Monthly Archives: June 2016

Crafts, Activities, and Food to Celebrate America

Graphics: JW Illustrations © JESSICAWEIBLE.COM

Graphics: JW Illustrations © JESSICAWEIBLE.COM

Americans love to celebrate America, and the Fourth of July is by far the biggest celebration of all.

Au Pair in America’s Summer Holidays pinboard is chock full of fun crafts, activities, and food guaranteed to bring out the patriotic spirit in au pairs and host kids alike!

5th Annual 4th of July Celebration

Celebrate the 4th of July!

DC is the perfect place to celebrate the 4th of July. Instead of fighting the crowds at the Mall, view the fireworks from the Armed Forces Retirement Home while enjoying food trucks, fishing, music, and carnival games. There’s a community softball game and a kids’ patriotic bike contest.

So grab your picnic blanket and join the fun! This event is great for people of all ages, and is a highlight for my family every year. We can’t wait to go again this year. Hope to see you there!

Enter at Rock Creek Church Road and Randolph Street, NW. $10 parking donation requested. For more information, visit friendsofsoldiers.org or Facebook/friendsofsoldiers.

Free Classes for Adults at the Library

The DC Public Library offers loads of free classes for kids and families, but there are plenty of opportunities for adults too. This list gives you an idea of some of the adult classes being offered in the library branches in our cluster. Check out the library event calendar for other classes throughout the city. And don’t forget- they’re free!

Yoga & Meditation

Image: www.GlynLowe.com (Flickr)

Image: www.GlynLowe.com (Flickr)

  • Mt. Pleasant: Start your weekend with Carol, Marjorie, and some relaxing, stress-free yoga on Saturdays at 10 am. Everyone is welcome, beginners especially! 
  • Living in Harmony @ Mt. Pleasant: Join Colors of Happiness Coaching and Healing facilitator Florencia Fuensalida every other Saturday at 11:30 am for a brief guided meditation to provide you with the relaxation you need. 
  • Petworth: Yoga at Your Library is a beginner level yoga class for adults and teens on Saturdays at 11 am and Tuesdays at 7:30 pm brought to you by Yoga Activist. No experience is required. 

ESL Conversation Circles

  • Mt. Pleasant’s “Let’s Speak English”: Join the Conversation Circle held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6-8 pm to improve your English and chat with new people.
  • Takoma Park’s English/Spanish Conversation Hour: Join English and Spanish speakers every first and third Tuesday at 7 pm for a half-hour of conversation in Spanish followed by a half-hour of conversation in English. Each meeting will focus on a particular topic/area of interest.

Other Classes

Photo: Maxime De Ruyck (Flickr)

Image: Maxime De Ruyck (Flickr)

  • Learn Street Photography @ Petworth: On June 25th at 10 am, learn the basics of street photography in this two-hour workshop. We will begin in the basement of Petworth Library before moving outside. We will also learn how to upload their photos to Flickr.  Registration required. 
  • Your City in 3D! Digital Flaneur Workshop @ Mt. Pleasant: On June 29th at 7 pm, the DCPL Makers-in-Residence will introduce the concept of 3D scanning and imaging.
  • Awesome Adult Coloring Cafe @ Petworth: On July 13th at 5:15 pm, join Ms. Tea who will provide calming instrumental music, aromatherapeutic scents, colored pencils, markers and cool coloring pages for adults to complete.
  • Summertime Zumba @Takoma Park: Join Roshaunda Jenkins, a certified Zumba instructor, as she brings her experience, skills, and energy to this Zumba session on August 17th at 7 pm
  • Open Shelves @ Mt. Pleasant: an interactive exhibit for our multilingual community to learn from each other while becoming authors, artists, and collaborators in handmade artists’ books. 

** Please note that these classes are for fun and do not count towards an au pair’s academic class requirement.**

Outdoor Movies in DC

Image: Ted Eytan (Flickr)

Image: Ted Eytan (Flickr)

Summer has finally arrived with warmer weather! For June’s cluster meeting, we gathered for Adams Morgan Movie Night to watch the hilarious “School of Rock” on an outdoor screen as we munched on popcorn and other treats. Continue reading