The following activities will help families and professionals celebrate adoption throughout the month of November. Find ideas for every day of the month below, or download a printable version (PDF 207 KB).

Monday 1: Kick off National Adoption Month by contacting your local TV station or newspaper and encouraging them to run the free Public Service Advertisements (PSAs) about adoption produced by the Ad Council: http://www.adcouncil.org/campaigns/adoption/.

Tuesday 2: Election Day: Invite your mayor or governor to issue an Adoption Month Proclamation. Use as an example the proclamation by President Bush: http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/general/adoptmonth/proclam.cfm.

Wednesday 3: Videotape your local "Wednesday's Child" program or TV program featuring waiting children to share with a prospective adoptive parents' group. Visit the Freddie Mac Foundation's Wednesday's Child website for a list of TV stations: http://adopt.org/wednesdayschild/home/wed-child-page.htm.

Thursday 4: Visit the newly redesigned National Adoption Information Clearinghouse (NAIC) website for adoption-related information. Download materials, order publications online, or contact NAIC toll-free at 888-251-0075 or by email at naic@caliber.com.

Friday 5: Develop a creative way to illustrate the 126,000 children in the U.S. foster care system waiting for adoptive families (e.g., display 126 dolls, each representing 1000 children who wait for families). Other statistics can be found in the most recent AFCARS Federal report: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/publications/afcars/report8.htm.

Saturday 6: Create a family tree. Many websites provide examples of alternative "family tree" exercises for children who were adopted.

Sunday 7: Contact your place of worship and see how they might collaborate with local agencies in the effort to recruit families for children. Order the fifth book in the Answering the Call series from AdoptUSKids: "Answering the Call — Finding Common Ground: A Guide for Child Welfare Agencies Working with Communities of Faith" or visit the Center for Faith-based and Community Initiatives for potential funds to support these efforts: http://www.hhs.gov/fbci/.

Monday 8: Ask your local health club or other business to put up a bulletin board highlighting November as National Adoption Month. Provide resources from the National Adoption Month website: http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/general/adoptmonth/index.cfm.

Tuesday 9: Create and donate a picture frame to a local court for new family photos for National Adoption Day, November 20, when courts across the country will be finalizing adoptions for thousands of children in foster care. For more information on National Adoption Day activities visit the website at: http://www.nationaladoptionday.org/2004/index.asp.

Wednesday 10: Contact your local adoption agency to discuss opportunities for volunteering. Agencies can be located through the National Adoption Directory at: http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/general/nad/index.cfm.

Thursday 11: Create bookmarks with information about adoption and waiting children. Distribute them at libraries, bookstores, and coffee shops in the area. Check the National Organizations Database for lists of organizations with information about adoption: http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/general/organizations/search.cfm.

Friday 12: Spend time learning more about the specific children waiting for families by visiting the AdoptUSKids website at: http://www.adoptuskids.org.

Saturday 13: Ask your place of worship to offer a prayer for children who wait for families. (If you are Jewish, consider forming a Stars of David support group with other adoptive families if there is none in your area: http://www.starsofdavid.org/).

Sunday 14: Ask a meteorologist at your local radio or TV station to report on November 20th, "Skies are sunny (or cloudy) today, National Adoption Day…" or to mention adoption during this month.

Monday 15: If you belong to a Native American tribe, talk to another member about fostering or adopting a Native American child. Visit the Cherokee Kids or NICWA websites to learn more about Native American children waiting for families. http://www.cherokeekids.org/ and http://www.nicwa.org/policy/law/adoption_safe/index.asp.

Tuesday 16: With your child's permission, offer to give a presentation about adoption to students. Visit Resources for Parents and Teachers for information on preparing adoption-related lessons: http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/general/adoptmonth/resources_parents.cfm.

Wednesday 17: Visit the archived editions of the Children's Bureau Express to learn more about promising practices in adoption and the recruitment of adoptive families. You can search archived editions at: http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/.

Thursday 18: Start a playgroup for adopted children in your community to provide respite for parents. Find a list of adoptive parent support groups in your State in the National Adoption Directory on NAIC: http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/general/nad/index.cfm. Don't forget to let NAIC know if your support group is not listed.

Friday 19: If your children came from other countries, cut apart a map and glue together the city of your home and the cities where your children were born. Post your new family map on your refrigerator. Information about your child's country of origin may be found on the State Department's website: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/.

Saturday 20: National Adoption Day: Attend or support National Adoption Day activities in your area. Information can be found at: http://www.nationaladoptionday.org/2004/index.asp.

Sunday 21: Plan to attend or send someone from your group to a national conference related to adoption. Conferences may be found online at: http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/general/conferences/index.cfm. Scholarships are sometimes available.

Monday 22: Plan a foster or adoptive parent appreciation activity and award ceremony at your agency. Don't forget to provide childcare and food!

Tuesday 23: Attend a cultural event in your community that is representative of your child's culture.

Wednesday 24: Start a journal for your adopted child or create a special family ritual to celebrate your child's adoption. Visit the North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) website for ideas of possible rituals: http://www.nacac.org/AdMoGuide/celebration.pdf (PDF 552 KB).

Thursday 25: Thanksgiving: Let each family give thanks and remember the people in the past and the present that have been involved in their lives. Provide opportunities for your child to have information and contact (if appropriate) with birth siblings who may still be in foster care.

Friday 26: Ask local businesses to sponsor an adoption walk or run. Provide adoption-related materials to all participants and volunteers.

Saturday 27: Offer to share your adoption story (successes as well as any struggles) with prospective adoptive parents at a local agency. This can provide families with a realistic view of what to expect in the process. Find local agencies in the National Adoption Directory: http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/general/nad/index.cfm.

Sunday 28: Discuss the Pew Commission Report on Children in Foster Care in your parent group to discuss suggestions this group of child welfare experts had for improving the child welfare system: http://pewfostercare.org/.

Monday 29: Play the "20 Questions" game with your child related to their adoption to provide insight into their concerns and curiosities.

Tuesday 30: Consider ways you might keep the issue of children waiting for adoptive families in the public's eye. Again encourage your local TV station or newspaper to run the adoption PSAs or see how you might assist the Recruitment Response Teams from AdoptUSKids in your State: http://www.adoptUSKids.org.