November 2013

In This Issue ... “Partnering For Permanency” Theme f f “Partnering For Permanency” Theme for National for National Adoption Month Month f f A Note About Devices and November is National Adoption Month in the USA, a time to raise awareness FosterParentCollege. about the urgent need for adoptive for kids in . The 2013 focus builds on last year’s goal of harnessing the power of social media ® com to recruit and retain for the over 100,000 children and teens in f f Opportunities foster care waiting for permanent families. This year, the initiative promotes greater collaboration between agencies and organizations to pair kids with f f Carefree Cooking families. -- Famous No Coffee Pumpkin Latte The typical who has been freed for adoption is at least eight years old, -- Caramelized Pumpkin has moved three or more times in foster care, may have been separated and Pear Crumble from , and will wait five years or longer to be adopted. Tens of thousands of them will leave the system sometime between the age of f f Kids Korner 18 and 21 without families to support them as they find their way in the -- November Word Find adult world. Few will attend college or trade school and many will fall into -- Decoupage Pumpkins poverty and/or crime.

The annual effort to raise awareness about adoption began in 1976 in Massachusetts, when then-Gov. Michael Dukakis announced the first Adoption Sound Off! Week. The idea proved popular and spread across the country. Later that year, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Adoption Week, and then in 1990, because so many states were participating, President The Connections staff wants Bill Clinton expanded the week to an entire month. Now, most states have to hear from you. What do events during November to raise awareness about the need for adoptive you like about this monthly and foster families. newsletter? What would you like to see more of? The Children's Bureau sponsors the National Adoption Month initiative Are the articles helpful? through a partnership with AdoptUSKids and Child Welfare Information Please email ideas to: Gateway. [email protected] To learn about events in your area, visit http://www.childwelfare.gov/ adoption/nam/.

A high point in the month is National Adoption Day, slated for November 23. Since it began in 2000 more than 44,000 have been finalized on Adoption Day. The goal for this year is to finalize adoptions on that date in all 50 states. For information, visit http://www.nationaladoptionday.org/.

Connections is published by Northwest Media, Inc., for free redistribution by its affiliate agencies and customers. © 2013 by Northwest Media, Inc.

Find additional resources for foster care and adoption at www.FosterParentCollege.com

page1 Connections - FosterParentCollege.com® November 2013

A Note About Devices and FosterParentCollege.com®

Adobe Flash Player is required to view Click this link below to learn more about Adobe FosterParentCollege.com® classes. Please refer Flash Player: to your device manual to determine if it supports Adobe Flash. Apple iPad and iPhone do not support Adobe Flash and you will not be able to view FPC http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer courses on these devices at this time.

Opportunities

Train now, before the holiday busy-ness starts. Kids will be on school break in no time at all, so this is the perfect time to log in to your FosterParentCollege. com account and get some of your required training done. Forgot your password? We can help! Click Learn how taking FPC classes benefits the “Send a Comment” at the top of the website and National Foster Association. Visit we’ll help you out. www.fosterparentcollege.com and click on the NFPA logo. Walk Me Home....to the place I belong events are scheduled for Nov. 23 in Gardendale, AL and Clark Yes, you CAN reprint articles from this newsletter. County, NV. These are fundraising and awareness Please notify us of your plans, and on the article building 5K walks hosted by the National Foster state the story is “Reprinted with permission from Parent Association. To register to walk, to sponsor FosterParentCollege.com® Connections.” Email a walker, or to find out about organizing a walk in Lisa at [email protected]. your area visit http://nfpaonline.org/wmh.

Advanced Parenting Workshops are open for enrollment. It is possible to jump into a workshop at any time and complete it at your own pace. As always, completing a workshop yields six hours of training credit.

Find additional resources for foster care and adoption at www.FosterParentCollege.com

page2 Connections - FosterParentCollege.com® November 2013

Carefree Cooking

Famous No Coffee Pumpkin Latte This is a warm and creamy rich pumpkin drink that tastes like a Starbucks® pumpkin latte, without the coffee.

Ingredients: XX 1 cup pumpkin puree XX 1 teaspoon ground XX 1 quart milk cinnamon XX XX ¼ cup white sugar 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions: 1. Combine pumpkin, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla in a large saucepan over medium heat. Use a whisk to blend well. 2. Heat to a simmer; do not boil. Adjust From Allrecipes.com, submitted sweetness and spices to taste. by RescueRanger (image: http:// 3. May add hot coffee, if desired. allrecipes.com/recipe/famous- no-coffee-pumpkin-latte/)

Caramelized Pumpkin and Pear Crumble

Ingredients: XX 2 large ripe pears, XX 1/2 teaspoon peeled, cored, and ground cinnamon cut into 1/2-inch XX 2 15-ounce cans cubes pumpkin puree XX 14 tablespoons XX 1 1/4 cups all- unsalted butter, cold purpose flour XX 1/2 cup maple XX 1/2 cup packed syrup light brown sugar XX 1 teaspoon vanilla XX 1/2 cup walnut extract pieces XX 2 teaspoons ground ginger

Directions: 1. In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, 3. Heat oven to 375° F. combine pears, 4 tablespoons of butter, 4. In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, spread maple syrup, vanilla, and spices and the pumpkin-pear mixture evenly on the cook until the pears are tender, 9 to 10 bottom. Sprinkle the topping over it and minutes. Add pumpkin and cook for 1 to bake until golden brown and bubbling, 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. about 40 to 50 minutes. Serve warm. 2. Place the flour, brown sugar, and remaining butter in a bowl. With your From RealSimple.com fingers, work the butter into the dry ingredients until large crumbs form. Add the walnuts and combine well.

Find additional resources for foster care and adoption at www.FosterParentCollege.com

page3 r FosterParentCollege.com® November 2013 Kids Korne November Word Find Fun – Hang this page on your fridge for your children’s enjoyment.

There are many ways to show you appreciate a person, a kindness, or a gift. In this word search, you might get some ideas for ways to show gratitude.

Word Key: I D M U F J K A J S M L A U G H H Q K Q XX Thanks Z H W K T B D C B G U Z Z I H M T P V Q XX Grateful F I V E X S K F T P U L E Y C N U R J B XX Appreciate S M C M E H E K A H S D N A H G I H Z A XX Smile

W D A H Z Z P H L U Z Q Q A P J X H U G XX Hug XX Laugh Q J L V N W P N H O G R A T E F U L R L XX Handshake K Y L B J N P Q I V L Y J T O L D T H J XX Note Z E T A I C E R P P A N W N E S I K D L XX Call XX High Five X W N K N F J V X C W H I O V S M M P Y

H N I J C J S K N A H T L T X K R D S U

O V W T M L Y H P Z L E N E F A C H T X

Kids Krafts – Decoupage Pumpkins

This simple craft is fun. Use an artificial pumpkin if you want it to last forever.

What You Will Need:

XX Real or artificial pumpkin XX Paintbrushes XX Colored tissue paper or thin XX Mod Podge or watered- paper with patterns down white glue

How To Make Them:

1. Gather tissue paper or other paper, several paintbrushes, and a container of Mod Podge or watered-down white glue. 2. Working on a protected surface, simply tear the paper into squares and paste them in place. Double layers of tissue produce bold colors. Add a topcoat of Mod Podge to give the finish durability. 3. Idea: use an artificial pumpkin and pet or photos printed off your computer to make a family memento.

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