| Easter in the USA |
| It’s almost time to get out the paint and brushes to start decorating those Easter eggs. Yes, Easter is just around the corner!Easter is a very important celebration for many people in the USA with different traditions all over the country. Shops and homes will be decorated with Easter Bunnies and little yellow chicks and most families decorate Easter eggs with their children.
An Easter favourite is a game for children called Egg Rolling. It is a race where children push a decorated boiled egg through the grass with a wooden club. Whoever reaches the finish line first, without breaking the egg, wins. This game is so popular that the US president invites families to the White House for a game of Egg Rolling each Easter Monday – this tradition started in 1878. Another common Easter tradition is an Easter egg hunt. The ‘Easter bunny’ hides real and artificial eggs filled with surprises, for children to find. Whoever finds the most eggs is the winner, and everybody gets to keep the treasures and Easter surprises they found. For the Easter egg hunt, children make or buy special baskets to place all the eggs in. This Easter, get out the paint and brushes and join in the fun! |
Monthly Archives: March 2010
March Holidays
March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day – St. Patrick is said to have given a sermon from a hilltop that drove all the snakes from Ireland. St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated in the US since 1737. Traditional icons of the day are the shamrock, leprechaun, the color green and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. In Chicago, they city celebrates with a parade and the Chicago River is dyed green!
March 28- Palm Sunday Palm Sunday is a Christian celebration that always falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem in the days before his Passion. In many Christian churches, Palm Sunday is marked by the distribution of palm leaves (often tied into crosses) to the assembled worshipers.
March 30 Passover-Passover, also known as Pesach or Pesah, is a Holy Day, observed by several religions, begins today and lasts seven or eight days, depending on your beliefs. It commemorates the exodus and freedom of the Israelites from Egypt. It is also observed by some Christians to commemorate the deliverance from sin by the sacrifice of Jesus.
Au Pair Travel
Travel – If you are planning to travel outside the US during your first year, your DS12019 will need a travel signature. You will also need to check if you need visa to enter the country you intend to visit. Obtaining a tourist visa is solely the responsibility of the au pair.
~Three weeks before you plan to travel, mail your original DS-2019 Form and a self-addressed stamped envelope (so your signed DS 2019 may be returned to you) to
Au Pair in America
River Plaza
9 West Broad Street
Stamford, CT 06902
Attn.: Evelyn Blum
Have a great trip!
Children’s Homework
Do you have a child in school who has homework every night and a younger child who does not? Sometimes younger siblings wish for “homework.” Coloring a picture or cutting pictures out of a magazine are activities that may help a younger child to feel like he or she is also doing homework.
March Activities
Windy Days – March is known for its windy days. It would be a great day to fly a kite
Sidewalk Chalk– Take advantage of a mild day and head outside to draw on the sidewalk with chalk. Kids love to have their whole body outlined and then fill in the drawing with clothes and a face. If you still have ice or snow outside try white or colored chalk inside on construction paper or brown wrapping paper. The drawings can be made permanent, so they won’t rub off, by spraying with aerosol hair spray (best to spray outside, and certainly away from the children).
Snowballs in the Kitchen
In most parts of the US the snow has disappeared, but you can cook ‘snowballs’ in the kitchen.
Ingredients
1 3-oz bag of natural microwave popcorn
2 12-oz bags of white chocolate chips
1 1/4oz container of white cake sparkles (edible glitter)
Prepare popcorn as directed on the package (do not let children open the bag as the steam can burn). Cool completely and remove any unpopped kernels. Melt the white chocolate chips as directed on the package. Carefully pour the melted chocolate over the popcorn, stirring gently until the popcorn is coated. Gently but firmly mold the coated popcorn into snowball shapes. Set on wax paper and sprinkle with edible glitter. Enjoy!
March 14 Daylight Saving Time Be sure to set the clocks forward one hour! Don’t be late for work!