POV: You're Stuck on an Island! - What Would You Bring?
Assemble a mini island survival kit from household items, choose five essential supplies, and explain how each helps you survive and stay safe.
About this activity
Assemble a mini island survival kit from household items, choose five essential supplies, and explain how each helps you survive and stay safe.
What you need
Step by step
- 1
Step 1
Find a flat workspace and put your container in the middle so you have room to work.
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Step 2
Take out the paper or index cards and pens so you can make labels.
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Step 3
Lay out the small household items you might pack so you can see all your choices.
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Step 4
Choose exactly five items you think are most important for surviving on an island and place them next to the container.
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Step 5
Cut a small card for your first chosen item.
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Step 6
On that first card write the name of the first item.
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Step 7
On the same card write one short sentence explaining how that first item helps you survive or stay safe.
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Step 8
Cut a small card for your second chosen item.
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Step 9
On that second card write the name of the second item and then write one short sentence explaining how it helps you survive or stay safe.
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Step 10
Cut a small card for your third chosen item.
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Step 11
On that third card write the name of the third item and then write one short sentence explaining how it helps you survive or stay safe.
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Step 12
Cut a small card for your fourth chosen item.
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Step 13
On that fourth card write the name of the fourth item and then write one short sentence explaining how it helps you survive or stay safe.
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Step 14
Put the five items and their labeled explanation cards into your container and secure it with tape or glue.
- 15
Step 15
Share your finished mini island survival kit and the five explanations on DIY.org.
Fun facts
How do I do the "POV: You're Stuck on an Island! - What Would You Bring?" activity with my child?
Set the scene: pretend you’re stranded and explain the goal — assemble a mini island survival kit of five household items and justify each choice. Give kids 10–20 minutes to hunt safe items, then take turns presenting choices and how each helps (shelter, water, food, first aid, signaling). Encourage drawing or labeling the kit, role-play scenarios, and a short discussion comparing strategies. Keep it playful and ask open-ended “why” questions.
What materials do I need to assemble a mini island survival kit from household items?
Use a small container (shoe box, tin, or zip-top bag) plus paper and a pen for labels. Safe household items: a small water bottle or cap, flashlight with batteries, granola bar or dried snack, band-aids/small first-aid supplies, aluminum foil (for signaling or water collection), rope or strong string, compact mirror, sunscreen sample, whistle or loud toy, and tape. Avoid sharp or dangerous tools; supervise any item that could be a choking hazard.
What ages is the "You're Stuck on an Island" survival kit activity suitable for?
This activity suits ages 3–12 with adjustments: ages 3–5 need guided choices and picture options, ages 6–9 can choose five items and explain simple reasons, and ages 10–12 can research, justify tradeoffs, and build a written plan. Always supervise younger kids around small parts and explain safety rules. Adapt complexity, vocabulary, and time limits to match attention spans.
What are the benefits of doing a mini island survival kit activity with my child?
The activity builds critical thinking, prioritization, and problem-solving as kids decide what’s essential. It encourages creativity and communication when explaining choices, and teaches basic survival concepts like water, shelter, signaling, and first aid in a safe way. It also promotes teamwork if done in groups, boosts vocabulary, and offers low-cost STEM learning through hands-on planning and simple experiments or role-play.
Watch & Learn
Need help?
What can we use instead of a small container, index cards, or tape if we don't have them?
If you don't have the small container, index cards, or tape, use an empty mint tin, yogurt cup, or small shoebox as the container, cut labels from cereal-box cardboard or sticky notes instead of index cards, and secure the kit with a glue stick, double-sided tape, or a stapler.
What should we do if the cards tear, the writing smudges, or the container won't stay closed?
If cards tear or writing smudges, pre-cut larger cardstock pieces with safety scissors and use a fast-dry pen, and if the container won't stay closed, reinforce it with clear packing tape or a rubber band before placing the five items and labeled cards inside.
How can we change the activity for younger or older kids?
For younger children, pick three items instead of five, have an adult pre-cut bigger cards, and let them draw or dictate one-picture sentences for each item, while older kids should keep five items, write one-sentence survival explanations, add pros and cons, and rank their choices before sealing the container.
How can we make the mini island survival kit more creative or useful?
To enhance the kit, decorate and waterproof the container and each label with clear tape, add a tiny hand-drawn map, include a mini first-aid or signal item from your household, and tuck a numbered checklist inside before taping it closed to personalize it for sharing on DIY.org.