Resources
Good Idea of the Week!
09.23.06 - 09.30.06
Not all foster children will come into your home knowing how to take care of their teeth. Many of them need to be taught how to brush and floss correctly. One quick way to tell if your child is brushing their teeth the right way? Look at their toothbrush. If the brush looks brand new after two months, the child may not be brushing at all. Conversely, if the bristles are bent over, the child may be brushing too hard.
From Contra Costa County Fostering Families Newsletter, March/April 2006
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9.15.06-9.22.06
Teach your teens that it’s okay to express themselves by encouraging them when they communicate their beliefs. Listen intently, then utilitize their ideas whenever possible. When they feel their words are valued, they will be more likely to share their thoughts in the future.
From Contra Costa County Fostering Families Newsletter, September/October 2005
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9.7.06-9.14.06
Is there a talent or an activity that your foster child already enjoys but would like to get better at? Try softball games in a park with school friends, sports camps and cooking classes.
From Contra Costa County Fostering Families Newsletter, July/August 2005
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8.30.06-9.7.06
An overly structured life can be as bad as an understurctured one. It is okay for a child to sit and read, or play a board game with a friend, or build a model ship, or even watch a video or play a video game in the afternoon or early evening. Downtime, in moderation, can be refreshing to the brain as well as to the body.
From Contra Costa County Fostering Families Newsletter, July/August 2005
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8.23.06-8.30.06
Is there something that your foster child would like to do that she has not yet had the chance to do? Take a swimming class or a ceramics class; learn to play an instrument; plant a garden; attend a theater camp.
From Contra Costa County Fostering Families Newsletter, July/August 2005
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8.16.06-8.23.06
Respect the privacy of your teen. All teens need and demand privacy, however, you may be pleasantly surprised that by respecting their privacy, they will be more willing to come to you in confidence about their personal issues.
From Contra Costa County Fostering Families Newsletter, Sept/Oct 2006
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8.9.06-8.16.06
Pay close attention to your teen’s likes and dislikes. Tyr observing, not asking about, their needs and interests. If you interpret and reflect back their needs and interests in subtle and flattering ways, they will feel affirmed without feeling lectured or misunderstood.
From Contra Costa County Fostering Families Newsletter, Sept/Oct 2006
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8.2.06-8.9.06
Old/used child safety car seats should not be used unless you are certain they have never been in a crash and you have all the parts (including instructions). Seats six years or older should be discarded and never used.
From Contra Costa County Fostering Families Newsletter, May/June 2006
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7.26.06-8.2.06
If less than a year old and more than 20-22 pounds, be sure children ride in a car seat approved for heavier babies and continue to ride rear-facing until at least one year old. Children may ride rear facing in many seats up to 35 lbs.
From Contra Costa Counties Fostering Families Newsletter, May/June 2006
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7.19.06-7.26.06
If you decide to mix medicine with food, only give the child enough of the food item to mask the taste. Give the medicine to the child right away. Medicine mixed with food should never be stored and saved for later.
From Contra Costa County Fostering Families Newsletter, March/April 2006
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7.12.06-7.19.06
Check with your pharmacist about mixing or crushing medicine with other foods or liquids to see if it’s okay. Some medications lose their potency when they are mixed, especially medicines containg iron. Also, time sustained release lablets can never be crushed!
From Contra Costa County Fostering Families Newsletter, March/April 2006
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7.5.06-7.12.06
Great Ideas for Siblings!
If it’s a nice day, water balloon tosses are a great way to get kids laughing and playing together outside. Fill a bunch of water balloons and have the siblings stand across from each other, or in a circle. Each time they toss the balloon to each other without breaking it, they get to take a step back, until finally, they are so far apart that the balloon is bound to break!
From Contra Costa County Fostering Families Newsletter, Jan/Feb 2006
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6.28.06-7.5.06
Sibling Visits
Siblings will especially enjoy activities that allow them to walk away with a memento or gift from their sibling. Depending on their age, they can paint greeting cards, make friendship bracelets out of string, or sculpt small things out of clay. If possible, save the memento in your child’s Life Book as a way to keep it with them on their journey through foster care.
From Contra Costa County Fostering Families Newsletter, January/February 2006
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6.21.06-6.28.06
If you decide to take siblings to a movie, be sure to engage them in a discussion about it afterward. Ask them what part they liked or didn’t likeand who their favorie character was. Providepaper and crayonsor markers so they can draw a picture of their favorite part of the movie and give it to their sibling. Save the drawing as a memory in their Life Book.
From Contra Costa County Fostering Families Newsletter, January/February 2006
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6.13.06-6.20.06
Try baking fun treats. This is a great way to teach children their way around the kitchen and to help them work together. You can make butter cookies and decorate them, or you can make a big ball of dough, and let them sculpt it into various shapes, animals, and letters. Then bake it and enjoy.
From Contra Costa County Fostering Families Newsletter, January/February 2006
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6.5.06-6.12.06
This is a fun memory game that teaches children to pay attention to detail. Collect 10 to 20 household items that fit on a tray or a cookie sheet. Give the children 30 seconds to view the items. Then take the tray away and ask them to recall as many items as possible. This game could be competitive, where each child writes down as many as many as they can remember, or you can vary the number of items and seconds according to the age of the child.
From Contra Costa County Fostering Families Newsletter, January/February 2006
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5.29.06-6.5.06
Don’t forget to shake bottles of liquid medicine before giving it to a child. Often, the active ingredient sinks to the bottom.
From Contra Costa County Fostering Families Newsletter, March/April 2006
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5.22.06-5.29.06
If you are trying to get babies or toddlers to swallow prescription medicine, put the medicine in their mouths and blow on their faces.
Little children react by swallowing!
If you are trying to give them pills, crush the pills up and add them to their juice, yogurt or applesauce.
From Contra Costa County Fostering Families Newsletter, March/April 2006
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5.15.06-5.22.06
When children come to Bettye Greer’s home, she attaches a “welcome poster” with their name on it to the front of the house and to the door of their bedroom. This makes the children feel welcomed, expected, and it underlines the fact that they have a place in her home. If she has more than one child, she and the children will have a “slumber party” in the living room, as a fun way of welcoming the child and also of building initial bonds between the children and herself.
From From Contra Costa County Fostering Families Newsletter, May/June 2006