Presidents’ Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, it is still officially called “Washington’s Birthday” by the federal government. Traditionally celebrated on February 22 ~ Washington’s actual day of birth ~ the holiday became popularly known as Presidents’ Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for American workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents’ Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present.
To see a listing of all U.S. presidents go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents. Click on each president to find out who they were and what they achieved during their presidency. This is a great site to go through with your children to test their knowledge and your own!
Tag Archives: Annapolis
Au Pairs and their children enjoy reading books at The JNP Project
In the month of July au pairs from Au Pair in America and their children met in downtown Annapolis at The JNP Project for a private story time. Jane & Jake and all the undersea characters from Awesome were introduced to the children and they had a blast, and DID NOT WANT TO LEAVE! The JNP Project™ [Jane Not Plain] is a movement nurturing character, courage, and confidence (healthy inner awesome self-esteem) in all boys and girls (5-12+), while helping them discover and make choices from their inner awesome! We had so much fun reading, coloring, dancing, singing and exploring the first adventure that we plan on meeting here once a month for coffee and reading time. The great thing was that the children remembered the story from the previous month and couldn’t wait to move onto the next book! The JNP Project offers many on-line activities for childcare providers to engage with the children under their charge. For more information on this great day visit http://thejnpproject.com/kids-summer-reading-fun-with-jane-and-jake-in-awesome/.
Au Pairs meet at the GoKarts in Crofton
Go Kart racing has been a popular pastime for about 50 years in the U.S. and has been the first step for many drivers who eventually go on to professional racing in NASCAR, Formula 1 and the Indy Racing League. And there are some women’s names in the professional racing world too, such as Danica Patrick and Sarah Fisher. While we may not have been thinking about such high aspirations when we joined together for a couple of hours of fun this past Sunday at Crofton Go-Karts, we surely exhibited the adventurous spirit Au Pairing bring out in person!
Au Pairs share their culture at our Cultural Fair at EcoAdventures
Once a year our three clusters, Annapolis, Baltimore and Columbia, come together for our annual host family event, which is one of the State Department’s requirements for participation in the program. While total attendance is still a goal we hope to reach each year, we were very pleased to see all the happy families enjoying this year’s Cultural Fair for host families and au pairs. The venue was EcoAdventures (http://www.ecoadventures.org/) in Millersville, a hands on educational facility that captured everyone’s’ interest. The children were able to touch the animals, with appropriate precautions taken, while they learned about the animals in the Rain Forest room. The adults enjoyed that also! Au Pairs from around the world were stationed at tables with fun information about their countries and children were able to get a passport that they could take to the different tables and get stickers from the different countries. The icing on the cake was the food they brought from their native cuisine, which filled two table tops. Food is always a great way to share culture.
We hope to see even more host families next year!
Fifty-two Au Pairs Enjoy an America favorite ~ An Oriole Baseball Game in Baltimore
On May 16, 2015, au pairs from the Baltimore, Columbia and Annapolis clusters came together to see the Orioles play baseball at Oriole Park at Camden Yards Stadium in downtown Baltimore. In total 52 au pairs came out to enjoy the day and to experience one of America’s favorite forms of entertainment! So many countries from around the globe were represented we lost track. While the sun was shining and the weather was very hot the Orioles pulled off a win against the Los Angeles Angels!
Trek America Adventures geared towards Au Pair Travel
Thanks so much to Brian Egger of Trek America (www.trekamerica.com/aupairinamerica) for braving the winter storm today to meet with us and let us know about the wonderful travel opportunities for our au pairs. Tours range from as little as 3 to 4 days to 4 weeks long depending on how much time and money you have to spend! The beauty of joining such a Trek is the opportunity to meet people who may come from all different parts of the world. As you explore American cites and natural parks you find yourself making friends with people who span the globe! The tour guides introduce you to the locals by offering jeep rides on an Indian preservation to horseback riding in the Grand Canyon. For more information visit the Trek America site.
So What is Presidents Day Anyway?
Presidents’ Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, it is still officially called “Washington’s Birthday” by the federal government. Traditionally celebrated on February 22 ~ Washington’s actual day of birth ~ the holiday became popularly known as Presidents’ Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents’ Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present. To see a listing of all U.S. presidents go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents. Click on each president to find out who they were and what they achieved during their presidency. Most American school children have to learn their presidents so this is a great site to go through with them and test their knowledge! Have fun. You may learn something new.
Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. Jan 19th
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
Martin Luther King, I Have a Dream Quote
Here is a great link about the history of this special day including a biography of Dr. King, a quiz for kids and a junior crossword. Maybe you can do something special with the kids to acknowledge the day: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/mlkjrday1.html
To read the full I Have a dream Speech go to:
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm
Au Pairs receive self-defense instruction
On Sunday, January 11th au pairs from the Annapolis cluster of Au Pair in America received hands on instruction from Jing Ying Institute on practical easy to recall self-defense moves should they ever find themselves in a dangerous situation. 
Billy and Nancy Greer, the owners, demonstrated several areas of personal protection to include (1) awareness and avoidance techniques; (2) escaping mechanisms and (3) quick easy to use fighting back tools enabling an au pair to escape if someone larger and stronger attacks. The au pairs left feeling empowered and better prepared! For more information on this workshop please visit www.JingYing.org. They are located in Arnold and offer many wonderful classes for your entire family.
Au Pairs Enjoy a Navy Football Game in Annapolis
This past Saturday, 70 au pairs from around the world from our three clusters (Annapolis, Baltimore and Columbia), braved the cold and went to a Navy Football game in Annapolis. For some this was a first time experience! While it was cold outside we kept warm by huddling together and enjoying hot chocolate! Go Navy!
