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If the power goes out and the children begin to fret, you need to cook dinner, the kids need a bath, etc. DON'T PANIC! Tell them you are having an olden days evening (morning or whatever). Teach them about lighting, cooking and also how people bathed in times before electricity.
Use gas or some camping cooking equipment if you don't have a wood fire. Give the kids torches (safer) but have small candles in empty jam jars lit in the room you are in. Bath the children using a bowl of water and soap.
Children will be much more enthusiastic and co-operable if they are distracted from things they think they must have when power is available. I do this with my kids and they look forward to our olden days living events. Look at it as time out for yourself as well, don't perceive it as an inconvenience but rather as a break from the usual routine!
By kfromoz from Perth Australia
Editor's Note: Be sure to use propane or other cooking equipment outdoors. This can cause carbon monoxide poisoning in enclosed spaces, not to mention the fire hazard.
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