Here are some ideas to help you and your family celebrate National Foster Care Awareness Month. Sign up for the Foster Care Awareness E-course and receive a weeks worth of activities in your in-box each week.
Tuesday, May 1
- May Day -Begin Foster Care Awareness Month by sharing your family's story! Write it down and add it to your
lifebook/scrapbook. Tell about how you
became involved with foster care. Add your story to a bouquet of flowers in honor of May Day and take it to a neighbor or friend.
Wednesday, May 2
-Write out a family mission statement. Ask each member to write down ideas that they feel are important for a
strong foster family to have like respect, sharing, and/or honesty. Include goals and dreams. Your foster children should be involved with this activity as members of your family.
Thursday, May 3
-Host an event in your area celebrating
Foster Care Awareness Month. Invite your neighbors over for a BBQ and share brochures or other materials from your foster care agency.
Friday, May 4
-Contact your local paper and/or news media about Foster Care Awareness Month. Encourage them to run a story about foster care - consider sharing your story.
Saturday, May 5
- Light a candle as a family for
children in foster care who are still waiting for permanent families. Set the candle outside in a safe place. Ask your neighbors to join you by lighting a candle as well.
Sunday, May 6
- Have secret pals all month long! Place each family member's name in a hat and have each person draw one. Secretly perform several acts of service for this person or leave small treats or gifts. Draw a new name each week.
Monday, May 7
-Check out the Internet for information on foster care and foster families. Connect with another family who have
fostered on a forum.
Tuesday, May 8
- Write a thank you note to a foster care agency and thank them for the work they do to help children.
Wednesday, May 9
- Start a new family tradition of service. Rake your neighbor's leaves or volunteer to help an elderly person with his/her grocery shopping this week.
Thursday, May 10
- Hold a family game night, order or make your own pizza.
Friday, May 11
- Go to the park as a family. Make it a nature scavenger hunt. See who can find the biggest rock, most colorful leaf, etc.
Saturday, May 12
-
Work on your life books together. Get out those piles of pictures and saved school papers and add them in. Make a goal for each family member to complete 2 pages.
Sunday, May 13
-
Mother's Day - Enjoy with family and friends. Do something nice for Mom.
Monday, May 14
- Enjoy a fun family activity. Make it outdoors. Go for a bike ride, a hike, or go swimming. Have a wonderful time.
Tuesday, May 15
- Ask your place of worship to offer a special prayer or sermon for children in foster care waiting for adoption.
Wednesday, May 16
- Do something to keep the children in foster care awaiting permanent homes in your thoughts this month. How about cutting out 129 paper dolls (1 for each 1000 in foster care who need adoptive homes) and display in your windows? How about 129 blue ribbons tied to the limbs of your trees.
Thursday, May 17
- Contact a children's organization or foster care agency and ask how you can help. For more ideas see
10 Ways to Help Children in Foster Care.
Friday, May 18
- Go camping as a family. Don't forget the stuff to make S'mores.
Saturday, May 19
- Frame photos of your foster child's family for their bedrooms.
Sunday, May 20
-As a family create fliers detailing the need for foster homes and ask to leave them in places of business. Don't forget contact numbers to your local foster care agencies.
Monday, May 21
- Donate needed items to a children's home for their Memorial Day activities. Call ahead and find out what they need.
Tuesday, May 22
- Join a foster parent support group in your area. If there isn't any, consider starting your own.
Wednesday, May 23
- Rent a movie with a foster care theme and watch it as a family. Pop some popcorn and/or make root beer floats.
Thursday, May 24
- Decide as a family to sponsor a
waiting child for summer camp.
Friday, May 25
- Call your local foster care agency and ask if there is a family who needs mentoring as they prepare to do foster care.
Saturday, May 26
- Create your family tree. Help your foster child complete one about his/her birth family (if information is known). Visit some cemeteries and place flowers on a few family graves.
Sunday, May 27
- Read a book about foster care as a family.
Monday, May 28
- Memorial Day - Take a family photo today. Have a copy framed for each member of the family to be placed in his/her room. Frame photos of the children as gifts for your foster child's birth family.
Tuesday, May 29
- Begin
planning a summer trip or weekend getaway as a family. Encourage each member to make a suggestion.
Wednesday, May 30
-Donate books about foster care to your local or school library.
Thursday, May 31
- Donate book bags and/or suitcases to a local foster care agency so kids don't have to use trash bags when moving home to home.
Back to All About National Foster Care Awareness Month.
