Category Archives: Au Pair Tips

Fun Activities all Winter long

ABC’s of Winter Fun

A is for Art – try drawing, painting or gluing
B is for Baking – bake a dessert together for dinner
C is for Clay – Use non-hardening clay or play dough to shape and mold
D is for Dance – put on a lively tape
E is for Exercise – be sure to get some everyday
F is for Friends – invite some over
G is for Greenhouse – find a local greenhouse to visit to enjoy the sights and smells
H is for House – make a playhouse from a large appliance box
I is for Ice skating – take the children to Longshore Ice Skating rink www.wpalrink.com to skate outdoors or the Shelton Sports Arena for indoor skating, laser tag, and baseball

J is for Jigsaw puzzle – be sure to pick one that isn’t too difficult or make your own by cutting up a magazine picture
K is for Kitchen science – try a safe experiment
L is for Library – borrow some new books, videos and DVDs, listen to a concert or participate in a story time or nursery rhyme class
M is for Movie – make one with a video camera, or watch one
N is for Necklace – make one out of cereal or macaroni
O is for Origami – learn to make simple paper creations
P is for Puppets – socks make easy and fun puppets – put on a show!
Q is for Quiet Time – everyone needs some of this
R is for Reading aloud – choose a good book and a comfortable place to sit
S is for Seeds and Suet – put out food for the birds and watch them eat
T is for Tent – make one from old blankets and chairs
U is for Unplugged – do a day with no TV
V is for Variety – try something new everyday
W is for Walk – take one in any weather (be sure to dress appropriately)
X is for Xylophone – make your own with glasses, water and a metal spoon
Y is for Year – make a calendar or scrapbook to remember the year
Z is for Zoo – visit the animals.  Visit Earthplace, Westport’s own nature center, complete with eagles, snakes, birds and hiking trails

December 2012 Calendar

December 9- Chanukah – Chanukah is a Jewish celebration, also known as the Festival of Lights; Chanukah starts at sundown today and lasts for eight days. It is traditional to exchange gifts or gelt (Yiddish for money) in the form of real coins or chocolate wrapped in gold foil, to play a game of put-and-take with a four sided top called a dreidel, and to light candles each night. https://blogs.aupairinamerica.com/cha/wp-content/uploads/sites/67/2012/07/menorah.jpg

December 21 – First day of winter Animals handle cold winter weather in a variety of ways. Some travel to a warmer climate. Others grow thicker fur coats so they can stay warm and active during the winter. Many animals hibernate during the coldest weather – they spend the warmer months eating and storing as much body fat as they can and then live off this extra weight as they sleep.

December 25 – Christmas Every family and culture has their own Christmas traditions. Embrace those of your host family and share some of your own.https://blogs.aupairinamerica.com/cha/wp-content/uploads/sites/67/2012/07/christmas-tree-background.jpg

December 26 – Kwanzaa –This festive, non-religious African-American celebration was started in 1966. It lasts for seven days. On each day a candle is lit and the day focuses on one of seven principles.

December 31 – New Year’s Eve – Westport celebrates New Year’s with First Night, a family friendly non alcoholic event, complete with fireworks at midnight on the Saugatuck River.  Purchase a button and then visit all of the town’s venues for free – listen to rock n roll, get face painted, dance, sing and have fun with your friends, family and/or host children.  Before the children go to bed, you and the children can choose simple “New Year Resolutions.” Or create a keepsake of 2012 by making a time capsule or a scrapbook of memories. Include what are cool, slang words, 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.  If you have to work tonight, watch the celebration on TV and think about what you would like to accomplish in 2013.

Geography Awareness Week

November 11-17– Geography Awareness Week –This is the perfect week to take out a map or a globe and show the children where they live and where your home country is.  Have them mark on a map all of the places they have visited and where they would like to go. Visit the library for some books and stories about those places.   Prepare one of your favorite recipes from home and have them experience some foreign dishes.  Teach them a song from your native land or read them one of your favorite childhood stories.

November 6 – John Philip Sousa’s birthday – John Philip Sousa was born in 1854 and is famous for composing marches – classic American patriotic music. Make a marching band with the children and have a parade. Children love to make noise, so you don’t need fancy instruments. Try two pot lids as cymbals, a stick and an empty cardboard or plastic container as a drum. Sandpaper rubbed together makes a great noise too! Homemade flags or paper hats would dress up your parade even more!  Go to the library and get a recording of one of Sousa’s famous pieces and play it while the children are marching.  Is their a musician from your country who is famous for his marching music?

November 2012 Calendar

November 2 – Day of the Dead / el día de los muertos– This is a Mexican holiday marked by celebrations, special foods, reunions and visits to cemeteries.   It is also known as All Soul’s Day. https://blogs.aupairinamerica.com/cha/wp-content/uploads/sites/67/2012/10/candyskull.jpg

November 4 – Daylight Savings Time Ends-In most parts of the country you’ll get an extra hour of sleep – set your clock back one hour. https://blogs.aupairinamerica.com/cha/wp-content/uploads/sites/67/2012/02/Deadline-Clock-300×1981.jpg

November 6 – Election Day https://blogs.aupairinamerica.com/cha/wp-content/uploads/sites/67/2012/06/abraham-lincoln.jpg

November 11 – Veteran’s Day A day to honor American veterans of all wars. Veterans Day is a federal holiday.

November 22 Thanksgiving – Thanksgiving dates back to the first European settlers in North America. After hardship, illness and hard work the Pilgrims celebrated a successful harvest that they shared with their Native American friends. This national holiday is a day to feast and give thanks. https://blogs.aupairinamerica.com/cha/wp-content/uploads/sites/67/2012/06/thanksgiving-turkey1.jpg

November 23– Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving and is the beginning of the traditional Christmas shopping season. Black Friday is not an official holiday, but many employees have the day off, which increases the number of potential shoppers. Merchants and the media use the term Black Friday to refer to the beginning of the period in which retailers are in the black i.e., turning a profit for the year.  Sales are everywhere–set your alarm and hit the stores before the sun comes up to get an authentic experience of this unique day! https://blogs.aupairinamerica.com/cha/wp-content/uploads/sites/67/2012/06/money-clipart1.gif

Child Focus

Homework – Now that the school year is well under way, your host children may have more homework than before.  Tips to help everyone get homework done can be found here http://aupairinamerica.com/resources/activities/homework_support.asp

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Driving – Keeping children happy in the car can be challenging. One helpful approach is to engage them in car games in the safety of their car seat or seat belt.

I Spy:  Very young children can play”” I Spy with my little eye”” and they say the color of the thing they are looking at and everyone else in the car needs to guess what it is.  For example, “”I spy my with my little eye something red”” and people guess that the child is looking at a red car or red mailbox.

Alphabet Game- ages 3 and up – Children who can identify letters and can easily see out the window of the car can play this game. One child starts with A and has to find a word on a sign visible from the car with the letter A. The next child has to identify the B, and so on.  Older children can play the Geography Game.  One person starts by saying aloud a country, city or state and the next person must take the last letter to begin his country, city or state.  For example: 1st person says New York and the next person can say Kansas and the next person can say Seattle.

October Calendar

October 8- Columbus Day – Today commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the “New World.”

October 24 – Game One of the Baseball World Series – In baseball the World Series is the championship games of Major League Baseball in North America, played in October after the end of the regular season between the pennant winners of the American and  National Leagues. The Series winner is determined through a best-of-seven playoff, meaning that the first team to win four games wins the series. The World Series has been an annual event since 1903.  It is played at the baseball stadiums of the two teams in the series.  Baseball is so popular that it is sometimes called the “national pastime.” The word “ballgame” in the United States almost always refers to a game of baseball, and “ballpark” to a baseball field.  The rules of baseball can be found here http://aupairinamerica.com/resources/life_in_the_us/baseball.asp

October 24 – United Nations Day – This is the anniversary of the creation of the United Nations in 1947, committed peace and development, based on the principles of justice, human dignity and the well-being of all people. Teach your children something about your country today – a song, a story, game, a new food or a national tradition.

October 31-Halloween This is the day children dress up in costumes and, in many communities, go door-to-door to ask for candy. Safety on Halloween is extremely important – don’t take our eyes off the children and don’t let them eat unwrapped candy.

September 2012 Calendar

September 3 -Labor Day – Labor Day is the first Monday in September and was first celebrated in the United States on September 5, 1882 as a trade union holiday.  Now Labor Day is seen as the end of summer and the beginning of school for many students. The day is often celebrated with picnics, sporting events and reunions.

September 9- National Grandparents Day – Take some time today to make a surprise for Grandparents Day.  This is not a widely celebrated holiday, so grandparents will appreciate being remembered and would particularly enjoy a homemade gift or card.  https://blogs.aupairinamerica.com/cha/wp-content/uploads/sites/67/2012/06/grandparents.jpg

September 11 – Take a moment to day to remember victims of the 2001 September 11 attacks, often referred to as 9/11 (pronounced nine-eleven) On this day, hijackers intentionally crashed two airplanes in to the World Trade Center in New York City causing them to collapse. Hijackers crashed a third airliner into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C. The fourth plane crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania, after some of its passengers and flight crew attempted to retake control of the plane.

September 16- Rosh Hashanah – Rosh Hashanah starts at sundown and is a solemn celebration of the beginning of the Jewish year.  Synagogue services are held on Rosh Hashanah. During the services, the shofar, a ram’s horn, is sounded.  During Rosh Hashanah special dishes are prepared. Many of the dishes contain honey,which symbolizes the desire for a sweet year. A round bread represents the fullness of the year.

September 22- Fall begins As the weather cools and the leaves start to change color, it is apple-picking season in most parts of the United States.  Visit Blue Jay Orchards in Bethel (203-748-0119) , Jones Family Farms in Shelton (203-929-8425)  Silverman’s Farm in Easton (203-261-3306) or Warrups Farm in W. Redding (203-938-9403)   Try these simple apple recipes, no matter where you get your apples:

  • Applesauce is very simple to make. Remove the core and quarter the apples. If you leave the peel on during cooking it will give the applesauce a pink color. When the apples are very soft, remove any peel that is left, mash the pulp or put it through a sieve. Add sugar if needed.
  • Try making Dried Apple Rings. They can be used as a nutritious snack. Peel, core and slice apples into 1/8 inch rings (Macintosh or Golden Delicious apples work best). Dip each ring into a mixture of lemon juice and water to help the apples keep their color. Pull a piece of string through the center of each ring and hang in a dry, warm place. They take 1-2 weeks to dry and become chewy.

September 22 – Elephant Appreciation Day Elephants are the largest land animals.  There are Asian (or Indian) and African elephants – the two look slightly different.  Younger children may enjoy reading books with elephants in the story such as the classic “Babar” series by Jean de Brunhoff or “But No Elephants” by Jerry Smath.  Older children (ages 6 and older) would be interested in facts about elephants and learning about conservation of the endangered Indian elephant.  Finish off the day with Elephant Ears, a sweet pastry available at many bakeries or visit the website for a recipe.

September 25 Yom Kippur – Beginning at sunset, Yom Kippur is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The observance is also known as the Day of Atonement since the events of Yom Kippur focus on asking and granting forgiveness.  Many Jews attend services at a synagogue or temple on the eve and day of Yom Kippur.  On Yom Kippur, many Jews perform no work and abstain from food and drink for 24 hours.

September 30 Sukkot – is a joyous Jewish holiday that lasts for seven days and remembers the time that Israelites wandered in the desert during their journey to the Promised Land.  It is observed by the building of a temporary dwelling (a sukkah) decorated with fruits and other symbols of the harvest.

August Activities

Dream Day – Not everyone remembers their dreams but if the children are old enough to tell you about their dream, it might be fun to create a dream log with words and or pictures. Children who have scary dreams may be helped by reading There’s a Nightmare in my Closet by Mercer Mayer, or The Berenstain Bears and the Bad Dream by Stan and Jan Berenstain.

Sea Serpents – Sea serpents are not a part of our everyday life and so they are fascinating to children. Have fun drawing your own ideas of fantastic sea serpents, remind the children that they can be friendly or scary but are never real. Two delightful books about sea serpents: Harry by the Sea by Gene Zion and The Mysterious Tadpole by Steven Kellogg.

Toasting marshmallows over a campfire is a summertime treat. This may not be possible at home, but you can still make ‘smores, a messy, gooey, sweet summertime delight.

Ingredients for one ‘smore

2 graham cracker squares

1 large marshmallow

Handful of chocolate chips

2 tablespoons melted butter

Tin foil

Place marshmallows and chocolate chips in graham cracker squares, like a sandwich and wrap in tin foil.  Place in the toaster oven or under the broiler for 2-3 minutes and Voilá a tasty gooey treat!

In the US we most often eat potatoes baked or fried. However, almost every culture has its own way of preparing potatoes – introduce your family to potatoes as you know them. Potatoes are also useful for many craft projects. Cut one in half and carve a simple design into the cut end, then dip it in paint and use it for printing. Cut an end off a sweet potato and let it sit in shallow water for several days. It will start to grow into a beautiful vine

This Weekend

Saturday, June 30 – Great Duck Race

$10,000 raffle supporting local charities. 3,000 rubber ducks launched into Saugatuck River, and the first 10 ducks across finish line win a prize. Fun includes bouncy castle, games, music, arts and crafts, food and drink, magician.
Where: Saugatuck River at Parker Harding Plaza, Westport
When: 10:30 AM – 2:00 PM
Who: Sponsored by the Westport Sunrise Rotary
How: $20 Raffle tickets available at Fairfield County Bank, TD Bank, Black Duck, and The Russell Agency
Cost: free admission
For more info: visit www.thegreatduckrace.org