April 12- Scrabble
Alfred Butts who was born on this day in 1899 invented Scrabble, the game that uses letter tiles to spell words. As soon as children learn to read and spell they can play an easy version of Scrabble.  For very beginning readers you can create your own simple game by making letter tiles from index cards for each letter that is used in the words the child knows. Be sure to make extra vowels (a, e, i, o, u) as they appear most frequently. Uses these letter cards together and you can help strengthen the children’s reading and spelling skills while having fun.

April 14 -National Library Week-April 14-20 – Visit the Westport Library, a fabulous place for your children to play, read, and learn.  Take your host children to story time, nursery rhyme time, chess club, movie afternoon or any of the other wonderful programs they offer for free.

April 27- Arbor Day -Arbor Day is annual observance dedicated to the planting and conservation of trees. On Arbor Day, many people plant trees and bushes in their communities.  Have your host children decorate a flowerpot,  plant some seeds in it, tend them and watch them grow.

Acting
Most children love to be the center of attention, so being on stage is natural for them. Choose 4 or five things that don’t go together and put them in a bag. Work with the children to make up a story to act out, using the things in the bag. It can be very funny!

Take time this week to visit the Bruce Museum in Greenwich.  Or go on a hike through Earthplace, Westport’s own Nature Center.  Arrange to meet some au pairs and other host children at the Compo Beach playground.