MOPS: Homemade First Aid Kit

 We decided to use a health theme for this week's MOPS topic.  I've been wanting to make First Aid Kits in MOPS for awhile, but never found the right topic or could figure out how to keep it under budget.  We did it!

I read a lot of posts about how to make First Aid kits on Pinterest.  I even considered using Ziplock bags to keep the costs down, but I wanted to do something more permanent.  I found pencil cases in the Clearance Aisle for $.75 each and decided to commit to it.  I got 12, which cost me about $10.

I asked a couple of the ladies in my MOPS group to help me out (we were doing a fundraiser the same week) by asking some of our local businesses to donate First Aid Kit supplies.  I was so pleasantly surprised by their generosity!  Here's what we got:

• Asker's Harvest Foods (a local grocery store) - 12 rolls gauze bandages, 12 full-size Anti-bacterial Ointments, 40 Gauze pads, and 12 - 4" Elastic Bandages
• Primeland (Farm Co-op)  - 10 Co-Flex Flexible Bandages in bright colors
• Cash & Carry (a local grocery store) - 24 travel size containers of Acetametaphin
• Syringa Clinic & Hospital - 18 boxes of Elmo band-aids & two boxes of latext gloves

I am so thankful for these donations to our ladies!  Finally, I made a trip to the Dollar Tree for fillers.  I found:

• 6 - 2 packs hand sanitizers
• 4 boxes of 3 packs of individual packed Advil
• 2 packs - 8 packages of tissue
• Box of 100 Individual wrapped Alcohol swabs
• 6 - 2 packs of chapstick
• 1 pack of 200 3x5 cards

Here's my loot all packed and ready to go!  I don't know why this one  really excited me so much, but this all cost me $32 for 12 bags chuck full of goodies.  Each bag cost us $2.67 per bag, but could have cost less if we cut back some of the extra supplies from Dollar Tree.

It did take some doing, but we got it all in there.  For our meeting, I lined two 8 foot tables along one wall and laid each pile of first aid supplies in a long row.  I used a Post-It note on the items that the MOPS moms could take more than one, otherwise, I just told them to take one of each item.  Many had to be taken out of boxes, like the ointment and the Band-Aids, but I think it worked great.

I also had each of the moms take a 3x5 card for each of their children and put the following on it to include in the kit:

• Child's Name:
• DOB: (Date Of Birth)
• Current Medications:
• Allergies:
• Doctor:
• Emergency Contact:

With theses cards in the bag, it really gives you easy access to not only First Aid supplies, but your children's emergency information.  I plan to keep mine in my truck.  I also want to make one up with an Emergency Survival Kit, too.

Please let me know what you think.  I hope it helps in your personal life, or planning an activity for your MOPS group.  I love doing Creative Activities, but sometimes, it's nice to do something that doesn't have a ton of creativity, but is essential.