Author Archives: Patti Estabrook

First Day of Fall – September 22nd

September 15, 2015 – 12:04 pm

fall_ Fall is a magical time of year!

The leaves change colors, the air is crisp and cool and Halloween and Thanksgiving are just around the corner. Try it to get in the mood for fall!

When the crisp fall air invites you outside for a walk gather some brightly colored leaves. Press them in sheets of newspaper under heavy books for a few weeks. When they have dried they will still have their bright colors and can be glued onto paper.

Make leaf prints by painting one side of a leaf with tempera paint and then pressing it down gently into paper to form the leaf pattern. Make designs for fun, or use large sheets of paper (tissue paper, brown paper or even newspaper) and save the painted paper to use as gift-wrap. FallLeaves_SM_000

Place some leaves between pieces of wax paper and iron. This will keep them from crumbling and give the leaves a glossy sheen. You can then glue them onto paper – try adding bits of bark or seeds too.

Try putting leaves between pieces of clear contact paper. You can hang them in the window or use them as place mats.

This Wednesday, September 22 is the Autumnal Equinox, which marks the first day of fall! The sun will be directly over the Earth’s equator, and there will be equal hours of day and night. After Wednesday, the days will get shorter.

Happy Fall!

Labor Day

August 30, 2015 – 7:47 pm

What is this Holiday – Labor Day?

The first Monday of September is known as Labor Day in The United States of America.

It is a holiday very similar to May Day, as it honours the achievements of workers. But unlike May Day, which is a tribute to working class only, Labor Day is a tribute to the entire workforce.

Labor Day originated in Toronto in April 1872 with the first workingmen’s demonstration organized by the Toronto Trades Assembly. Ten years later, in July, a parade took place in Toronto and Peter J. McGuire of New York was invited to hold a speech. Upon his return to NY he proposed an official celebration to honor workers, and in September 1882 Central Labor Union held its first Labor Day celebration in New York City.

In 1884 first Monday of September officially became Labor Day and over the years it has been celebrated with parades, fireworks and festivals; slowly losing its political connotations and becoming an unofficial end of summer holiday.

BACK TO SCHOOL

August 27, 2015 – 11:25 am

school-bus-stop-color

It is that time of year again when students of all ages get ready for the first day of school. Here are some tips to assist with the “back to school” transition and hopefully great start to the new school year.

MAKING THE FIRST DAY EASIER

Remind your child that she is not the only student who is a bit uneasy about the first day of school. Teachers know that students are anxious and will make an extra effort to make sure everyone feels as comfortable as possible.
Point out the positive aspects of starting school: It will be fun. She’ll see old friends and meet new ones. Refresh her positive memories about previous years, when she may have returned home after the first day with high spirits because she had a good time.
Find another child in the neighborhood with whom your youngster can walk to school or ride with on the bus.
If you feel it is appropriate, drive your child (or walk with her) to school and pick her up on the first day.

BACKPACK SAFETY

Choose a backpack with wide, padded shoulder straps and a padded back.
Pack light. Organize the backpack to use all of its compartments. Pack heavier items closest to the center of the back. The backpack should never weigh more than 10 to 20 percent of the your child’s body weight.
Always use both shoulder straps. Slinging a backpack over one shoulder can strain muscles.
Consider a rolling backpack. This type of backpack may be a good choice for students who must tote a heavy load. Remember that rolling backpacks still must be carried up stairs, and they may be difficult to roll in snow.

June 15, 2015 – 9:04 am

Top Ten – How to Manage Longer Days with Children – When School is out and
APs should always check with their host parents to seek approval for any childcare activities.

10. Start A Summer Scrapbook!

Include drawings, pictures, and journal entries of activities from the summer. It will be special because children and their au pair created it together. This could be a hard version, a computer generated one, a movie of daily clips set to music…..they could even make 2 copies – one for her and one for them to keep!

9. Have a picnic!

Spread the planning and preparation across a few days to get them excited!
First, decide on a location, and have a few choices from which the children can pick. For example, their backyard, a town park or near a pond. Include a rain plan – will they choose an alternate in door solution or go on another date? Create ballots and let them vote!

Make the picnic ‘basket’ —- use a plain box and let the children decorate it!
Then, decide on a menu — look up recipes and shop for the ingredients together….prepare anything that can be done ahead of time — and then when it is “the day,” finish the picnic packing and go!

8. Switch It UP

Have dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner! Plan the menu and prepare together!
Who doesn’t like pancakes for dinner???? (If your host parents don’t, then ignore this one!)

7. Have a Pajama Day!

Plan an indoor PJ day. Choose books to read, cookies to make, a movie to watch, indoor tent with blankets and go! Think of it as a snow day (on a rainy day) in the summer!

6. Two websites with nifty ideas!
Scavenger Hunt

Bubble Mania

5. Park it!

Make a list of area parks. After each visit, have the children critique it….what was good, what did they like about it….what didn’t they like? Create a chart with applicable headings including a rating system. At the end of their comparison, their chart will show them where they like to go for what activities, etc. This is a great hand down tool as well for subsequent au pairs or the parents themselves!

4. Taste Test Day!

Buy several brands of vanilla – and try one bite of each and see what they like best! Or do flavors – let the children choose! Different versions….yogurt tasting, cheese/crackers, salsas or red vs. green grapes!

3. Make a Diorama!

Have children re-create a scene from their favorite book, zoo or outing.

Make a Diorama

2. Have a home book club!

Everyone read the same book – and compare your thoughts on it.
Here are some ideas: http://www.scholastic.com/ups/campaigns/src- 2015

1. AP Day!

Once a week — have a Day dedicated to the AP’s country! Eat some foods from her country…and have share typical summer activities you did growing up. You can read the children a book in your native language as well as teach them how to sing and count! As the children get the hang of it – they can make a list of things they would like you to teach or tell them.

EARTH DAY

April 15, 2015 – 7:00 pm

Mobilize the Earth. Earth Day. 4.22.15

Earth-Day-Bulletin-Board1 On April 22, more than one billion people around the globe will participate in Earth Day 2012 and help Mobilize the Earth™. People of all nationalities and backgrounds will voice their appreciation for the planet and demand its protection. Together we will stand united for a sustainable future and call upon individuals, organizations, and governments to do their part.

Attend a local Earth Day event and join one of our Earth Day campaigns as we collect A Billion Acts of Green® and elevate the importance of environmental issues around the world. Together we will Mobilize the Earth™ on April 22 and demand change

Each year, Earth Day — April 22 — marks the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.

The height of hippie and flower-child culture in the United States, 1970 brought the death of Jimi Hendrix, the last Beatles album, and Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water”. Protest was the order of the day, but saving the planet was not the cause. War raged in Vietnam, and students nationwide increasingly opposed it.

At the time, Americans were slurping leaded gas through massive V8 sedans. Industry belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of legal consequences or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity. “Environment” was a word that appeared more often in spelling bees than on the evening news. Although mainstream America remained oblivious to environmental concerns, the stage had been set for change by the publication of Rachel Carson’s New York Times bestseller Silent Spring in 1962. The book represented a watershed moment for the modern environmental movement, selling more than 500,000 copies in 24 countries and, up until that moment, more than any other person, Ms. Carson raised public awareness and concern for living organisms, the environment and public health.

Earth Day 1970 capitalized on the emerging consciousness, channeling the energy of the anti-war protest movement and putting environmental concerns front and center.

Believe it or not! Spring is here!

March 27, 2015 – 10:12 am

Easter Eggs: Bee Egg

With this project, kids blow an egg, then turn it into a flying wonder. All you need is a raw egg, paint, craft supplies, and fishing line for hanging the egg. The best part? This blown-egg creature will keep indefinitely.

Materials

eggs
newsprint
egg dye
paper towels
birthday candles or crayons

red and black acrylic or tempera paint
brushes
white tissue
glue

Instructions

Blow the Egg: Wash and dry the raw egg. Cover your table with newsprint and set out bowls, pushpins, and paper towels. Shake the egg to break the yolk. Next, pierce the top and bottom with a pushpin, making the hole on the wider end a bit larger. Position the egg over the bowl and blow through the small hole, allowing the inside of the egg to seep into the bowl. Set the empty egg, with the large hole down, in an egg carton to dry. Be sure children wash their hands after handling raw egg.
Degg-orate the Egg: Let the kids paint half of the egg, stand it atop a bottle cap to dry (use a hair dryer to speed things up), then paint the other half. Centering the face on either hole, paint on features with contrasting colors. Paint your bee bright yellow, then paint on a red smile, black eyes, and black stripes. Glue on white tissue paper wings.
Take Flight: Tape a long length of fishing line to the end of an unfolded paper clip. Starting at the small hole, thread the line through the decorated egg and out the large hole. To keep your flying critter upright, tape the fishing line just above the hole in the critter’s back. Hang it from the ceiling or an egg tree.

Grow a Grassapillar

Celebrate the arrival of spring by bringing this fuzzy critter to life.Begin by mixing 3/4 cup of potting soil and 2 tablespoons of grass seed in a bowl. Add water to moisten the mixture, then set it aside.Cut away a three-cup section of an egg carton, then trim the section along the longer edges so that your grassapillar will look the same from both sides. With a permanent marker, draw a face on one end as shown. Gently spoon the seed mixture into the cups.

Set your creation on a dish in a brightly lit spot and keep the soil moist. The grass should sprout in about a week.

Origami Butterfly

Origami, Japan’s traditional craft of paper-folding, has been used since the 10th century to sculpt animals and wrap gifts. Animals, birds, fish and insects are favorite origami subjects. After folding the butterfly featured here, you can make it flutter by pressing on its back with the tip of your finger.

Materials

6 x 6-inch sheet of origami paper
Glue
1 x 4-inch strips of origami paper or curling ribbon

Scissors
2 googly eyes
Markers

Instructions

This colorful creature is created not by metamorphosis but by folding the origami paper in half to form a triangle.
Fold the triangle in half again.
Unfold the second triangle, then fold each side so that it crosses the center crease at a right angle.
(Continuation of above directions.)
Unfold. Glue on the strips for antennae and curl them using the edge of a scissor. Glue on the googly eyes and decorate with markers.

Christmas Party 2014

January 4, 2015 – 11:51 am

Our Holiday Party was held at my home. Au Pairs brought dishes from their country to serve with a full turkey dinner. There was a traditional Yankee Swap after which everyone was divided into teams and were given tissue paper, cotton balls, streamers and masking tape to create a Santa. The results were amazing!

Link

Our October meeting was a first for many of the au pairs. They had never carved a pumpkin and never tasted pumpkin pie! GIrls got to do both. As for the pie – it was a success!

The pumpkin carvings were just AMAZING!

Click here for pictures

Halloween is Coming!!!

October 11, 2014 – 3:55 pm

Goblins and Ghosts stay safe!

Make sure to inspect the children’s Trick Or Treat candy to make sure everything is in a sealed wrapper and appears safe.
Small children should not eat hard candy because of chocking.
Children should be supervised when they go Trick-or-Treating. Many parents will come home early from work on the day to go with their children. Check with Host Parents about this.

Halloween Safety Tips for Drivers

Halloween is a wonderful holiday, but because of increased foot traffic and that Trick-or-Treaters are out at night, the potential for automobile related accidents with young pedestrians increases four times on this night according to a CDC (Center for Disease Control) study.

Streets are literally crawling with all sorts of witches, ghosts, goblins, vampires and all other sorts of costumed people. This makes for added responsibility for drivers to make sure that they drive safer than normal.

In many areas, people drive their kids into subdivisions and let them out to walk from house to house. Usually the parent follows behind in the car. This can cause traffic jams in small areas and much confusion as kids dart between cars on the streets going from house to house. A driver is already distracted because they are trying to keep an eye on their own kids and usually aren’t paying attention to much else.

Children and adults tend to be preoccupied and may not pay as much attention to safety as they should. They may not see your vehicle or just assume that you see them automatically. Stay on the defensive and you shouldn’t have a problem while driving on Halloween night

* Don’t use a cell phone or other electronic device while driving on Halloween night. You shouldn’t be doing this anyway, the rate of cell phone related auto accidents has jumped dramatically since the use of cell phones and texting has risen so high. Some states have already made laws concerning this and others are working on it.

Make sure your child carries a flashlight, glow stick or has reflective tape on their costume to make them more visible to cars. Left them know if they carry a flash light to never shine itin the eyes of a driver. This can cause blindness on the drivers part temporarily and they may not see your child

Haunted Happenings in October

The month of October brings exciting activities to the city of Salem, Massachusetts. There are many activities relating to the city’s history and penchant for things macabre, including walking tours, haunted houses, trolley rides, spooky performances, exhibits, harbor cruiss and more. Visit their website for all the details: http://www.hauntedhappenings.org/

In Westford MA, visit Witches Woods http://witchswoods.com . Haunted Hayride and Halloween Screampark – open Thursday – Sunday nights 6:30-10:30.

It’s Football Season – Go Pats!

September 26, 2014 – 7:32 pm

New England Patriots

Football is one of the most famous sports in America.

It is played everywhere across the states. Whether it is on the field or in your own backyard, it has become the center of many people’s lives. The more you know about this All-American sport, the more you will be able to enjoy it as part of your American experience.

American Football Simplified:
A football field is 100 yards long. There is a Goal Post at each end of the field, in the End Zone, one for each team. A Football Game is made up of 60 minutes of play time. The 60 minutes is divided into four Quarters of 15 minutes each. At the end of two Quarters, there is a break called Half Time. On the Scoreboard you can see the minutes and seconds running out. The team with the most points at the end of four Quarters wins.
Each team has an Offense and a Defense. If the Offense has the ball and tries to score by getting it across the Goal Line – the line where the playing field and the End Zone meet. The Defense tries to stop them.
The Offense gets four tries to move the ball 10 yards toward their own goal post. These are called Downs. If they make the 10 yards or more, they get another four tries to move the ball another 10 yards. If they don’t move the ball 10 yards in four tries, the ball goes to the other team, or the team “loses the ball.”
The Super Bowl is the final game of the Football season when two teams play each other for the championship. The game takes place in late January or early February. For some people the TV commercials are the best part of the Super Bowl.

Visit http://aupairinamerica.com/resources/life_in_the_us/football.asp for the full rules of American Football and http://www.patriots.com/games/index.cfm?ac=gamedetails&eid=3663 for the game schedule.