Au Pairs from around the world embrace their cultures and have fun at a Fairfield County Ice Skating Event!

February 14 – Valentine’s Day Valentine’s Day is a time of love, friendship, giving, and caring. Americans use Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to tell friends and family how much they care.  Children usually exchange cards at school.

Mardi Gras

February 12-Mardi Gras Mardi Gras, French for “Fat Tuesday” marks the end of Carnival and the beginning of the Christian fasting of Lent.  The biggest Mardi Gras celebration in the US is in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Rio de Janeiro in Brazil also has a huge celebration.  Find a Brazilian au pair in your cluster and ask her to tell you all about it.

Winter Driving Tips
Always use extra caution when driving in cold, snowy conditions.   When the roads are wet and the temperature is freezing, there could be black ice.   There are some basic rules to remember to stay safe in the car in difficult driving conditions:

• Start early and take your time.
• Accelerate slowly, especially on hills
• Drive slowly to avoid having to stop while going up a hill, as it will be hard to start again.
• Don’t make any sudden turns or stops.
• Be sure that the mirrors and windows are always free of snow and ice.
• If you skid, try to steer in the direction the car is sliding to regain control.
• The changes in temperature sometimes cause potholes in the streets. If you don’t see the pothole in time to steer around it, apply the brakes before hitting the pothole and release them just before you reach the pothole. If you keep the brake on as you hit the pothole, it will do more damage to the tire.
• Try to keep your gas tank at least half full.
• If your wheels spin on ice, switch to low gear, even on automatics.
• Leave extra space between you and the car in front of you.
• Remember that bridges and exit ramps are icier than roads.
• Ask what kind of brakes your car has and how to use them in case of a skid.

December 27 – Visit a Zoo Day – The kids are  off school today, so visit the local Bridgeport Zoo!

December 31 – New Year’s Eve

If your working tonight,  after the kids go to bed, sit down and watch Dick Clark’s Rockin’ Eve and think about how to make 2013 even better!  Before the kids go to bed, you and the children can choose simple “New Year Resolutions.” Or create a keepsake of the year that is ending by making a time capsule or a scrapbook of memories. Include what are cool, popular activities, clothes, games, names of popular songs or games, and a picture of the hottest toy. If you are making a time capsule, put a date on it and decide when they will open it – in a year, 5 or even 10. Don’t forget to include a photo of you and the children! Tomorrow, the first day of the New Year, is a federal holiday.

December 30- Bicarbonate of Soda Day – Bicarbonate of soda, also known as baking powder, has many household uses including cooking, cleaning and medical uses. But it can also be used for a very simple and fun science experiment suitable for ages 7 and older.

Baking Soda Volcano

Create quite a fizzle by mixing baking soda/sodium bicarbonate with vinegar.
You need the following:
Baking Soda, Vinegar, a plastic container such as a milk jug, paper towels to clean up.

How to do the experiment: Place some of the baking soda in the container; pour in some vinegar and ….Watch what happens.

December 25 – Christmas Every family and culture has their own Christmas traditions. Embrace those of your host family and share some of your own – Merry Christmas!!!

Make your own play dough! –Play dough is the perfect modeling material for children. Their small hands can pat, poke, pinch, roll and knead it into many shapes. Keep it in an airtight container to use another day, or let it air dry into favorite shapes.

Measure 2 cups of flour, one cup of salt and 4 teaspoons of cream of tartar into a bowl. Add 1/4 cup of oil to one cup of water in a separate bowl then add the mixture to the dry ingredients. Squeeze 10-20 drops of food coloring into one cup of water and add it to the mixture. Mix well to make it smooth and to spread the color evenly. Cook the dough at low heat in a wide pan, stirring constantly until it becomes rubbery. Remove the dough from the heat and knead it for a few minutes. When it cools the kids can play too!

The aupairs of Weston & Wilton joined together for a festive holiday party at The Weston Field Club.  We sang Hanukkah and Christmas songs, shared each others holiday traditions and ate great food!      We even had violin music.   A very fun international evening!