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+--- Thread: Entertainment post SHTF (/showthread.php?tid=3920)
Entertainment post SHTF - Geordie_Rob - 14 January 2013
If there is an event that causes any type of situation where we are without electricity for a sustained period (EMP, mass die off causing the loss of skilled workers to operate the grid etc..) there are going to be a lot of bored people who haven't given entertainment too much thought. Also if you have younger children (below 10 or so - older children will be more mature & can help with the running of the home), you will want to insulate them a little bit from the reality that exists after an event.
Now I strongly believe that in the 1st few weeks/months you are probably going to be too busy doing household security, hunting, collecting firewood etc.. rather than chilling out. But what about after that timeframe, once things return to a relatively calm state?
How much thought have people given to the time where you're finished your daily tasks but not yet ready to sleep? What ideas did you come up with?
Books? You can only read them a couple of times at the most if you're lucky (except reference books, I can only read a book once). What about once you have read them all? Unless you have a home library of many thousands of books, it won't take that long if its all you have.
Deck of cards perhaps? It will help, but over time of constant handling, shuffling etc.. they will become dog-eared & not much use.
Ive often seen people say "I have solar/wind up charger for my iPod/kindle/laptop" or whatever other device you may have. This is great & will help. But what happens when the internal battery eventually goes? They can only be charged so many times before they stop functioning.
How many other preppers have thought about more traditional things like table tennis, darts, indoor skittles, chess set etc..? If you think about it, these things will provide hours, weeks, months & years of entertainment.
A dart board will cost you between £20 & £50 new depending on what you go for (in a case, different brands) with a couple of sets of darts. A check on gumtree or eBay might bring you something cheaper.
Table tennis. A few quid for a couple of racquets & ping pong balls. You don't even need a full size table to play it. A normal dining table could be used. If you have 1 lying around, put a sheet of 8x4 or 6x3 plywood down. Improvise a net of some sort (paracord with something draped over) & you're away.
Skittles. You can get sets that range from £5 upwards. A long passage way will do as your bowling alley.
Got kids? How about one of the multi game tables (table football, hockey, basketball etc..). You can buy none electrical versions & again it gives multiple choice to relieve boredom.
Good old fashioned board games. Monopoly, cluedo, snakes & ladders, chess, jigsaws. Local charity shops & freecycle groups often have these available.
Crossword & word search books are available from the pound shops & will do for a few hours/days. Same for sudoku.
For the musically minded, you might want to buy a few cheap instruments to put away.
1 last thing I would suggest is plenty of pens/pencils & lined paper. A way of coping with whatever the future holds may be to put your thoughts down onto paper. I'm sure we will all face some pretty grim events & putting down your thoughts maybe the thing that gets you through the other side (if you happen to write anything about experiencing "long pig", ensure you burn these BEFORE showing anyone else
)All of these things will be useful in an electricity free environment to keep the mind sharp & boredom at bay.
Oh yeah, almost forgot. S13, you already told us what you're planning for entertainment. I'm planning on lots of that aswell
RE: Entertainment post SHTF - Highlander - 14 January 2013
Years ago in days of old, games for youngsters where not just entertainment, they were a build up to bigger things later in life, a form of training for manhood.
In a situation where suvival is paramount the children will need not just a `normal` education but also a far more practical education than they ever see today.
So I think team games will be a strong contender, games that not only keep youngsters fit, but also place them in competion with each other encouraging a winning streak in them.
I think, football, archery, stone throwing, wrestling, running,... and I dont think that there would be a great difference for girls, after all girls/women would also have to gain certain skills that they would never contentplate today
RE: Entertainment post SHTF - Geordie_Rob - 14 January 2013
Ill be honest I never considered entertainment as a sort of skills training but what you have said there makes perfect sense.
RE: Entertainment post SHTF - BDG - 14 January 2013
If there is natural light available, I will be working - on the land, mending tools, clothes, nets and so on. Dusk I will be tucked up or out looking for any game that has come out.
Singing, story telling, dancing - the old ways of entertainment will be much more in use for the times when you have nothing inside to do and it is too nasty to be out.
Planning on taking the technology of today into what the world might become - in all reality a return to the 18th century - may just prolong the pain do you think?
RE: Entertainment post SHTF - Highlander - 14 January 2013
Maybe the younger children would do something like these,..
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/sports/activity/5772.html
RE: Entertainment post SHTF - Geordie_Rob - 14 January 2013
I agree to a certain extent BDG. Lets face it, post event (whatever it may be, if it ever happens) is going to be a pretty nasty shock to all of us. We all use modern technology to a certain extent, you wouldn't be a member of an online forum if you didn't.
Taking some things forward will act as a sort of shock absorber. Most of the things I'm planning on prepping for entertainment are simple basic things, like books, board games & other things I mentioned. Plain & simple & time tested. As for things like gadgets, if there is a way of powering them & they will be useful while they are in working order, why not continue to use them?
I meant to say it'll be a shock to most of us.
RE: Entertainment post SHTF - Skean Dhude - 14 January 2013
I've bought several packs of cards. For use and for barter.
I've bought a few cheap multi kits, chess, draughts, ludo etc. again use and barter.
I have a million pencils, useful for killing alligators as described in Live and Let die... Oh and writing with as they never dry up. Tons of pads, paper and such like for writing on.
I've a dart board and darts. I've a few footballs. recorders, guitars, and books on how to play them. Books on all the different card games, beidge etc.
I also have some martial art training gear. Bokken, dummy, wooden knives.
plus I have a reasonable collection of books, all the Roald Dall, Enid Blyton, dozens of the classics from the works at 50p each.
That is excluding all the books I have on teaching yourself things.
I also add to them all the time. Last week i added a kids knitting trainer. Just keep your eyes open and Works is always a good place to visit when you have ten minutes.
RE: Entertainment post SHTF - Tibbs735 - 14 January 2013
I really dread seeing the massive ivory tower of accumulated knowledge being lost in one generation to our failings. Things like reading, writing, maths, history, science etc would need to be kept alive.
I imagine everyone would sit around the fire and tell stories of "the good old days."
By the way,
If you get baby-booms after major power cuts and snowstorms, whats an eternal power cut gonna look like lol
RE: Entertainment post SHTF - Highlander - 14 January 2013
This is a realy good thread,.. and has made me think along the entertainment line... thanks guys
RE: Entertainment post SHTF - Skean Dhude - 14 January 2013
Didn't I mention a stack of educational books, The three R's up to and including Advanced. Physics, Chemistry, Biology. All the hard sciences.