February Half Term Fun: Pottery Painting, Aquarium Visit, Pasta Making & Cookie Decorating!
At Rainbow Fostering, our Youth Participation Team organise events and activities for children to help them feel valued, included, and connected. These events give children the opportunity to build friendships, try new experiences, and develop confidence in a safe and supportive environment. They also create positive memories and a sense of belonging within the Rainbow community. By bringing carers and children together, we support their emotional wellbeing and ensure they know they are an important part of our Rainbow family. 🌈
Here’s what we were up to this February Half Term….
Our children and foster carers enjoying the day out at SEA LIFE Manchester! • 🌊˖°𓇼⋆🐋🐚 𓈒𓏸
Manchester Aquarium Day 🐬
This half term, we were delighted to bring together our foster carers, children and young people for a special day out at SEA LIFE Manchester.
The event offered the perfect blend of relaxation, fun and learning. As families explored the aquarium, the children were fascinated by the incredible marine life surrounding them. A particular highlight was discovering more about turtles – learning about their long ocean journeys and how we can all play a part in protecting their environment. The young people asked thoughtful questions and were amazed by the size and grace of these gentle creatures. It was wonderful to see curiosity sparked so naturally.
The interactive rockpool experience was another memorable moment. The young people had the chance to gently touch starfish and learn more about these unique sea creatures up close. For many, it was a brand-new experience, and their smiles and laughter said it all.
There was also time to simply enjoy the calming atmosphere. Walking through the ocean tunnel, watching fish glide overhead in the soft blue light, created a peaceful space for everyone to slow down and connect.
It was heartwarming to see carers watching their rainbow children and birth children sharing such a joyful day together. Events like this remind us how important shared experiences are in building confidence, relationships and happy memories.
Written by Leah Paris, Youth Participation Officer
Milton Keynes Pasta Making Course 🍝
This February half term, we were delighted to run a special Pasta Making Workshop at Milton Keynes Cooking School and what a fantastic day it turned out to be.
Bringing together children, young people and foster families from across Milton Keynes, the session was filled with energy, laughter and new skills
The workshop focused on teaching us how to make fresh pasta entirely from scratch. From cracking eggs into flour wells to kneading and rolling silky dough, everyone had the opportunity to get involved, carers and staff too!
Many of the young people had never made pasta before, but they quickly gained confidence as they:
Kneaded their own dough, rolled out their pasta sheets and cut into shapes and got them ready to boil.
It was wonderful to see hesitant hands turn into confident cooks within just a couple of hours.
While the focus was on pasta, the impact of the session went far beyond the kitchen.
Cooking together created a relaxed and supportive environment where foster families could bond, communicate and share a BIG (and delicious) achievement. Working side by side encouraged teamwork, patience and creativity. For many, sitting down together and chatting about their amazing achievements was the highlight of the day.
The class was a success and everybody did such as great job creating their pasta from scratch- we can’t wait to see our young people put to their new skills to the test in the kitchen at home.
We are incredibly proud of how well the children did and grateful to all the families who joined us. Seeing young people leave with new skills, greater confidence and happy memories is exactly why we love running our events.
We look forward to running more community-focused events in the future and tasting more delicious creations made from our aspiring young chefs.
Written by Ruby Ward, Senior Youth Participation Officer
Fun Designing & Creating
We also decorated cookies at our cookie decorating workshop in London!
London & Hampshire Pottery Painting 🎨
Over 20 foster families from London andHampshire joined us for a fantastic day of pottery painting! Picking what to paint was no easy task (turns out there are a lot of tempting options), but once everyone got started, the creativity really flowed. By the end of the day, each person had a beautiful piece to take home, along with colourful hands and plenty of happy memories.
Hear from our carers:
“I just wanted to say thank you for organising such a wonderful painting workshop.”
“Everything was so thoughtfully planned and beautifully managed, it all ran so smoothly, which made the experience even more enjoyable for everyone.”
“The children had an amazing time and were completely absorbed in the activities.”
“It was lovely to see their creativity come to life in such a warm and encouraging environment.”
“We can’t wait to receive the finished artworks back.”
“Thank you again for creating such a memorable experience for both parents and children”
Experiences like this go beyond simply having fun, they create opportunities to build relationships, develop independent living skills, strengthen communication, and promote a sense of belonging within the fostering community.
Written by Shivali Rawal, Youth Participation Officer
