Update Your Homeschool First Aid Kit for Spring Adventures

A well-stocked first aid kit ensures that you’ll be ready when adventure strikes.

Carry On

Stash your first aid essentials in a sturdy, water-resistant case, and you never have to worry about soggy bandages or crushed tweezers. Waterproof toiletry bags or small backpacks are good choices for day-tripping adventurers.

We Like: Holly Aiken Jet Pack, $169

(But if this isn’t something you want to splurge on, hit the toiletry aisle at Target —they have lots of cute bags.)

• TIP: Get a card laminated that lists the num- bers for your pediatrician, local hospital, fire, and police departments, the Poison Control hotline (800-222-1222), and two emergency contacts who could be notified in case of emergency, and keep it in your first aid bag.

Heat Index

One-use disposable thermometers are handy when you don’t have a convenient place to sterilize between uses. ‘

NexTemp Single-Use Clinical Thermometers, $17 for 100

• TIP: Kids who don’t like having their temperature taken may change their minds when you tell them these are the same thermometers NASA astronauts use on missions.

Cleaner Pastures

When you can’t wash your hands, sanitizer gel helps keep scrapes and injuries sterile.

Honest Hand Sanitizer Gel, $3

• TIP: Make sure you choose a gel that has at least 60 percent alcohol and have kids use a quarter-size dollop and scrape their nails over their palms for best results.

Insult to Injury

Sure, you can use regular bandages, but wherefore wouldst thou?

Shakespearean insult bandages, $7

• TIP: The Red Cross recommends making sure your first aid kit has at least 25 adhesive bandages (preferably in a variety of sizes) if you’re using it with a family of four.

Heal Appeal

UA hemostatic sponge can stop bleeding fast by sealing up the wound.

QuikClot Sport, Advanced Clotting Sponge 25G, $30

Happy Hydration

Use one tablet per liter of water if you need to fill your water bottle from a natural source.

Aquatabs Water Purification Tablets, $11

Whine Spritzer

Spray-on triple-antibiotic ointment won’t goop up your kit and is easy to apply one-handed. (Each tiny container holds about 140 applications.)

Neosporin Neo To Go! First Aid Antiseptic/Pain Relieving Spray, $7

Brace Yourself

Kids barely have to slow down to slip on insect-repellent bracelets, which last up to 100 hours when you keep them properly stored in your first-aid kit.

Buggy Bands Insect Repellent Bracelet, $30

• TIP: Prefer a more traditional spray? Plant-based repel lemon eucalyptus works similarly to products that contain 25-percent DEET but without the ick factor.

Guide Book

Stash a pocket-size emergency first-aid guide in your kit so that — even without cell service — you can treat a sprain, handle a wasp sting, or (gulp!) deliver a baby in the wild.

Emergency First Aid Pamphlet, $8

Tie One On

Soak it in water to help an overheated kid cool down, tie it for a makeshift sling, or use it to secure a splint. You’ll never be sorry you stashed a bandana.

Cotton Bandana, $15

FIRST AID ESSENTIALS

Here’s what the Red Cross recommends keeping stashed in your first aid kit.

• first-aid manual

• sterile gauze pads of different sizes

• adhesive tape

• adhesive bandages in several sizes

• elastic bandage

• a splint

• antiseptic wipes

• soap

• antibiotic ointment

• antiseptic solution (like hydrogen peroxide)

• hydrocortisone cream (1%) for rashes and bug bites

• acetaminophen and ibuprofen

• extra prescription medications (if needed)

• tweezers

• sharp scissors

• safety pins

• disposable instant cold packs

• calamine lotion

• alcohol wipes or ethyl alcohol

• thermometer

• tooth preservation kit

• plastic non-latex gloves (at least 2 pairs)

• flashlight and extra batteries

• a blanket

• mouthpiece for administering CPR (can be obtained from your local Red Cross)

• your list of emergency phone numbers

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