Tag Archives: kids activities

February 18 – Louis Tiffany

by artimageslibrary

by artimageslibrary

Born in 1848 Tiffany (whose father started the Tiffany jewelry store) was a very fine painter but is best known for his work in stained glass. Make your own “stained glass” by following these easy instructions. This is a perfect use for broken crayons. Spread out newspaper and make crayon shavings (a small pencil sharpener is perfect for this). Cover the ironing board with newspaper and sprinkle the crayon shavings on a square of wax paper. Cover with another square of wax paper and more newspaper. Press the paper with a warm iron until the wax of the crayons is melted. These look beautiful hung in the window! Make a frame out of construction paper if you wish.

What to do when your host kid says, “I’m bored” this summer!

Sometimes, especially with younger children, cries of boredom are really calls for companionship and attention—their friends may be away on vacation and without the structure of school they may find it difficult to keep occupied during long summer days. Prolonged intervals where the kids have nothing to do can be stressful . When bored, children often become whiny, cranky and demanding. Calendar-of-the-season-300x216

Here are a few easy tips to help au pairs and host parents combat summer boredom and help kids develop the internal resources that are important for developing creative, resource and time management skills:

  1. Put a weekly calendar together so as not to overwhelm yourself with planning entertainment for an entire summer, just take it one week at a time—day trips, arts and craft activities, play-dates, reading time, nature hikes, picnics, bike rides, a trip to the movie theatre etc. This way kids will have something to look forward to during down time. A calendar also helps with getting kids prepared for what comes next.
  2. Ask: “If you could do anything, what would you like to do?” Try and encourage your children to generate their own ideas for activities—they are more apt to have fun when they thought it up on their own! Reinforcing that children use their imaginations will also help them develop a sense of resourcefulness and get them in the habit of making their own choices about how they will spend their time.
  3. Keep an “art box” handy full of supplies: scissors, fabric, felt, glue, paints and brushes, stickers, paper, markers, canvass, needle and thread, beads, yarn, picture magazines etc. Rummaging through a box of art supplies can ignite the imagination and occupy children for long periods of time. They could even begin an entrepreneurial enterprise and sell their wares at the end of the summer.
  4. Inspire them to play with water. Water is very calming and soothing for children and they can while away many hours playing and keeping cool. Get them to wash the car, hose off the deck, or run through a sprinkler. Spend time together at the beach or pool

Family Fall Festival in Gambrills, MD – Sept 12th

Come out and join us at the Family Fall Festival in Gambrills on September 12th from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  at Kaufman’s Tavern located at 329 Gambrills Road.  There will be four bands; a Kid’s Korner with moon bounce, climbing wall, and face painting; food, beer and wine for sale by Kaufmann’s (steamed crabs, seafood, burgers & hotdogs, and more!),  and performances by Studio180 Dance. All proceeds benefit local schools.  Admission for adults is $5 and children 12 and under are free.   Parking at Arundel High School.  The counselor from Annapolis, a host mother and a current au pair will be at a table to answer any questions you may have about the Au Pair in America program. 

Au Pairs at a pumpkin patch

Au Pairs at a pumpkin patch