PrairieCare is pleased to announce that we now offer Sibshops, workshops for siblings of children with special needs. Sibshops are nationally recognized workshops all over the United States and the world. The purpose of Sibshops is to provide siblings with fun, interactive activities that allow them to acknowledge that there are good things / bad things that come with being a sibling of a child with special needs, and to reflect with others who may be experiencing similar experiences. Special needs may refer to mental illness, physical illness, or developmental struggles.
What do we do at Sibshops? We have fun! Sibshops are an opportunity for siblings to play goofy games, create art projects, and reflect on how their sibling’s disability or special need/health issue affects them. Oftentimes, siblings are used to hearing about their brother/sister with the special need and things being focused on them. But, our Sibshops focus on the sibling!
Each Sibshop is different and facilitators plan fun, unique activities every month. The typical schedule is similar to that below:
Educational Activites consist of peer discussions which may focus on some of the following struggles of being a sib: jealousy, embarrassment, confusion, frustration, worries, feeling left out, unequal treatment, and other topics. Sibs will also have a chance to share stories, memories, or laughs about their sibs and talk about the good things with their sib.
So far, we have had 2 Sibshops at PrairieCare and have had tons of fun with them! We even made jello pinwheels at our last Sibshop – the kids loved them!
Typically, our Sibshops are the last Saturday of the month – we have rearranged some dates to better accommodate holiday schedules.
See the dates below for Sibshops through the end of 2013:
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Saturday, December 21, 2013
All sessions are currently held at the PrairieCare Maple Grove Location. All sessions are from 9:30am – Noon. Sibshops are for siblings of children with special needs ages 6-12. If your child is outside of that age range, please give me a call and we can determine they are an appropriate fit for Sibshops. If you are interested in signing your child up for a PrairieCare Sibshop, please feel free to email or call me at ebuell@prairie-care.com or 952.826.8415.