When the power is out, the cable and television are unavailable, the tablets may have no internet and cell phones should be used sparingly. The radio will likely be the only form of modern technology available and we might grow tired of hearing the media's coverage. So, what will we do for entertainment?
As a child I remember losing power often and for extended periods of time. In fact, the first couple of days were always a bit fun, as my family would rally together to heat the house, place portable lighting sources around the house and buckle down for some good old fashioned entertainment.
Without electricity, board games became the entertainment of choice for my family. As the sun would set we would huddle around the table and play a board game or two, if the night allowed. Scrabble seemed to be the game of choice in those days. Nowadays, I think we would defer to Cranium, Apples to Apples or Cards Against Humanity. Although, my immediate family is limited to 7-yr. old child friendly options like Monopoly, Yahtzee, Trouble or Jenga. Scrabble might even be an option again.
What would you put in your kit? Our 3-day "To Go" kit includes a deck of cards and some dice to mix up the entertainment. We also have some items for our son to color upon. Some blank sheets of paper and crayons can serve as both entertainment and recovery from an interruption, as studies have shown that children who emote through drawing recover more quickly.
Make sure to put some entertainment into your work kits too! If you have to stay at work for a few days, you are going to want to have something to do and perhaps smile occasionally. If nothing else consider a friendly battle of charades!