Tag Archives: Crafts with kids

Valentine’s Day

Globe Heart

Valentine’s Day is February 14th!

Au Pairs give loving care to their host families every day.  Au Pair in America has provided 27 years as the world’s most experienced intercultural  childcare program.

Au pairs become full-fledged family members, sharing a cultural exchange experience that often leads to a lasting relationship with the host family.

Au Pairs come to the USA for cultural exchange and to provide childcare to busy families.  They stay for one year and then have the option to extend for a second year.  Au Pairs are 18 to 26 years old when they arrive in the USA.  Please check out www.aupairinamerica.com for more information!

 

Au Pairs will be making Valentine cards with their host children.  Here’s how:

What you’ll need:

  • 8.5 x 11 construction paper or card stock in various colors and/or patterns easy-homemade-valentines-kaboose-craft-photo-350-fs-IMG_9049_rdax_65
  • Valentine and/or heart stickers
  • Scissors
  • Pinking shears (optional)
  • Glue stick or white craft or school glue
  • Glitter (pink, red, white)

How to make it:

  1. Begin by cutting a piece of construction paper or card stock into four equal pieces.
  2. Fold quartered paper in half to make a card.
  3. For the easiest version, appropriate for preschoolers, use stickers to decorate or cut out hearts from a different color of construction paper or card stock to glue onto your cards. Experiment with different patterns, florals look great contrasted with stripes on a solid background.
  4. Younger children love glitter! Use a bottle of glue to “draw” on a heart or phrase (such as “Be Mine”). Sprinkle glue generously with pink, red or white glitter and let dry over night. Tap off excess glitter when completely dry.
  5. For the older set, let them use pinking sheers to cut out heart shapes and glue onto cards. Again, use contrasting patterns and colors to create a charming design.
  6. Once glue is dry, cards may curl up a little. Place cards between the pages of a heavy cookbook or phone book and leave over night.

Valentine's Day

 

 

 

Scarecrow Contest in Stony Brook Village

DSCN0111The Suffolk County Cluster of Au Pair in America has entered the Scarecrow Contest in Stony Brook Village.  The au pair scarecrow and her host baby scarecrow are dressed all in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

You can see all the Scarecrows now through Halloween in Stony Brook Village!  To learn more about the contest and events on Halloween in Stony Brook, on the link below:

http://www.stonybrookvillage.com/events-calendar

Keila from Brazil and Community Counselor Cindy Garruba

Keila from Brazil and Community Counselor Cindy Garruba

Visit the APIA Scarecrow and please vote for us.  Scarecrow #105 in front of Mint, near the Brook House and Post Office in the Harbor Crescent Section of Stony Brook Village. Boutique in Market Square section.

Backyard Camp Au Pair in America – Under the Sea!

sea craft

Camp Au Pair in America Under the Sea!

Long Island is a great place to experience this week of activities!  When you go to the beach, collect sea glass, shells and rocks to make crafts at home.  Never go to the beach without a few zip lock bags to take your treasures home!

Watch “Finding Nemo” this week with the kids, read them some stories about the beach, the sea and its creatures!

Click on the link below for           Camp APIA – Under the Sea:

http://pinterest.com/aupairinamerica/camp-au-pair-under-the-sea/

Make a Daffodil Pinwheel

Spring is tomorrow (even if it doesn’t feel like it!) Here is an easy craft to celebrate the start of Spring!

Daffodil Pinwheel Craft

This cute daffodil craft uses the basic pinwheel with a cup on the front to form a daffodil.  pinwheel-daffodil

You can use the templates I’ve provided or design your own using:

  • construction paper and stickers
  • fun foam, or
  • thin pieces of plastic (like one would use for overhead projectors)

Fun foam ones are nice and sturdy, but you’ll need to use straight pins instead of push pins to make them.

Materials:

  • paper
  • printer
  • something to color with
  • pencil with eraser at the end (unsharpened is best, I think)
  • push pin or straight pin
  • optional:  a small bead (like a pony bead)
  • optional:  green paint

Instructions:

  • Optional:  paint your pencil green so it looks like the stem of a flower.
  • Optional:  you can print the B&W template on yellow paper.
  • Take the circle and crimp it along the lines to make an orange cup shape.
  • Fold the rectangular template piece on the dashed line to make a square decorated on both sides.
  • Glue the square together so you have a square decorated on both sides.
  • Cut on the diagonal dotted lines (don’t cut all the way into the middle).
  • Bend each corner to the center dot, but don’t crease your folds.
  • Place the cup in the middle of the pinwheel.
  • Push a pin through the center into the eraser of a pencil (don’t push it super tight)
  • Optional:  put a bead in between the eraser and the paper … some people find it spins a bit better this way… I’ve never noticed the difference (maybe it’s the type of pencil eraser?  I use fresh, unsharpened school pencils)
  • Place it in a vase or pot and decorate your springtime table.

Template:

templates

Au Pairs Volunteer at Charity Event

october 2012 080

october 2012 092This past Saturday, some au pairs from the Suffolk County Cluster of Au Pair in America volunteered at the Clubhouse of Suffolk Fundraiser.  The Clubhouse helps people struggling with mental illness, many of them returning veterans with PTSD.  The Au Pairs ran the children’s activities at the Clubhouse Chili Cook Off fundraiser.

october 2012 088The au pairs organized childrens games, crafts, and face painting.  They applied Halloween and Global Awareness Tattoos to the children’s faces and hands.  They ran a sack race, helped the kids with 2 pinatas and then led the kids in a Halloween Costume Parade.  The best costume won a family 4 pack to Harbes Farm Fall Family Fun. 

october 2012 091A lucky family won a gift basket filled with Halloween party supplies and a gift certificate worth $1200 off a year’s program fees for Au Pair in America!!!

The weather was perfect, the chili was hot and spicy, the kids had a blast.  One of the au pairs, Natty from Thailand, came dressed as a pirate.  Her Community Counselor, Cindy Garruba, awarded her a gift card to Bath & Body Works!  Fun was had by all who attended, especially the au pairs who volunteered!  They loved the music by the band, too!october 2012 094

october 2012 096

Get Creative – Build a Cardboard Playhouse!

Summertime is a great time to get creative!

Days are long and the weather is warm so it’s a great time to do a project with your host kids.  How about making a playhouse?

Here’s some guidance:

– Get a large appliance box from a local appliance stores and put it in the backyard – get several if you want to make a playhouse city!

– Paint and deco­rate the box

– Cut out a door and some windows, and voila, you have a play house!

Look how much these kids enjoyed their playhouse and it’s not even decorated!

EARTH DAY – APRIL 22nd

earth_dayFor over 40 years Earth Day has mobilized and motivated people and organizations around the world to demonstrate their committment to environmental protection. 

REDUCE, REUSE & RECYCLE!!

Visit http://www.earthday.org/ kids-earth-day

 

 

 

 

 Some Earth Day Activities for Kids at http://www.epa.gov/region5/publications/happy/happy.pdf