstarch and water together, if you want to get fancy, add food coloring. If you don't already know, you get a solid, flowing liquid.

Chicken races, turtle races, frog jumping... can you tell I grew up rural as all hell?

 

[davidnh]

A interesting topic,I had never really thought of.especially for those that may have children,I dont have chilren,But I would think packing a book or two,or like you mentioned a dck of cards would be a good idea,And help with the boredom at times,

 

[RV-Kitty]

To keep from going stirbugs you can buy cheap used jigsaw puzzles and Board Games such as Monopoly and checkers. Also new crossword and word puzzle books cheap at the Dollar Stores. Stack up on cheap used books from the Goodwill stores and flea markets. You'll find a good selection to choose from. Women can take up (some men also like to crochet and knit) sewing projects that would be useful such as crocheting blankets. A little imagination goes a long way.

If you're a devout TV addict you may be in trouble.

 

[old_anorak]

Arggghhhh! Puzzles are the devil! LOL I hate those things with a purple passion. My sister, Mom, and both of my girls like them. There's just something about them that infuriate me, possibly the fact it's inevitable that that particular puzzle would be missing a piece.

 

[RV-Kitty]

Arggghhhh! Puzzles are the devil! LOL I hate those things with a purple passion. My sister, Mom, and both of my girls like them. There's just something about them that infuriate me, possibly the fact it's inevitable that that particular puzzle would be missing a piece.

Then buy new ones only, in sealed boxes. Sitting around with no TV, radio and PC could drive you to love those puzzles.

 

[old_anorak]

Nope. I've had a hate on for puzzles since I was a kid. I can do a lot of things to entertain myself; read, write, sew, crochet, spin, weave, crosswords, kick the can... I hate puzzles!

 

[69Powerwagon]

I don't know about bunker fever, but for cabin fever get the younger kids a dog. Dogs never get bored or tired of playing and if you get a herding style dog they will tend to keep an eye on them. For older kids get a bb gun and teach them shooting and gun safety with it. The skills they gain will last a lifetime from that activity and they will learn to be dead shots because the bb gun has no kick so they will never develope pre-ignition push and you can shoot a bb gun almost anywhere since they have little penetrating power and they are close to silent. Spent my entire childhood running around in the woods with a bb gun and dogs it was great, didn't even know what cabin fever was until I was a teenager.

 

[hightechredneck]

I don't know about bunker fever, but for cabin fever get the younger kids a dog. Dogs never get bored or tired of playing and if you get a herding style dog they will tend to keep an eye on them. For older kids get a bb gun and teach them shooting and gun safety with it. The skills they gain will last a lifetime from that activity and they will learn to be dead shots because the bb gun has no kick so they will never develope pre-ignition push and you can shoot a bb gun almost anywhere since they have little penetrating power and they are close to silent. Spent my entire childhood running around in the woods with a bb gun and dogs it was great, didn't even know what cabin fever was until I was a teenager.

better stock up on bb's. I went thru alot as a child. Another tool such as this is a bow and arrows. You cam make arrows if need be, kinda hard to make bb's once you run out.

 

[RV-Kitty]

Nope. I've had a hate on for puzzles since I was a kid. I can do a lot of things to entertain myself; read, write, sew, crochet, spin, weave, crosswords, kick the can... I hate puzzles!

You better have a large bunker then or a very large van or RV if you need to BO. I mention puzzles (and board games) for small spaces.

 

[RV-Kitty]

Spent my entire childhood running around in the woods with a bb gun and dogs it was great, didn't even know what cabin fever was until I was a teenager.

And what were you shooting with your BB gun in the woods?

 

[69Powerwagon]

And what were you shooting with your BB gun in the woods?

Cans, twigs all kinds of homemade targets, when I got good I could hit bees and beetles from over 20ft away. As far as running out of BB's, yeah I suppose so but you can still buy a bazillion of them for under $100 so they aren't too hard to stock up on.

 

[old_anorak]

Well, at least you can still buy bb's at this point. Give it a few months and they'll be under lock and key as well.

RV-Kitty, I honestly don't need a lot to entertain myself and since I had my head smashed a few years ago, puzzle pieces tend to confuse me so I just don't mess with them. I do appreciate the space saving that you mentioned and that is going to be important for some people. We don't plan to leave and if we do, I can entertain myself with a stick and a rock if I need to.

 

[Kenny Lee]

Have board games that never play the same twice like Settlers of Catan. I know kung fu so the forums and excercises can keep me going forever. Make a game and go forage for food with your kids, bird watch, fish, have them wittle primative weapons. Buy a sling and practice it with your kids and make a game of it. Play hide and seek, or tag. Though playing hide and seek in a bunker would be boring.

In the wild you can make a go board and have white and black rocks as game pieces, or sea shells. Go is Chinese chess.

 

[Kenny Lee]

Just thought of something new, a harmonica! Super light weight and serves many purposes.
Entertainment and music. If the world was to end and we had to start over, our culture should be preserved thru... music!
You can use it as a signal device, or for ID. If people get lost play the harmonica so they will know it is you, or you can blow it at night so people will know it is you.
And lastly.... enhanced interrogations. You can play the harmonica horribly until they give in and they tell you what you want to hear

 

[HarrySachs]

This is what im gonna be working on next.
Some puzzle books, cards and some board games.
BB's for the kids BB Gun is an awesome Idea!

 

[RV-Kitty]

Though playing hide and seek in a bunker would be boring.

.

Just living in a bunker would be boring. I would make sure I had plenty of books to read. Piles of books. But anything that causes people to have to spend time in a bunker would be so catastrophic (nuclear bomb) as to make life above ground barely worth living. Radiation poisoning is a horrible way to die.

 

[RV-Kitty]

Though playing hide and seek in a bunker would be boring.

.

Just living in a bunker would be boring. I would make sure I had plenty of books to read. Piles of books. But anything that causes people to have to spend time in a bunker would be so catastrophic (nuclear bomb) as to make life above ground barely worth living. Radiation poisoning is a horrible way to die.

 

[Simple but effective]

Had some thoughts about bunker life. I had got the idea from tv somewhere. But part of what would suck is not being able to look out a window so I thought that putting in those lighted pictures with beach scenes, mountain views or whatever tickles your fancy would be a cool addition to a basement bunker if you framed them in like windows

 

[WilliamAshley]

meditation and singing. slingshot... exercise. if you have electricity you can run a laptop which can give you endless activities, from writing a book, or playing video game, or reading ebooks. I think reading is good as it will take a couple days to read any given book and they can be used for heat too. Origami, learn sign language, or other language books. a rope to learn knots, the possibilities are endless.

 

[RV-Kitty]

Had some thoughts about bunker life. I had got the idea from tv somewhere. But part of what would suck is not being able to look out a window so I thought that putting in those lighted pictures ....

That would look nice but waste precious battery power. Nice framed pictures of the beaches or mountains and wildlife would help.

 

[Simple but effective]

If it keeps you sane it might be worth it.

 

[Dylan Drew]

I recently added a Hornady Lock N Load Ammo Plant and over 500,000 shells and bullets in many popular calibers, pornography (im single), books on tracking, hunting, growing food, survival training, and other books i take interest in, a turbine to charge batteries powered by a treadmill and bike, cd,s and dvd's to play on a tv, and puzzles. my bunker is specially designed to act as a faraday cage to protect all the electronics inside. there are also seven of us inside the bunker, so we can share stories and knowledge.