The Chicago Area Blog

Bee searching for pollen

Fun with Bees!

Summer is a great time to observe and learn about the wonderful world of bees, but be careful not to get too close!

At the Library:

Look for books about bees such as Berlioz the Bear by Jan Brett or Bumblebee, Bumblebee, Do You Know Me? : A Garden Guessing Game by Anne Rockwell.

Arts and Crafts:

• Make a large “Bee Garden” poster: Use green paper and create a flower garden using markers or construction paper or crayons. Draw bees visiting the flowers.
• Make a Bee Headband: Use a 1-1/2” wide piece of construction paper measured to fit the circumference of the child’s head for the headband. You need chenille stems (pipe cleaners) if you want to make the flowers stand up. Make the flowers out of tissues or stiff paper.

Make a Bee Snack

Make pumpernickel (dark) bread with melted cheese stripes.

Six Buzzing Bumblebees (a finger play – use your fingers as the bees)

Six buzzing bumblebees
Flying ‘round the hive,
One buzzes off and then there are five.
Five buzzing bumblebees
Flying near my door,
One buzzes off and then there are four
Four buzzing bumblebees
Flying ’round a tree.
One buzzes off and then there are three.
Three buzzing bumblebees
In the sky so blue.
One buzzes off and then there are two.
Two buzzing bumblebees
Flying toward the sun.
One buzzes off and then there is one.
One buzzing bumblebee
Looking for some fun,
Oops! It stung me….off it buzzes.
Then there are none.

The Geneva Sun Newspaper recently ran a great article on Chicago area Au Pair in America community counselor, Sandee Plescia and her au pairs.  It discusses the cultural exchange aspect of the program.

Read the article HERE.

Au Pairs work hard all week long.  They provide childcare for their Host Families for up to 10 hours a day and 45 hours a week.  They have fun with the children; taking them to the park, playing games, reading, helping with homework, driving to activities and so much more.  So when the work week is over, Au Pairs love to take a break and relax.

On Friday, April 16 three Au Pair in America clusters from the western suburbs gathered at Expression Dance Studio in Westmont for:  “Au Pair Dance Night Out.”  They were joined by their local Community Counselors Maria, Pat and Pam, and one very brave set of Au Pair parents for some dance lessons and a whole lot of fun.  The au pairs learned a few “smooth latin moves” and how to have fun, and look good out on the dance floor.  One Au Pair commented:  “Dance Night was so much fun, we should do this again very soon.”

The Naperville Cluster gathered for one of their monthly cluster meetings to “give back” to a local charity.  They exercised their creativity and generosity by putting together beautiful baskets to give to families in need through the  Naperville Loaves and Fishes organization.  A fun time was had by all.

   Easter is on Sunday, April 4 for both “Western” and “Eastern Orthodox” Christians this year.   Here is some Easter trivia from around the world:

	According to widespread belief, Easter owes its name to “Eastre”, the Anglo-Saxon goddess symbolizing hare and egg. Another theory suggests that it comes from the early German word “eostarun”, meaning dawn and white.
	Easter always falls between March 22 and April 25.
	Easter is a “moveable feast” as it does not fall on a fixed date in the Gregorian or Julian calendars. The full moon determines the date of Easter.
	”Pysanka” is a name given to the tradition of Easter egg painting.
	The color used in painting the eggs differ in different nations. Orthodox Grecians paint their eggs red to symbolize the blood of Christ. Some Germans and Austrians paint their eggs green and use them on Holy Thursday. Slavic peoples decorate their eggs in gold and silver patterns.
	Chocolate eggs   were traditionally given as gifts in Europe.
	In 19th century Europe, bitter dark chocolate was used to make small egg shapes. These chocolate eggs were traditionally exchanged as Easter gifts, especially in countries like France and Germany.
	Ninety million chocolate Easter bunnies and 16 billion jelly beans are produced each year before the commencement of the Easter festivities. As a holiday, Easter comes only second to Halloween in terms of the annual sale confectionary items.
	76 percent of people eat the ears on chocolate bunnies first.
	According to the Guinness Book of World Records the largest Easter egg ever made was just over 25 feet high and weighed 8,968 lbs.
	In countries like Hungary and Transylvania, the day after Easter is called “Locsolo Hetfo” meaning “Watering Monday”. This is because water, perfume or perfumed water is often sprinkled in exchange for an Easter egg on this day.

March 30, the first day of  Passover, is also known as Pesach or Pesah,is a Holy Day, observed by several religions, begins Tuesday and lasts seven or eight days, depending on your beliefs.  It commemorates the exodus and freedom of the Israelites from Egypt.  It is also observed by some Christians to commemorate the deliverance from sin by the sacrifice of Jesus.

March 28- Palm Sunday Palm Sunday is a Christian celebration that always falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem in the days before his Passion.  In many Christian churches, Palm Sunday is marked by the distribution of palm leaves (often tied into crosses) to the assembled worshipers

Did you know that Au Pair in America will pay for the cost of a Red Cross class providing you have at least three months left on your visa and you are taking one of several approved childcare/child safety related classes, such as infant/child CPR or Community First Aid and Safety.

The American Red Cross of Chicago is offering a class designed for childcare providers, teachers, parents and others who care for children, this course teaches participants how to recognize and care for breathing and cardiac emergencies in infants and children up to 8 years of age. Participants take home a skills card as well as information about preventing injuries. The course is (CSCC) CPR/AED, # HSSFA207.  For schedule and more information, visit the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago website. Here is a link to the class: http://arc-chicago.axxiomportal.com/Education/course.aspx?c=7649 . Check with your community counselor for details on payment for courses.

Saturday, March 20th is the first day of spring!  Take a walk outside and look for signs of spring – swelling buds on the trees, flowers poking up from the ground, more birds back in the trees.  The forecast is predicting snow this weekend, but nice weather again next week.

Schools will be taking spring break in the next several weeks depending on what district, city or suburb you are in. It is expected that the contractual agreement will be honored and that au pairs will not be asked to work more than the regular number of hours (45 / week, 10 hours per day for the Au Pair and Au Pair Extraordinaire and 30 hours / week for  EduCare  Companions).