Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou katoa / Warm greetings to you all
This month, I’m writing this from my postage-stamp-sized home office! I won’t bombard you with a spiel about the current state of things – in fact in our family we are aiming to have Coronavirus-free conversations except for questions at dinner time or when addressing some obvious anxieties that might pop up. However, as Regional Coordinator, my main role now is to support our caring families, so please don’t hesitate to contact me during my regular office hours if you need to talk.
Nicole McLean
Canterbury RC
03 281 7495 or 027 501 0392
Foster Care Awareness Week
It was such fun getting out and about meeting our caring whānau throughout Foster Care Awareness Week! What a pleasure to see so many take time out of their busy schedules to celebrate their role.
Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou / a big thank you to all!
An enormous ‘thank you’ to the organisations that helped make our events possible. We have a very generous local community and I was humbled by the support we received.
Celebrating Foster Care Awareness Week in Rangiora and at Bunnings
I am constantly reminded of how extraordinary our community is when I hear your experiences at gatherings. Which, in turn, reminds me how extraordinary our tamariki / children are…many of whom have faced unfathomable hardship.
Congratulations to the recipients of the Excellence in Foster Care Awards! If you know someone you think deserves this honour – keep an eye out for 2021 nominations to open in the next few months (we will let you know in Snippets).
Lastly, we have resized the Canterbury region. From next month Timaru and surrounding areas will now move into the Otago region. Some of you wonderful people have already met Rob Thomson, Regional Coordinator for Otago region, at his trainings and when he comes to events.
Support Groups: Face to Face Support Groups are postponed
Our support options currently include:
Phone: Nicole 027 501 0392
Email: nicolem@caringfamilies.org.nz
Facebook/ Facebook Messenger: Fostering Kids NZ Canterbury Support (soon to be Caring Families Aotearoa)
Our National Office 0800 693 323
Or phone a friend!
School Holidays
April holidays have changed and be will a bit different this year. They are earlier. Here are some ideas to plan your family staycation!
- Create a routine/schedule. Try to include family time, alone/quiet time, and exercise as essentials!
- Create a family tree(s). Explore the different branches of your family and print out photos to stick on the tree. Also,a great time to work on memory book/life story updates.
- Choose a song for a choreography challenge. Work together to create a funky dance and see if you can remember it all!
- Fun circuit training. Draw pictures of different activities and place them around the room – or all over the house. The children need to visit each picture and do the activity – e.g. hop on one leg 10 times, do 10 starjumps, 10 squats, 2 roly-polies etc. See how many circuits they can manage.
- Could it be time to get the children to help you sort through their toys and decide what can be passed on, recycled or donated to charity?
- Going through your digital photos is a great way to spend some time, especially if you look at them together and see what everyone can remember about special days and holidays. You could choose a few pictures to make into prints and frame for their bedrooms.
Stay safe, look after yourself, and remember to breathe.
Noho ora mai/all the best,
Nicole McLean
Have you joined our closed Facebook Group?
As a member of Caring Families Aotearoa you have exclusive access to our CLOSED Facebook groups. These are only open to caregivers that are members of Caring Families Aotearoa. This allows our members a platform to seek support, information and resources.
Click the link below to join!
