It only takes a minute for a child to get into serious trouble around water. Learn more about water safety at: http://www.caloes.ca.gov/ICESite/Pages/Backyard-Pool-Survival.aspx Read More
Pool Safety
10 Tips for Summer Safety
Remember to bring along drinks, especially water. Try to get children to drink water every 20 minutes, when they are outside in hot weather. Pay attention to surfaces that can be hot against children’s skin, such as metal slides and other playground equipment in the sun. Safety around water is particularly important. A child can Read More
May is National Water Safety Month
With summer right around the corner, now is a good time to remind yourself of important water safety guidelines. It is important for all adults in the children’s lives to be on the same page about swimming pool rules, and an even better idea to use a Water Watcher Card for each child Read More
Daylight Saving Time Begins March 11
What is Daylight Saving Time? During Daylight Saving Time, clocks are turned forward one hour, effectively moving an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening. Today, approximately 70 countries worldwide utilize Daylight Saving Time, in at least some portion of the country. The U.S. started observing it in 1918, so it celebrates it’s Read More
Things to do
I love my son, but sometimes he drives me totally nuts! This past long weekend is a perfect example. All he wanted to do, it seemed, was lay on the sofa in his pajamas and watch TV. I couldn’t even get him to play legos with me, a pastime we often enjoy together. Finally, as I Read More
Happy Groundhog Day!
This Friday, February 2nd, is Groundhog Day … but what is this strange custom? The Delaware Indians of Pennsylvania considered groundhogs, which have long been plentiful in the Pennsylvania area, to be honorable ancestors. In the Delawares’ legend of human creation, their ancestral forefathers began life as animals within the earth, and emerged during their Read More
Staying Healthy Amid a Flu Outbreak
Staying Healthy Amid a Flu Outbreak The Flu is an illness that usually includes sore, achy muscles; fatigue; sometimes a fever and a general malaise; and can keep you in bed for up to two weeks. This season, the news contains daily stories of this year’s flu epidemic, which is one of the deadliest Read More
Focus on Play: New Ideas for Some Classic Toys
It is good to offer kids a balance of independent play time and play where you are actively engaging with them. You can make toys they may be bored with, feel new and exciting, by suggesting different ways to play with them. Try some of the ideas below as a starting point. Play Food/Dishes Teach Read More
Avoiding Homesickness this Holiday Season
Homesickness can be a problem during the holidays, even if it hasn’t been at any other time of the year. Au pairs often miss their friends and family, familiar places and their own traditions and customs. The holiday activities in the United States seem, and may actually be, different just at a time when an Read More
5 Thanksgiving Tips for Au Pairs & Host Parents
Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November each year. Even though a few other countries also celebrate Thanksgiving, it’s still considered a uniquely American holiday, one that the au pairs look forward to experiencing. You can learn more about it here. “I really enjoyed Thanksgiving with my host family. It was as Read More