On Sunday 5th February, we ran our second ‘Kids Club’ for our families who foster.
You may be wondering what ‘families who foster’ means?
At Swiis, we understand that it’s not just the grown-ups who become foster carers – their own birth children become part of a family who fosters. This role is very special and we think it’s important for these children to meet with other children who have similar experiences, think about what it’s like to foster, and of course, to have fun. Our Kids Club is a new group where children can share all of this together, while also giving adults some space and time for a chat over a coffee.
On this occasion, we hired a room at the Ecology Centre in Kinghorn. The children loved making dens with cardboard boxes and were very creative, decorating them with wrapping paper and all sorts! We had drawbridges, spy-holes, chill-out dens, ‘electronic’ control panels, plus plenty of cushions and comfiness!
Once the children had finished and were chilling out in their dens, we sat down to some hot chocolate, with toast and jam. We learned about ‘The Scared Gang’, a collection of story book characters who all react in different ways when they get scared. We thought about the different ways some of the children or their families react when they are scared, and learned about what happens to our brains when we get scared and can’t keep our big feelings in (fight or run away) or we get stuck and freeze, and can’t let our big feelings out.
We then got extra cosy under blankets with hot water bottles, and tried guided relaxation which helped us rest, relax our bodies and quieten our minds.
The grown-ups were invited to come back at the end to have a cuppa and a chat. They enjoyed catching up with other foster carers who balance taking care of looked after children alongside their own children. They might have been just a little bit jealous though – who wouldn’t want a nice lie down under a cosy blanket in a darkened den?
We are looking forward to our next Kids Club event, and hope to see many of you there!
If this has inspired you to foster, please get in contact with us by sending us an enquiry, or by phoning us on 0333 240 9049.