At the batting cage!
Our end of summer cluster meeting was held at Kimballs Farm. It was a perfect evening for ice cream and a perfect time to discuss classes and fall plans. The meeting was to include practice (or try for the first time) golf, but a distant rumble of thunder and lightning changed the venue to the batting cages. Amazing how many balls connected to the bats!!! Way to go girls!
More pictures here -> Cluster Pics
With the help of our au pairs from Canada, South Africa, Thailand, and Brazil, children visiting the bookstore have had the chance to visit the rainforests of Brazil and the north country of Canada, they’ve learned about the elephants of Thailand, and they have traveled along with a child living on the veld in South Africa. Au pairs have read engaging stories to the children and they have also happily worked with the children to create crafts related to a different group of countries each week during the month of July . This summer program at Barefoot Books has paired au pairs who want to teach about their own countries with children from far and wide who have come to the bookstore to step into another culture with an au pair.
Farewells
On a perfect summer evening, au pairs from our clusters enjoyed an evening full of American traditions. Starting the evening off with a typical prebaseball dinner, we greeted several new au pairs who were just beginning their years here. Celebrating two birthdays, and enjoying cake and watermelon, we said farewell to members of the clusters who have successfully completed their year here in the USA. Also, attending our meeting were two former au pairs visiting their families for the summer and offering encouraging words to the group.
Moving on to the baseball field, it was clear that the au pairs were ready to play ball! Luckily, we had heavy hitters and speedy outfielders, power pitchers, and speedy base-women to keep the game in constant suspense. After those few confusing moments about what to do once the ball is actually hit with the bat, runners began to take advantage of momentary outfield confusion to score heavily. The final scores were too high to keep track! More importantly, each au pair showed her talent at home plate and while warming up, had her photo taken for valuable future baseball cards. The Red Sox talent scouts will be calling soon!
click here for more pics -> Baseball Pics
May 1st was a day of cultural education and fun, sponsored by Au Pair in America at the Boston Children’s Museum. Over the course of the afternoon, hundreds of enthusiastic children and parents toured the exhibition, received earth and skin friendly tattoos, had their faces painted with country flags, and chatted with au pairs representing countries from around the world.
The Au Pair in America Cultural Fair was truly a multi-modal event.
Traditional dance in authentic costume highlighted the presentation by Thailand while the German au pairs entertained visitors with traditional German spring egg craft and painting. South African au pairs proudly painted their country’s flag on little and big smiling faces alike, while a colorful and tempting piñata dangled overt the Mexico booth. Au pairs from many other countries served as international teachers of the culture and beauty of their homelands as well. Photos of this great event are available on our cluster photos link below.
Farewell Hilda!
Monday night we gathered at my home to welcome in Spring!!
This was Hilda’s last meeting after being a part of our group for two years. We were so fortunate that her mother was visiting and was able to join us! After introductions we settled down to the business of the up coming cultural fair, au pair marketing and the Boston Walk for Hunger. It was a good time to talk about spring activities for the children and I was able to take them to the APIA site and show them the seasonal calender and Kids Corner, many of the girls did not know that these resources were so available to them! A short discussion on disciplining children took place and an informative sheet was passed out with some additional info. We then sang Happy Birthday to May and some said tearful good-byes to Hilda.
Princess Warrior battles Harvard "nerd"
To end the evening the girls were given a choice of two games to play, Au Pair Bingo or using aluminum foil to design a dress (thank you counselors from our FACEBOOK page for the idea). The costumes that were created were so inventive and the girls had so much fun!
Welcome Au Pairs!!!
On a cold autumn evening last weekend, two clusters and our many guests enjoyed an evening of good old-fashioned line dancing with Cowgirl Mary Rinker at the Bay Path Barn. Although the barn was cold when we arrived, it soon heated up with the tunes of American country western favorites. Au pairs, many in their boots and cowgirl clothing, seemed to get into the spirit immediately and the fun began when we tried out the first dances that Mary had taught us.
After 2 straight hours of line dancing, the au pairs were heated up and ready for a break! We used the time to catch up with each other, to welcome our many new au pairs, and to say farewell to those that had finished their year in the USA! All in all, we had a great time. It was the perfect way to spend time together before heading out into the darkness.
Line dancing is particularly well suited for our gathering because all interested participants can learn the steps quickly and it requires no partner. The best part is that the steps can be adapted to all sorts of music and it is great exercise. Language is optional as we just follow the demonstrations. Everyone lines up, (that’s why we call it line dancing!) and the fun begins. So, as we like to say at line dancing, “Yee Haw, Cowgirl!”
view photo album -> Country Line Dancing
Election DayWould you like to know more about the American political system? Check out http://bensguide.gpo.gov/ for a simple presentation of information about the US government including elections. Talk to the children about what you learned and create an Election Day theme at home: decorate in red, white and blue (how about colored napkins on the table?) Put out an American flag, and serve red, white and blue snacks. Blue and white corn chips with red salsa, vanilla ice cream with strawberries and blueberries or layers of colored Jell-o served with whipped cream.
Daylight Savings Time EndsMove your clocks back one hour before going to bed on Saturday night and enjoy the extra hour of sleep…
Veteran’s DayA day to honor American veterans of all wars, Veteran’s Day is a federal holiday. You can find some suggestions of activities to do with children at www.va.gov/KIDS/.
ThanksgivingThanksgiving dates back to the first European settlers in North America. After hardship, illness and hard work, the Pilgrims celebrated a successful harvest that they shared with their Native American friends. This national holiday is a day to feast and give thanks. Visit this site to compare Thanksgiving to other harvest festivals: www.familyculture.com/holidays/thanksgiving.htm.
Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving and is the beginning of the traditional Christmas shopping season. Black Friday is not an official holiday, but many employees take the day off, which increases the number of potential shoppers. Many retailers open very early (typically 5 am or even earlier) and offer door buster deals and loss leaders to draw people to their stores. Merchants and the media use the term Black Friday to refer to the beginning of the period in which retailers are in the black (i.e., turning a profit).
Our October meeting was held at Minuteman National Park right within our cluster towns! It was really nice to see so many of you there from both Melinda’s and Patti’s cluster on one of the first days of October.
Gathering at The National Park Visitor Center
We said farewell to two au pairs after their very successful years, greeted our many new au pairs, had a picnic, and heard one of very own au pairs play guitar, but there was even more! We went inside to hear about the first days of the American Revolution that started right here! We enjoyed a multi-media film narrated by Colonel Doolittle, a reenactment of the minuteman’s responses to the British, and a tour of the historic Hartwell Tavern, one of the places where colonists gathered. This makes the Minutemen’s struggles towards their goal of independence that much more real for all of us. Many au pairs can now better understand why we have somany tourists arriving daily from all over the world! They are coming to see where American freedom all began!
Hartwell Tavern
Apples come in many varieties, colors, shapes and sizes. Some are wonderful to munch on, others are best when cooked. Regardless of the variety apple picking is a fun activity. If you do go apple picking you will almost certainly bring home more apples than you can possibly eat, but there are lots of fun things to do with apples, and many ways to eat them as well.
Applesauce is very simple to make. Remove the core and quarter the apples. If you leave the peel on during cooking it will give the applesauce a pink color. When the apples are very soft, remove any peel that is left, mash the pulp or put it through a sieve. Add sugar if needed.
Try making dried apple rings. They are easy and can be used as a nutritious snack. Peel, core and slice as many apples as you like into 1/8 inch rings (Macintosh or Golden Delicious apples work best). Dip each ring into a mixture of lemon juice and water to help the apples keep their color. Pull a piece of string through the center of each ring and hang in a dry, warm place. They take 1-2 weeks to dry and become chewy.
