Au Pair Chatter

Play dough is the perfect modeling material for children. Their small hands can pat, poke, pinch, roll and knead it into many shapes. Keep it in an airtight container to use another day, or let it air dry into favorite shapes.

Measure 2 cups of flour, one cup of salt and 4 teaspoons of cream of tartar into a bowl. Add 1/4 cup of oil to one cup of water in a separate bowl then add the mixture to the dry ingredients. Squeeze 10-20 drops of food coloring into one cup of water and add it to the mixture. Mix well to make it smooth and to spread the color evenly. Cook the dough at low heat in a wide pan, stirring constantly until it becomes rubbery. Remove the dough from the heat and knead it for a few minutes. When it cools the kids can play too!

Photo: Gina Guillotine

Šárka from the Czech Republic made some great Advent calendars for her host kids, too!
Check out the pictures below.

Below are the directions from Family Fun, for this fun and easy project.

Garland of Gratitude

Simple enough for kids to create on their own, these beautiful, textured leaves make a wonderful holiday tradition. Invite each guest to write something he or she is grateful for on a leaf, and watch the garland grow each year.

Materials

• Colored construction paper
• Pencil
• Spray bottle (filled with water)
• Scissors
• Colored pencils
• Twine or natural-colored string
• Double-sided tape

Instructions

1. Draw leaf shapes on colored construction paper, or download leaf templates and then trace on to colored construction paper.Make at least 1 leaf per guest plus others for decoration.
2. Lay the paper on a covered work surface, then spray water over both sides so the whole surface is damp. Crumple the paper into a loose ball, flatten it out, and let it dry completely (which takes a few hours).
3. Next, cut out the leaves and hand them to your guests to write on.
4. Finally, make a garland by folding the stems over a length of string and taping them in place. Drape them from a sideboard, along a mantel, or from the top of a doorway.

Click here to read more Fire Safety Tips on PBS Kids

Here are some fire safety tips from PBSKids.org. Go over these fire safety tips with your children.

Be Smart

1. Don’t touch matches. Stay away from lighters and candles, too.
2. Don’t touch radiators or heaters. Ask a grown-up to turn a heater on or off for you. Don’t stand too close to a fireplace or wood stove, either.
3. Don’t play with electrical cords. And don’t stick anything into an electrical socket.
4. Don’t play around in the kitchen. If you want to cook something, be sure to check with a grown-up first.
5. Don’t put anything over a lamp. Things thrown over a lamp (like blankets or clothing) could catch fire.

Grandparents Day is celebrated on the first Sunday after Labor Day. This year that will be September 11.  This is not a widely celebrated holiday, but most grandparents would still appreciate being remembered and would particularly enjoy a homemade gift or card.  Work with your children to create a simple but special surprise.  Use a photo of the child or the child and the grandparent to make it even more special.

Photo by ScottieT812

Take out the blocks and see how tall you can build a skyscraper.

Or try this…

Make your own large size blocks:

1. Wash the inside of half-gallon size cardboard milk or juice containers
2. Carefully cut off the folding top portion of each container
3. Put one container completely inside the other with the two closed ends facing out.  These are strong enough to stand on!

Photo by: Ella Novak (Flickr)

With the start of school it’s easy to rush out the door and forget to eat a healthy and nutritious breakfast.  Remember that children need a balanced diet including milk, meat, vegetables, fruit and grain.  Breakfast should include at least three of those groups.

Photo by: Dospaz (Flickr)

What is a Schultüte?

From Wikipedia:

A “Schultüte” (or School Cone, even though the word “Tüte” translates more as “bag” from German), often also called Zuckertüte (”sugar bag”, especially in Eastern Germany) is a paper (and later plastic) bag in particular.

When children in Germany and Austria set off for their first day in school upon entering first grade, their parents and/or grandparents present them with a big cardboard cone, prettily decorated and filled with toys, chocolate, candies, school supplies, and various other goodies. It is given to children to make this anxiously awaited first day of school a little bit sweeter.

Want to make one for that special child starting school? I found tutorials on several websites:

Alphamom

UK-German Connection

Mother Huddle

Due to the severe weather from Hurricane Irene that is anticipated on Saturday, the event will be be canceled.

If you created a time capsule to take part, please contact me (contact info. below) to arrange to receive your goody bag.

In honor of the 25^th Anniversary of Au Pair in America, we are sponsoring a time capsule fair. Families are invited to create a family time capsule and participate. Guests are also welcome to come see the time capsules on display, vote for their favorite and participate in the other family activities.

This will be a Fun Family Event featuring…

• Time Capsule Fair
• Story Times
• Back to School Organization Tips for Parents
• Temporary Tattoos
• Coloring & Crafts
• Door Prize Drawings

A Time Capsule is a container that includes items and information that share what it was like to live in a particular period of time. After the time capsule fair, you can seal up your capsule and mark it “Not to be opened until 2036.” It could be buried or just tucked away in your attic. It will be a lot of fun looking back at the items 25 years from now!

Download a Complete Time Capsule Activity Plan HERE

Time Capsule Fair Rules:

• Register HERE online (preferred) or the day of the event.
• You may use any container and include whatever items you choose.
• You may work together as a family to create one family time capsule or each child may create and enter their own.
• Each entry will have a 2’ x 2 1/2’ table space to display their time capsule and it’s contents.
• Backboards are allowed, but not required.
• Each family who enters the time capsule will receive a gift bag.
• Time capsules should be checked in and set-up between 1:00 and 2:00 PM to be included.
• Judging will take place at 2:30 PM.
• Award presentations and prize drawings will be held at 2:45 PM.
• If you want to take your time capsule home, it needs to be picked up by 3:30 PM.

For more information, please call Christine Connally at 301-860-1314 or email at cicaupair @ gmail.com (without the spaces.)

July 24 is Amelia Earhart Day

Amelia Earhart became the first person, man or woman, to fly solo across the pacific. Another famous flight was her nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic in 1932, the first for a woman.

College Park Aviation Museum is a great place to take the kids for hands-on learning about aviation. Visit their website for hours and upcoming events.