Going camping is a great way to bond with your kids and introduce them to survival training. After all, if there is ever an emergency, you would want your kids to know how to take care of themselves. Your kids should be familiar with what is in a survival kit and how to use its contents.

Aside from the sleeping bags, first aid kit, flashlight and water bottles, one thing that might cause confusion in a survival kit is an MRE. An MRE stands for meals ready to eat and they are getting to be popular camping and survival food because of their easy to prepare nature. You just add water and that's it. However, there is a proper way to prepare it so you don't burn yourself with the very hot water activated heater.

When you first open an MRE package, you should survey that all the contents are there: main dish, side dish, beverage mix, bread/crackers, spread, spoon and an accessories pack that contains your spices, wet nap and toilet paper. But what is also in your MRE package is a flameless ration heater (FRH) that allows for you to enjoy a hot meal without the need of a fire.

The flameless ration heater is a chemical pouch that is contained within a green plastic pouch. You peal the plastic pouch open and put your main entrée inside. When you put in your entrée, have its opening edge facing up so when you retrieve it later and try to open it, it won't be wet and dripping with hot water. Be careful as well when you pour the water into the flame ration heater bag that you do not go over the water line as drawn on the bag. When your meal is heating, it does get pretty hot so don't hold it in your hands.

Fold the bag over and prop it up against a tree so the water doesn't spill. After ten minutes, your meal should be heated up and ready to eat. Carefully remove the entrée from the bag without splashing water on yourself and put your side entrée in the FRH bag. This time, you don't have to add anymore water. The MRE package comes with a spoon and you should use that and avoid eating with your hands which might contain bacteria since you are in the woods without the benefits of normal hygiene products.

Camping is a great way to teach your kids survival skills and with MREs, they are pretty good to eat and a fun way to prepare a meal as well.