Making a Survival Kit Outdoor activities are no fun when someone gets lost. Adequate preparation will usually keep this from happening, but some simple equipment can prepare a family member to survive if he does get lost. This activity will teach family members to make a lightweight survival kit that they can easily carry with them. Activity First make sure that family members understand a few simple rules: Wear a shrill whistle around your neck when you are hiking or fishing in an isolated area. Tell someone where you are going and when you are coming back. Don't leave the camping area by yourself. Orient yourself to the area and do not explore longer or farther away than your family feels is safe. Remember when you are lost to: Keep calm, find a sheltered place, and stay put. Get out into the open if planes are overhead. Build a fire if possible, conserve your heat and energy. Mark your location. Move out from it to seek familiar landmarks and return to it. Shout, use a whistle, and concentrate on begin found — not on finding someone. Prepare for the night, gather wood, build a shelter before dark. Then have all family members help construct a survival kit. Make sure they know how to use each item. The following items can be put in a 2 by 4 by 16 inch (6-by 11-by 16-cm) leather pouch and will weigh less than one pound (.5 kilograms).