If interested in learning more about hosting an au pair in your home to see if this would meet your childcare needs please stop by my Au Pair in America table at The Festival on the Green at the Crofton Country Club located at 1691 Crofton Parkway between the hours of 10am and 4pm on September 26th. I will have au pairs on hand to answer any of your questions. If you are not in the market please feel free to let others know that may be! Have a great weekend. For more information about us visit our website at www.aupairinamerica.com.
Tag Archives: children
Happy Labor Day
The Workman’s Holiday ~ Dedicated in honor of the worker, Labor Day is also known as the “workingman’s holiday”. The holiday is dedicated to all workers in the United States in respect and appreciation for the work they do in or outside of the home, union or non-union, big companies and small companies and au pairs too. As long as you work somewhere at something, this holiday is for you! It is a day to celebrate your contribution to American working life and the work you do.
Was it McGuire or Maguire? Either Peter McGuire or Matthew Maguire is the Creator of Labor Day. Peter J. McGuire, was an active labor organizer. He was also general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor. He was believed to be the first to suggest a day be dedicated to American workers and their accomplishments. Matthew Maguire however, was secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York in 1882 and many believed that he proposed the holiday in 1882.
The First Labor Day ~ The first Labor Day was celebrated in New York City on September 5, 1882 and was started by the Central Labor Union in New York City. In 1884, it was moved to the first Monday in September where it is celebrated today. Labor Day quickly became popular and one state after another voted it as a holiday. On June 28, 1894, the U.S. congress voted it a national holiday.
So What do Americans eat on Labor Day? Picnics and barbecues are popular ways to celebrate Labor Day. Old standards are hamburgers, corn dogs, coleslaw, potato salad corn on the cob, baked beans and sliced tomatoes. Finish up with sliced watermelon, apple or blueberry pie and freshly churned ice cream. Sound good? Want to try a recipe?
http://www.whats4eats.com/salads/potato-salad-recipe
http://www.whats4eats.com/salads/sweet-coleslaw-recipe
http://www.whats4eats.com/desserts/blueberry-pie-recipe
What can you do with the kids on Labor Day? Schools are usually closed on labor day so the children are home for the day. Generally Americans love long weekends and it is an extra special time for families to be together. Join in and be part of the family activities. Enjoy your first Labor Day Weekend in the United States. If you recently arrived this is a great weekend to bond with the kids and get to know them. Go for a bike ride, play in the back yard, go to the park or enjoy the beach and the pool before the fall weather arrives. For indoor quiet activities try these:
Click here for Labor Day coloring pages: http://www.apples4theteacher.com/coloring-pages/labor-day/
Click here for Labor Day short stories for children: http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/labor-day/short-stories/
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 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!
Memorial Day Holiday
Memorial Day was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states then others followed. It is now celebrated nationwide each year on the last Monday in May. On Memorial Day weekend people visit cemeteries to honor those who have died in military service, placing flowers and American flags on graves and in parks. This holiday weekend is also known for family gatherings, trips to the beach and participation in parades. For many Americans memorial Day also marks the beginning of summer. Families enjoy picnics or barbecues and open the swimming pool for the summer season. Typical Memorial Day food includes hamburgers, fried chicken, potato salad, baked beans, grilled meats and all sorts of pies.
Children can be a part of Memorial Day too. Here are some links to children’s activities:
- http://sunniebunniezz.com/puzzles/memdykws.htm
- http://sunniebunniezz.com/puzzles/memdymcr.htm
- http://www.usmemorialday.org/activities/flag/index.htm
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
Driving-School Buses
The rules regarding stopping for school buses are:
- Yellow flashing lights indicate that the bus is preparing to load or unload children. You should slow down and prepare to stop the car.
- Red flashing lights and extended stop arms indicate that the bus has stopped, and children are getting on or off. Motorists approaching from either direction must wait until the red lights stop flashing before proceeding.
- It is against the law to pass a stopped school bus while its lights are flashing and its’ stop arm is extended. Vehicles must stop on both sides of the roadway. Failure to stop can result in high fines which the au pair has to pay, not the host family.
Getting kids to eat healthy snacks
The Annapolis cluster had the privilege of having Tammy Turner from Annapolis Pediatrics educate my au pairs on how to get picky eaters to eat their fruits and veggies. Tammy suggested eating a “rainbow” every day and keeping track of the colors each day as a way of making eating healthy fun and exciting. For example, Mondays could be blue and purple and another day could be yellow and orange. Choosing a variety of veggies such as squash, sugar snap peas and yellow grape tomatoes adds color to their plate. Picking fruits that look interesting like kiwi or mangoes teaches children that there are many different kinds of fruits to choose from. 
So while they may not like a certain fruit they may really enjoy something else. It’s all about exposing your children to different foods to get them to try something new. Suggestions were provided on snacks you can make days in advance in less than 5 minutes! The au pairs were invited to try veggies alone or dipped in roasted pepper hummus or fruit paired with Greek Vanilla yogurt. A great website to give au pairs other suggestions may be found at ChooseMyPlate.gov. Another great tip was to download the free app called Fooducate on your smart phone. This app allows you to scan the bar code of any given food and the app then provides you with a grade and color to see if this is as healthy as you think. This is a wonderful tool to use with children to get them excited about what they are eating and a fun way to get kids involved in eating healthy. 
Anne Arundel County Fair ~ Sept 10-14, 2014
The Anne Arundel County Fair is an annual event held in Crownsville, Maryland that dates back to 1953. The fair includes a full range of entertainment for the whole family including carnival rides and games, animal exhibits, monster trucks, pony rides, garden tractor pulls, pig races, pie eating contests, a talent show, live music and much more. The Fair will be held from Sept. 10-14th this year. Hours are 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sept. 10-12 and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sept. 13-14. For more information visit their website at: www.aacountyfair.org
Admission Prices
$6.00 Ages 16 and over
$4.00 Children ages 8-15
Ages 7 & under free
Senior Citizens (ages 55 & over) & Disabled Free on Thursday 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.