Field Trips can be a great way for kids to learn and have new experiences. You can start observing nature at any local park or in your own backyard. If you want to take it a step further, Below is a list of other local places to go explore nature. Get permission from your host parents before any outings and check websites before you go for hours and information.
Safety note: When coming inside after you have been outside exploring nature, it’s always a good idea to check the children and yourself for ticks. For more information, take a look at this post.
Videos – Look for fun videos on YouTube about nature.
Books – Check your bookshelves and/or stop by your local library and look for books on nature. You can also find many read aloud book videos on YouTube. Here are a few to get you started.
Crafts, recipes, activities, and games related to dinosaurs can all be found here on the Camp Au Pair – Dinosaurspinboard.
Field Trips can be a great way for kids to learn and have new experiences. Get permission from your host parents before any outings and be sure to take all social distancing precautions.
Toys – Many kids have dinosaur toys already. See what your kids have and think of fun, new ways you can play with these toys with them. Imagine taking a plastic dinosaur and making footprints in play dough to form your own fossils.
Webcam – The Calvert Marine Museum in Maryland offers a webcam where you can watch paleontologists remove rock from around fossils.
Videos – Look for fun videos on YouTube about dinosaurs and fossils. Here are a few to get you started.
Movies – Here are some movies that fit the dinosaur theme.
Dinosaur
Dinosaur Island
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Land Before Time
Lego Jurassic World
The Good Dinosaur
Walking with Dinosaurs
We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story
For older kids:
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Jurassic Park (which is rated PG-13)
Books – Check your kids’ bookshelf for books on dinosaurs. You can also find many read aloud book videos on YouTube.
Next week’s Camp Au Pair theme will beCars & Trucks.
Crafts, recipes, activities, and games related to all kinds of vehicles can all be found here on the Camp Au Pair – Cars & Truckspinboard.
Field Trips can be an excellent way for kids to learn and have new experiences. Get permission from your host parents before any outings. Here are a few field trips that go with this theme:
Go kart track (even if they aren’t old enough to drive, watching the cars is fun)
Look for construction areas where the kids can observe big machines in action. Kids should observe from the car or a safe area.
Keep an eye out for the trash truck and let them watch the truck in action.
Go to a drive-through car wash or let the kids make their own car wash at home.
Videos – Mighty Machines & Amazing Big Trucks are kid-friendly video channels showing machinery and big trucks in action. Look for fun videos on YouTube about cars and trucks.
Movies – Here are some movies that fit the cars and trucks theme.
More than 100 crafts, recipes, and activities related to all kinds of bugs, insects, butterflies, and spiders can be found here on the Camp Au Pair – Bugs & Butterflies pinboard.
Field Trips can be an excellent way for kids to learn and have new experiences. Get permission from your host parents before any outings. Check the websites before you go to be sure you understand the hours, costs, and whether advance tickets/reservations are required. Search online to see if your area has any of the following:
Butterfly Garden or Exhibit
Nature Center
Parks with Nature Areas
Wildlife Refuge
Zoo
Outdoors – Kids today do not spend enough time outdoors. Take the kids in the backyard or another nature area (approved by your host parents) and do some activities related to this theme:
Allow them to search for bugs and butterflies.
Observe lightning bugs (also known as fireflies) in the evening. Here is a map showing what people call these little guys in different parts of the country.
After it rains, look for earthworms. Not bugs or butterflies, but very interesting creatures you can find in your own backyard.
NOTE: If you are outdoors with the children, be sure to check for ticks when you come back inside. Here is a blog post explaining the health risk ticks can pose and how to find and remove them safely.
Webcams – You can do a Google search for websites with webcams that allow you to observe bugs. Here are some to get you started.
Books – Make a trip to the library and/or check your kids’ bookshelf for books on bugs and butterflies. You may find some classics like The Very Hungry Caterpillar or The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle. You can also find books being read aloud on YouTube videos like this one.
Movies – There are lots of movies with insect themes.
The Ant Bully
Antz
A Bugs Life
The Bee Movie
Charlotte’s Web
James & the Giant Peach
Maya the Bee
Miniscule: Valley of the Lost Ants
Wings of Life (documentary)
Videos – You can find many great videos of butterflies and insects on YouTube. Check out these videos for kids about bees and ants. All about Insects covers lots of tiny creatures who crawl and fly. Here are a few videos to get you started.
Next week’s Camp Au Pair theme is Backyard Safari These activities focus on animals you might find in the a variety of environments: jungles, savannahs, safari parks and zoos.
Field Trips can be an excellent way for kids to learn and have new experiences. Get permission from your host parents before any outings. Check the websites before you go to be sure you understand the hours, costs, and whether advance tickets/reservations are required. Search online to see if your area has any of the following:
Local Zoo
Animal Rescue Park
Drive Thru Safari
Webcams – You can do a Google search for websites with webcams that allow you to observe nature.
Explore.org has lots of nature webcams including African Safari
Books – Stop by your local library and look for books on animals you might find on a safari or in the zoo. You can also check YouTube for some books on this subject being read aloud.
Movies – There are lots of movies with animal themes.
Back to the Outback
Madagascar 1, 2 & 3
The Jungle Book
The Lion King
The Wild
Zootopia
Videos – Look for fun videos about animals on YouTube. Here are some to get you started.
Crafts, recipes, activities, and games related to art can all be found here on the Camp Au Pair – Art Experiencespinboard.
Culture Sharing – Share any specific forms of art that are popular in your home country (mosaics, origami, murals, fabric dying, etc.) Are there any famous artists from your country that you could share their works with your host kids?
Check out the Global Awareness website past contests page to see art submitted by au pairs from a variety of countries. The previous Flag Day Contest winners have some great art inspired by country flags and symbols.
Field Trips can be a great way for kids to learn and have new experiences. Get permission from your host parents before any outings. Check the websites before you go to be sure you understand the hours, costs, and whether advance tickets/reservations are required.
“Game plan” means a strategy for how you are going to accomplish something. In the case of keeping kids from getting bored and/or into trouble, the best way to prevent it is to keep them busy with safe, fun activities.
When there are days home from school, letting kids sit around watching TV or play video games is not the best use of their time. Providing fun alternatives will make it much easier to pull them away from the screen.
You need to make a plan of what you will do with them each day and prepare for that. Planning is very important. You don’t want to tell them you are going some place fun, only to arrive there and see they are not open that day or you needed to bring something and you don’t have it.
If your plan includes a craft or cooking project, make sure you have:
all the ingredients/supplies
recipe/directions
If your plan includes an outing to someplace fun, figure out:
How will you get there?
When you should leave?
How much it will cost?
What will you do for lunch?
Use some of these online resources to find activities and recipes:
Just because a child is old enough to occupy themselves, doesn’t mean that they should be expected to do so the majority of the time. Host families have a certain expectation of activity and involvement for their children. Get the kids engaged and active. You can be more fun than the TV or a video game.
Problem: But, my kids don’t want to do anything but watch TV or play video games.
Solution:
Instead of saying, “Would you like to (fill in the blank with any activity)? The answer will often be, “No.”
Try this, “Now we are going to (fill in the blank with any activity.) or “Would you rather do _____ or ______?” Make sure both the choices are good options.
Your chances of co-operation are greatly increased. Even kids who are reluctant to try new things will usually get in the spirit of things and have fun if you pick a good activity.
Problem: I don’t know what to do with school-age kids.
Solution:
Look for ideas online. Google “activities school-age kids” or “activities tweens”. You can also take part in an au pair webinar on this topic. Below is a list of some ideas to get you started.
Cooking
Making things (check craft stores like Michael’s for kits and models that are age-appropriate)
Going to fun places (pottery painting, jewelry making, farms, museums, mini-golf, go-karts)*
Let them teach you to do something they enjoy. Kids this age love being the expert.
Get outdoors and visit local parks.* You can even make a project of reviewing all the local parks (what kind of equipment they have, is there shade, water fountain?) They can write this up and keep it so they remember which ones they want to go to again and which ones to skip in the future.
Let them help you search and plan some activities.
If you have a GPS, try taking them geocaching. Here is a website with all the details.
Use technology to get them off the couch and sneak in some exercise. The phone app Pokémon Go includes activities that are unlocked by taking steps. There are Pokéstops and gyms at many places they might enjoy going for walks like parks, nature trails, walk/bike paths, and downtown areas.
*Always get permission from your host parents before taking the kids places and remember to follow social distancing and mask-wearing protocols.
With winter break and the longest nights of the year approaching, try a magical project that will wow your entire family – ice lanterns and wreaths. Depending on the ages of your children, decide if a simple or more labor intensive project is in order.
For the younger ones, try filling a balloon up partially with water and freeze. After an hour or so, adjust your icy orb to coax some of the remaining liquid up the sides. Once solid, remove the balloon to reveal a vessel that will make Queen Elsa swoon.
Conversely select an aluminum pie pan or plastic take-away tray and fill it with water. Arrange cranberries, pine boughs and sliced oranges then freeze. If you wish to make a hole in the ice to hang your creation, heat the tip of a skewer and carefully push it though the ice before suspending outside.
Finally try filling a bucket or large container with water. Carefully tape a mason jar down to displace the water (or alternatively try using a bundt pan) and freeze. Once solid, remove the containers and add a candle or small light and enjoy! More detailed instructions can be found here.
For other unique craft project ideas, check out our Pinterest page!