My son just started school, and I'm thinking of giving him a few items to EDC:

Whistle
Photon flashlight
(Both as neck carry)

Laminated /State issued ID card
with emergency contact info


In backpack:
Rain Jacket (because daily rain is a certainty in FL)
hand sanitizer/wipes

Maybe very small FAK: 3 bandaids w/ alcohol wipes?

He's five, and sees all the stuff I EDC, so I'm instilling the mindset in him.

Any other items I'm not aware of/missing?

Anyone here have a youngster in grade school with EDC items?

This will set the stage for the rest of his life so any help would be appreciated.

Dave

I can beat Izzy's price, go to a 99 cent store if there's one around, they've got some of those Johnson & Johnson pocket first aid kits for, yep, 99 cents. Oops, they're now the 99.99 cents stores, had a major price increase earlier this year.

John,

My son is starting first grade too! He EDCs your list, plus a mini flashlight, suncreen, lip balm, sunglasses, change of clothes, snacks and a bottle of water. The water takes the weight to his limit. In the winter there's also an extra hat, scarf, mitts and, if he's not wearing them, snowpants.

We use the little white plastic bandaid box that Izzy recommended. I took out the drugs, added a couple superhero bandaids and a couple of gauze pads. There's also some polysporin and wipes in there.

There are 2 nuclear reactors in our area, and the school disaster plan sees them bussed to a university campus that has an underground shelter. We live around the block from the school and I'm at home all day, so picking him up from school is ideal, but in this scenario he'd potentially be away at least overnight.

It's also important, in my opinion to talk to our kids. Let them know what's there, why and how to use it. The goal is not to scare them - prepare them!

I am not sure I would hang anything around a kid's neck.
If the lanyard the items are on is strong it could strangle him. If it is weak enough not to strangle him the items will just break away and get lost.

I would even hesitate about giving him much pocket trash at that age.
ID and emergency contact card good items for him for sure.

What can you fit in a small wallet?

In the backpack the rain jacket and so on sounds about right.
Maybe some munchies that he likes, a small compass just because and another set of identifiers.
Maybe something like a tag sown right into the inside of the bag with your home phone on it as well.

Edit:
Add some toys to the bag.

Are you already planning to use a "break away" lanyard for the Neck Carry?
I would caution that anything else could be a hanging/choking hazard; especially at that age.

I'll second the breakaway lanyard. Anything around a child's neck can also be used to capture/catch him. With what's on the news lately, that just doesn't seem like a good idea. Besides, everything on the strap would be easily replaceable.

neat idea. Hope it does not run afoul of the school security rules.

Build a breakaway link into the necklace-5 year olds do a lot of wrestling around, and it would be bad to get him strangled.

Ditch the alcohol wipes-flammable, hurts when you rub it on broken skin, damages healthy cells at wound margins, replace with packet of antibiotic ointment, or use antibiotic impregnated bandaids.

Food/water - You could add a couple of boxes of a drink and a couple of energy bars to make up a section. Try not to make them too attractive to avoid premature use. Cost $3 or $4.

First aid - Half-dozen Band-Aides, a roll of 1" gauze and couple of 2x2 gauze pads make for a first-aid section. Cost $2 to $3.

Shelter and protection - A space blanket and/or a disposable rain poncho. $2 to $4.

Illumination - A cheap but effective keychain light and/or a chem-light. One 2/1.50 party size chem light might serve. $3 to $6.

A 5" by 11" zippered pouch, commonly sold as money and pencil bags, in a bright color, makes a workable storage container. Cost $2 to $5.

Total cost $12 to $22 for a really well rounded kit. You might get by with much less.

Seeing as that any kit you build will end up in school, the mall and church I would avoid any medications, sharp objects, toxic chemicals and anything dealing with fire.

Given the age I wouldn't put too much money and effort into any kit. Girls, because they are usually much more mature and reliable, might be trusted with more stuff. Boys, less. Expect and be prepared to to see the kit dropped into mud puddles, left on the bus, and traded for a cupcake at lunch. Buy supplies from internet discounters and look at making up a half-dozen kits at a time.

Thank you for all the advice, and yes the lanyard is a breakaway design. THe FAK would reside in his backpack, and will definitely put in the antibiotic bandaids. Less mess and easier to deal with.
The toy idea is very good, but I'm concerned that classmates or after-school daycare friends may take them. I could go to the dollar store and get a few things, and replacement cost would be a non-issue.
He has a FAK that we take to the major parks here in FL when we go, with moleskin in it, perhaps I'll just put that in his pack. It's one of the small waterproof Witz containers.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about EDC for a five year old. He's not going to be alone that this age. He's either with you parents, or teachers, or a babysitter, or some other adult supervision. Expecting a 5 year old to know how to wash a cut and apply a bandaid is probably asking too much. The adult that will be with him will be better at that. A whistle will probably just get him in trouble at school, the temptation to blown it for fun is just too great for a kid.

For a ten year old, yeah, maybe you could start looking at some simple EDC stuff. But a five year old - not worthwhile or necessary IMHO. Kids this young aren't expected to go it alone, nor are they ready for the responsibility. That's why they have parents and other people watching over them all the time. These young kids are just along for the ride ... and to have fun!

I am not sure I would put meds of any type in a kit for him. Schools seem to lose their minds when it comes to this area. The rest is probably OK. I agree with others about a breakaway style necklace.

what about a cell phone? he can make 911 call.

My son is 6 and has had an EDC since he was 4. It goes on/in the pack he takes to school. Most likely your son also has a couple of packs so it has to be quickly portable, (i.e. the wheeled case, the Ironman backpack, the old pack of mom/dads)

As mentioned, 90% of time he is chaperoned. So the most important to us is the whistle and photon light which are somehow on the outside of all his bags and brightly colored. On his backpacks they're tied to the shoulder strap and fastek on/off so he can get to them without taking the pack off--KEY FOR THE WHISTLE. A tiny anti-bac is strapped to the outside too.

He has zippered pouch with some items for his glasses, a couple of bandaids, couple pieces of hard candy, a non-melting nutrition bar that he likes, capri sun, sunscreen he can put on his face himself, a small toy (which he takes daily), camo bandanna (and trained to soak with water for hot days, put over mouth for dust storms or windy days), pair of socks (cause look he has a lot of sand on his playground)

Make shere the neck lanyard is breakable. We had a kid get hung on a ski lift when his ID card got caught on the lift.

Cheers

I really like the idea of a child carrying a whistle and tiny flashlight, a brightly-colored cotton bandanna for his backpack (which has many uses, as we all know) and the compass (kids can learn languages at that age so why not the concept of N-S-E-W). You might put a map in there with your home marked, too. (how big is his backpack?)

When I was little growing up in Los Angeles, we had ID bracelets that had our name, address, phone number and also had our blood type. I believe mother ordered them through our school. First, second and third grade. I wore mine everyday -- had the flag and pledge on the outside and info on the inside. I still have it along with my charm bracelet.

Do kids wear stuff like that anymore?

Here's an excellent company that specializes in ID's for athletes -- for wrist, ankle, shoe, lanyard. I carry one when hiking that has a few ICE phone numbers on it.

The shoe ID might be good for a child, though I'm not sure you want their name and address visible. It could at least go in his backpack.

http://www.roadid.com/common/id.aspx?hash=shoe


This is a terrific discussion.

Does this ever change?

;-)

Dagney, excellent point. I do use a map and compass with my son but at six he is still way off, so they stay in the car. And we tell him to stay where he is if lost, not to move unless where he is at is dangerous to him but he needs to stay in the same area. (Think move under a tree to get out of the sun, rather than stand in the middle of the zoo walkway.

However, I have a plastic folder map of our area and using my map markers have highlighted our house, his school, his friends house, grandparents, main grocer. Favorite park. As we drive around he uses his finger to trace where we are at by intersections.

LOL

From many years observation it seems the boys never catch up. The toys get louder and more expensive but actual maturation isn't a typical male strength. Good thing the ladies are kind to dumb animals and tend to take on men as restoration projects.

Bandana is a definite...rethinking it and NOT doing neck-carry, don't care how easy it is to breakaway. Thinking of attaching it to his backpack, like comms does it. But when he's at school, his backpack is across the room, and at after-care it's in the building but not WITH him, so maybe have him carry the whistle and flashlight in his pocket. Just want him using the whistle to get someone's attention in the case of a stranger approaching him, along with screaming "fire". And his scream can make my teeth vibrate, quite literally. I'm also packing a pair of shorts, generic black, just in case...you never know. Including small pkg of wipes too.

You're right Haertig, he's probably going to be chaperoned 90%, but not always, and I have no guarantee that the grown-ups that are with him at school are EDCing anything. I know that the school has a plan and that 90% of the time things are going to go smoothly. It's that other 10% that I'd like to give him the edge on. I don't want him to be scared, or over-confident. I would like him to start thinking about what if and just in case.

There's another angle to consider: the fall into a puddle on the walk to school. My EDC gets used almost daily on the walk to and from school! No problem. He's got a change of clothes and a bandaid for his scraped knee.

If he carries this basic stuff when we go out hiking or camping why not carry it to school?

[I just double-checked and my son also has a bandana and an emergency blanket with his first aid kit. He's got his photon and whistle on a break-away lanyard but they are in his pack, not on him. It's a distraction in class because, as you predicted, he plays with it.]

As I said before, 90% of the time he's chaperoned and doesn't need a whistle or light in a classroom or recess. He should be safe on a school campus, (okay okay minus the rare sensationalized shooting). Its for when he is away from supervision that he needs these things. Or when he has to think on his own when he is ahead or trailing behind us or at a store.

I'll be honest, my son doesn't play outside without adult supervision. No friends in the neighborhood so that is a non-issue right now.

Can't say I see the reasoning behind giving a child a key chain light. I've seen six-year-olds do just fine with a 2D Maglite.

Point being, don't cutify your child's EDC to his or her detriment.

Did anybody mention a watch.
Watches are so much of our EDC that we never think of them and 5 is about the right age for a first watch.

I am not sure I would saddle a 5 year old with everything at once but load him up a piece or two at a time instead.
I would also let him choose as much of his stuff himself as I could.

The part about being traded for a cupcake at lunch nearly made me spit out my coffee lol. So true!

Ha! great point. I just happen to have extra photon lights and he liked playing with them and was familiar. I mean C'mon, you don't have about four laying about? Completely unrelated but quite aptly, I bought him a mini GI angle head flashlight for his pack yesterday. He loves using mine around the house but its much to big for him.

where's his pocket knife?

my son's school REQUIRED one.

Knives are not allowed at my son's school. and honestly, I do not think he is mature enough, or perhaps think HIS friends are mature enough for to be on him.

His reasoning skills are such that I don't think his 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd possible course of action would be to whip out a SAK and cut something. Possibly some scissors to cut something. I was going to get him a boy scout knife or SAK at Christmas or next summer.

Where the frick did you go to school? I had a SAK in high school and had it confiscated.

Everyone had a pocket knife when I was in school. And the teachers/principals didn't care much about it ... it was considered perfectly normal and non-threatening. But that was back in the 60's and 70's and things are quite different now. Now you get expelled for what was once considered normal behavior.

I wonder what they'd do these days about our "stink pens"? You take a metal ballpoint click pen. Remove the ink refill. Cram a strike-anywhere match up inside the top half, head facing downwards. Take a girl's bobby-pin and snip off one leg of it so it looks like a long skinny letter "J". Drop that into the bottom half of the pen so the "J" hook grabs the top of the spring inside and the end of the bobby-pin hangs out the end of the pen. Screw pen back together. To cause a stink, pull the bobby-pin end against the spring tension and release sharply. Discretely put the pen back into your pocket when done. It stinks worse with plastic pens, but they don't last as long as the metal ones. Especially fun with the substitute teachers who hadn't learned about these things yet!

I was way out in the hills of WV in school in the 80's so we still carried them, were a little behind the times. Shop teacher would pull a rifle our from under his truck seat and shoot groundhogs in the football field.

I have carried a pocket knife through grade school, high school, college and I still carry one. The trick is to not take it out if it isn't needed.

Several years ago, I posted about the kit I put together for my daughter and her friends for hiking and camping. I gave them fauxtons and whistles on an adjustable cord bracelet. I didn't want to risk having it around their necks as they are active. If they do where it around their necks, I have them do so cross body, like a bandoleer.

Now, over four years later, I am happy to say that they still have their kits and have since modified and personalized it for their own use. My girls always take water with them whether they are schooling, or anything for that matter. Most of it is still intact, except the first aid components which get used up and replaced.

Just continuing being a good example and you shouldn't have to worry. Kids see and hear everything!

We have studiously avoided the American public school system, which, in my opinion, has been forced to accommodate, tolerate and manage the "edge cases" of behavior & capability to the point of treating all students as threats, treating all cultures as perfect, and all students as equal. As a result, despite considerable financial hardship, we have opted out of that system and instead have been very happy with a one-room Montessori school for my daughter and a Quaker school for my son. My son was previously enrolled in a Waldorf school - we found them ideal for the younger years, not so much the grades.

In the Waldorf kindergarden, the kids have lit candles in the classroom, they use hot water for cooking, sharp knives for cutting and they play outside, every day, rain or shine, snow or sleet, with very, very few exceptions.

In the Quaker schools, we have found that the boundaries they impose on the kids are reasoned, and that edge cases of behavior are separated from trends. So, for example, they have a cell phone policy that's simple: Phones can't be on during the school day. Neither can iPods - the rule is simple: "Anything with an On/Off Switch must be left off during the school day." Knives are also simple. "Pocket knives must be used in a manner that is considered safe by the teacher or supervising adult."

It's not chaos, and I don't agree with all the rules - they have tied a ribbon on the Favorite Climbing Tree to show the maximum height kids are allowed to climb because a few of them made it to the very top of a very large tree a few times. They don't allow the use of Google or Wikipedia. These are two rules I could do without - but I can go directly to the administration and tell them - make a case - for why I don't like a rule and because they have a reasonable conflict resolution process I can expect an outcome that is fair, even when I don't agree with it.

No. 2 pencil, ersaser, apple.