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St Patrick’s Day

“May your thoughts be as glad as shamrocks,
May your heart be as light as song,
May each day bring you bright, happy hours,
That stay with you all the year long.”

St. Patrick’s Day celebrates the Roman Catholic feast day of the patron saint of Ireland. St. Patrick died on March 17, 461. He was born in Roman Britain. He was kidnapped into slavery and brought to Ireland.  He escaped to a monastery in Gaul (France) and converted to Christianity. He went back to Ireland in 432 as a missionary. While Christianity had already taken hold in the country, tradition has it that Patrick confronted the Druids at Tara and abolished their pagan rites, making Christianity more widespread.

Patrick became a bishop and after his death was named Ireland’s patron saint. Celebrations in Ireland were understated though. When the Irish emigrated to the U.S., they created the bigger celebrations and parades known today.  Eighteenth century Irish soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War held the first St. Patrick Day parades. The celebrations became a way for the Irish to connect with their roots after they moved to America.

For those of you brave enough to get through the crowds, take a train to NYC and watch the St Patrick’s Day Parade-lots of fun!

Fun Facts:

  • The shamrock: According to legend St. Patrick used the three leaf clover (or shamrock) to explain the Trinity.
  • Dyeing the river green: The practice of dyeing the river green started in Chicago in 1962, when city officials decided to dye a portion of the Chicago River green.
  • Corn beef and cabbage: This is an Irish American dish. Irish Americans were so poor they could not afford certain meals. On St. Patrick’s Day, the best meal they could afford was beef and cabbage. It became a staple for the holiday.

Kids activities including crafts, printable bookmarks and coloring pages to share with your kids : http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/st_patricks_day.htm

Spring is just around the corner

We may seem to be having an endless winter, but Spring will come soon.  This weekend temperatures may climb into the 5o degree mark!  This year Spring begins March 2oth, the signs of spring are already beginning.  Take your host kids on a nature hunt for the signs of spring in your garden and neighborhood!

March

MARCH IS:

  • Irish American Month – St. Patrick’s Day is March 17th.  Watch this blog for parade information closer to the date
  • Music in Our Schools Month – Does your host child play an instrument, help them practice, go to their concert, enjoy the music!
  • National Craft Month – How many craft projects can you do with your host kids this month?
  • National Nutrition Month – Help the host children eat healthy meals and snacks!
  • National Women’s History Month – Learn a little about Women’s History and share with your host kids: http://www.factmonster.com/womens-history-month/
  • Poetry Month – Read and write poems with your host children. http://www.storyit.com/Classics/JustPoems/index.htm
  • Red Cross Month – Au Pair in America offers scholarships for Au Pairs to take Red Cross Classes: http://www.aupairinamerica.com/resources/life_in_the_us/insurance.as

President’s Day

Here are some fun facts for President’s Week!

Click on the blue underlined words for more info on the fun fact!

  • At his inauguration, George Washington only had one tooth. Contrary to popular belief, he never wore false wooden teeth. However, at various times he did wear dentures made of human teeth, animal teeth, ivory and lead.
  • Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were the only two presidents to sign the Declaration of Independence. They also both died on the same day—July 4, 1826—the 50th anniversary of the signing.
  • At 5 feet 4 inches, James Madison was the shortest president.
  • Before he was president, Andrew Jackson was wounded in a duel at the age of 39. The bullet remained lodged in his heart until the day he died.
  • Zachary Taylor let his old Army horse, Whitey, graze on the White House lawn. Visitors took horse hairs as souvenirs.
  • James Buchanan is the only president to remain a bachelor his entire life.
  • While he was president, Ulysses S. Grant was arrested for riding his horse too fast and fined $20.
  • James K. Polk’s wife did not allow card playing, dancing, or drinking in the White House.
  • James A. Garfield could write with both hands. To entertain people he would write in Greek with one hand and Latin with the other.
  • Benjamin Harrison was terrified of electric lights. He would ask White House staff to turn them on and off for him.
  • Rutherford B. Hayes was the first U.S. president to use a phone at the White House. Alexander Graham Bell personally showed him how to use it and his phone number was 1.
  • Calvin Coolidge liked having his head massaged with Vaseline during breakfast in bed. He also rode his own mechanical bull and played “ding-dong ditch’em”—he would ring the White House doorbell and then run and hide.
  • Robert Todd Lincoln, son of Abraham Lincoln, was present at the assassinations of three presidents: his father’s, President Garfield’s and President McKinley’s.
  • All presidents receive code names from the Secret Service.  Ronald Reagan was “Rawhide,” George H. W. Bush was “Timberwolf,” Bill Clinton was “Eagle,” George W. Bush was “Trailblazer” and Barack Obama is “Renegade.”
  • Abraham Lincoln was a licensed bartender. He was co-owner of Berry and Lincoln, a saloon in Springfield, IL.

Valentine’s Day on the Shoreline

At a recent cluster meeting, we made Valentine’s cards for friends, our host families and of course, the kids.

What you’ll need:

  • 8.5 x 11 construction paper or card stock in various colors and/or patterns easy-homemade-valentines-kaboose-craft-photo-350-fs-IMG_9049_rdax_65
  • Valentine and/or heart stickers
  • Scissors
  • Pinking shears (optional)
  • Glue stick or white craft or school glue
  • Glitter (pink, red, white)

How to make it:

  1. Begin by cutting a piece of construction paper or card stock into four equal pieces.
  2. Fold quartered paper in half to make a card.
  3. For the easiest version, appropriate for preschoolers, use stickers to decorate or cut out hearts from a different color of construction paper or card stock to glue onto your cards. Experiment with different patterns, florals look great contrasted with stripes on a solid background.
  4. Younger children love glitter! Use a bottle of glue to “draw” on a heart or phrase (such as “Be Mine”). Sprinkle glue generously with pink, red or white glitter and let dry over night. Tap off excess glitter when completely dry.
  5. For the older set, let them use pinking sheers to cut out heart shapes and glue onto cards. Again, use contrasting patterns and colors to create a charming design.
  6. Once glue is dry, cards may curl up a little. Place cards between the pages of a heavy cookbook or phone book and leave over night.

Valentine's Day

Thanksgiving and What We’re Thankful For

Happy Thanksgiving!Thanksgiving is a traditional American holiday celebrated with family and friends.  We take time to acknowledge what we’re grateful for.  Here are some comments I hear from au pairs and host families:

I’m thankful for the opportunity to come to the U.S. and have the experience of a lifetime.

I’m thankful for the opportunity to host our wonderful au pair and have our children learn so much about another part of the world.

I’m thankful for the memories that I’ll always have of my time in the U.S. with my host family.

I’m thankful for the German chocolate my au pair shares with me!

And I’m thankful for the many years I’ve had with my wonderful girls-au pairs from around the world who have taught me way more than I’ve taught them!

Summer Safety Tip

GA Kid_AmericaThe Fourth of July is a much-celebrated holiday in the U.S.  It’s a time for bar-b-ques, family and friends, lazy days at the beach.  Many communities celebrate “the 4th” with fireworks.  They’re beautiful but also require caution.  Here are some helpful tips for staying safe.

 FIREWORKS SAFETY
Source:  http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/safety.cfm

  • Fireworks can result in severe burns, scars and disfigurement that can last a lifetime.
  • Fireworks that are often thought to be safe, i.e. sparklers, can reach temperatures above 1000 degrees Fahrenheit, and can burn users and bystanders.
  • Parents should attend professional fireworks displays rather than using fireworks at home.
  • The AAP recommends prohibiting public sale of all fireworks, including those by mail or the Internet.

School’s Out!

Schools out; the kids are happy!   Here are a few ideas for ways to celebrate the end of school:

Make a Banner.   Tape a banner that says “Welcome to Summer!” across the door leading into the house. When the kids come home, they each get to crash through a banner to symbolize the official start of summer vacation. It is a great way to off the summer with a bang!

Bake a Broken Pencil Cake.  To make the event even sweeter, bake a cake in the shape of a broken pencil, even share it with the other kids in the neighborhood.  Before frosting the cake, cut a zigzag line across the middle of the pencil and separate the two halves.

Make Kids’ Art T-shirt. Do you have an artist who loves to show off his/her artwork?  Have the kids pick their favorite piece of art from the year, scan it into the computer, and print it on iron-on transfer paper. This way the kids can wear their favorite art!

Have a cook-out and make s’mores: a s’more is a favorite American treat.  Start with a roasted marshmallow and place it on a graham cracker.  Top the marshmallow with a piece of Hershey’s chocolate (or a piece of a peanut butter cup) and then finish it off with another graham cracker!    The chocolate gets soft, the marshmallow is gooey; it is delicious!

Check out this site http://ctkidsandfamily.com/ for summer fun in CT.

Academy Awards this Sunday, February 26

Who will win the Academy Award?  It’s time to pick the best picture and actors!  It’s not too late to see most of the nominated movies at the local theaters and on DVD. 

Sunday evening’s event begins  with the Red Carpet pre-show which is on several TV channels.  The fashions are wild-some are so beautiful and others so way-out!!  

  Check out the official Academy Award website for the nominees and all things Oscar.  http://www.oscars.org

In NYC you can actually take your picture holding a real Oscar for free! 

You’re Invited!

  • Have your picture taken holding an actual Oscar statuette to share with friends and family via Twitter and Facebook!
  • See the Oscar statuettes that will be awarded to the Best Actress and Best Actor winners at the 84th Academy Awards® (these statuettes will return to Hollywood on Friday, February 24 at noon).
  • See the Scientific and Technical Award – an Oscar statuette – presented to the Eastman Kodak Company in 2007 “for the development of photographic emulsion technologies incorporated into the Kodak Vision2 family of color negative films.”
  • See a display of Oscars in various stages of completion.
  • Also on display, Michael Douglas’s Best Actor Oscar from Wall Street. 

 When

Wednesday, February 23 through Sunday, February 27         

Hours

Wednesday: 1 p.m. – 7 p.m.             

Thursday – Sunday: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Where

Grand Central Terminal, Vanderbilt Hall

Reading to Children

It is never too early to start reading to children. Children of all ages enjoy having stories read to them. Reading, cuddling up on a couch or reading before a child takes a nap or goes to sleep at night, is comforting for the child. This special time together builds a bond, take the time to read to the children in your life.

•Read slowly, this gives children time to think about what you are reading.
•Change your voice for different characters, or read in a softer voice from some characters, louder for others. A sing song voice is fun for young children.
•Share a picture book with a child and have them tell you a story from the pictures!
•Read every day!
•Children have favorites, so don’t worry if they want the same story every day, but add a few others so they can develop new favorites.
•Talk about the story, ask the children what was their favorite part. Let them share the story back to you or their parents!
•Do arts and crafts about the story. Have them draw you a picture about the story.
•If the children are old enough to read themselves, have them read you a story. Alternate, you read, they read. This will encourage them to read more!
•Have fun, read stories about subjects you and the children enjoy!
•Turn off the TV and computer and read!