Several dozen au pairs living in New Canaan, Darien and Norwalk gathered at Bayley Beach in Rowayton to participate in the very American tradition of carving pumpkins for Halloween! The girls are all with Au Pair in America, representing countries around the world.
Despite the pandemic and travel restrictions from many countries, Au Pair in America has been bringing new girls into the US weekly. In New Canaan we welcomed FIVE new arrivals at our most recent cluster meeting!
Never pass a stopped school bus regardless of whether you are driving behind the bus or driving towards it. When the bus stops to let children get on or off, you will see flashing lights and stop signs that come out from the sides of the bus. Expect children to be in the area. Wait until the bus begins to move, and then proceed with caution as children may still be along the roadside.
Despite the pandemic, Au Pair in America au pairs in New Canaan found ways to help those less fortunate among us and give back to the community that has welcomed them so warmly.
In September, Staying Put in New Canaan asked for help decorating face masks to be included in food baskets being delivered as part of it’s Celebration of Generations virtual luncheon. Au pairs in New Canaan volunteered to decorate 60 of the white cotton masks. An international group from Brazil, the Czech Republic, Peru, New Zealand, Germany, Colombia, Latvia, South Africa and Poland participated.
During the month of November, the group participated in an individual Turkey Trot 5K and raised $310 which was donated to the CT Food Bank. We celebrated doing good for others while promoting healthy habits.
To add cheer to the holidays for New Canaan’s elderly residents, au pairs decorated dozens of hand made cards that were distributed along with poinsettias and cookies to Staying Put in New Canaan clients. During virtual meetings in December, the girls shared holiday traditions and recipes from their home countries, promoting the cultural exchange which is the heart of the au pair program.
If the snow &/or ice is heavy or threatening to become heavy, don’t go out. It is not worth the risk. Cancel, change plans, make due. If you must go out, keep the trip as short as possible, and follow these guidelines.
When there is snow &/or ice on the street:
1. If your car has been outside, warm up the car and clean the snow & ice off all windows, windshields, and hood using a brush & scraper (make sure your headlights and brake lights are snow free). Do not warm up a car in a closed garage.
2. Go more slowly than usual, and leave more time than you normally would to get where you’re going.
3. Keep a safe distance between you and the vehicle(s) ahead of you. Safe distance in snow is double the normal distance.
4. Turn your headlights on if it is snowing (and any time you use your windshield wipers). In heavy snow, fog lights might also be helpful (but not all cars have them).
5. Don’t make sudden or jerky movements with steering, and don’t accelerate or brake forcefully. This can cause you to slide and lose control.
6. If you start to slide or skid, take your foot off the gas pedal and keep steering & looking where you want to go. When you are headed the right way again and feel some traction, accelerate slowly (or brake slowly). If your wheels start to spin, take your foot off the gas pedal until you feel the tires grab again.
7. When you break, push the break gently. If you have anti-lock brakes, you will hear a thumping sound which is normal (it is the way the car prevents the brakes from locking up and making the situation worse). If you have regular brakes, pump them slowly, keeping your heel on the floor and the ball of your foot on the brake pedal (this helps you to be gentler because you are using only your foot, not your whole leg).
8. If you need to get out of a parking space with a lot of snow, you might need to “rock” the car, going forward a little, then back a little, over and over. Keep the wheels fairly straight, with only slight movements left or right. It is really difficult to get over snow when the wheels are turned hard to the left or right. If that doesn’t work, you may need to either shovel the snow out of the way or put down sand, kitty litter or gravel to get traction (some families keep a bag of this in the trunk).
9. Keep your gas tank at least ¼ full so that the gas line doesn’t freeze (if extra moisture gets in the line), and keep your windshield wiper fluid 1/2 full or more. You don’t want to run out of wiper fluid in the middle of the road with trucks spewing dirty slush onto your windshield.
10. Never use the cruise control in snow, ice or rain. It can cause the car to hydroplane and you could lose control.
Driving with kids in the car can be particularly distracting especially if there is crying, whining, or some other issue that warrants attention. It is hard to ignore children who want attention, but when you are driving you need to remain focused on DRIVING!
It is very important to review each child’s backpack every day. It is one of the important links between school and home. Backpacks quickly become disorganized and notices missed if not emptied every day. Here is a suggested daily routine that you can follow, or supervise your host children as they do it, depending on their age(s):
When Staying Put in New Canaan asked for help decorating face masks to be included in food baskets being delivered as part of it’s Celebration of Generations virtual luncheon, Au Pair in America au pairs in New Canaan volunteered to decorate 60 of the white cotton masks. An international group from Brazil, the Czech Republic, Peru, New Zealand, Germany, Colombia, Latvia, South Africa and Poland enjoyed doing something good for the community that has welcomed them so warmly.
It’s important to have effective morning routines so children get off to school without stress. Older children can help plan their routines.
Here are some specific ideas for minimizing morning madness on school days:
