If you’re a fan of sleep you’re probably a fan of November 2nd, that’s the day when most of us get to set our clocks back one hour at 2:00am and revel in the end of daylight savings time 2013 which brings with it an extra hour of sleep.
Tag Archives: long island au pair
Last Pumpkin Picking before HALLOWEEN!
Halloween is Friday, October 31st! This is the last weekend to pick your own pumpkin at a local Suffolk County Farm. Check out this link for a great selection of farms to visit: pumpkin farms
Au Pair in America went Canoeing on the Nissequogue River
Today, Sunday July 27th, Cindy Garruba and Eileen Friedman enjoyed canoeing the Nissequogue River with 25 au pairs from their Long Island clusters. Rain was in the forecast this morning and this evening, but the daytime was perfect for canoeing. 2 to 3 au pairs matched up in canoes for the 2 hour trip.
We passed families of swans and one group even saw a water turtle! A few tangles into the reeds growing along the river bank and then everyone got the hang of it. At the end of the trip, some of the group picnicked at the Paul T. Givens park near the famous Smithtown Bull.
3 of the au pairs were at their very last cluster activity with their Long Island friends. They each had spent at least one year on Long Island, one is heading for a 2nd year but in Connecticut this time.
Our August activity includes some host families, too! What could be more American than an evening of baseball? We will be going to a Sunday evening Long Island Ducks baseball game!
Au Pair in America Summer & Water Safety
On Sunday, June 8th the Suffolk County, LI Au Pairs had a cluster meeting at their Community Counselor, Cindy Garruba’s beach house on the beautiful North Fork of Long Island. They spent time enjoying the summer weather, even a few took dips in the chilly Long Island Sound! Everyone got to know each other a little better, many new au pairs meeting current au pairs for the first time!
The meeting heading inside for some serious talk on summer and water safety. A former lifeguard and swim instructor, Cindy reviewed basic water safety since all the au pairs will visit the beautiful Long Island beaches or swim in their host family pools, many while caring for their host children. We also reviewed first aid, sunscreen usage, hydrating in the heat, what poison ivy prevention and explained ticks, lyme disease and more.
Presentation of awards and certificates followed the safety lesson. Cindy is presenting Justine Probst, German au pair, with a Global Awareness recognition certificate. Justine did a lesson on German culture in her host child’s second grade classroom. A wonderful way for children to learn first hand about another culture!
4 au pairs will be heading home soon and came to their last cluster meeting. Thanks for all the love and support you gave your host families and fellow au pairs this year!
Jarka from Slovakia; Ramona, Chrisi & Jessica from Germany are heading home
Jarka from Slovakia; Ramona, Chrisi & Jessica from Germany are heading home
We finished up with strawberries, blueberries and cream. It is strawberry season on the local Long Island farms! Then a few last pictures on the deck. Everyone had fun!
Au Pairs Enjoy NY Color Run!
A team of Au Pair in America Long Island Au Pairs ran the Color Run in Queens last weekend.
The Color Run was founded in March of 2011 as an event to promote healthiness and happiness by bringing the community together to participate in the “Happiest 5k on the Planet”. Check it out here.
The Au Pair in America team was organized by Aisha Summers, a Canadian au pair living with a host family in Coram. She recruited au pair friends Christine Van Tonder, Shireen Hendricks , Corinna Sommerman, and Elsmarie Otto to run with her. They came up with a team uniform, white t-shirts, colorful tutus and accessories! They met early that morning and took the Long Island Railroad to the event. The festivities were fun and they all want to do it again sometime.
Aisha said, “The color run is to celebrate yourself as a person, where you are in life and what you’ve accomplished as an individual 🙂 I think my favorite part was really just forgetting the stresses and enjoying a great event with great people creating a great memory!”
Christine a South African au pair living in Smithtown shared, “The reason I did is was so that I can spend some time with friends away from work and had previously heard about the color run and it seemed like a fun experience. The actual event was very awesome, planned out well, colorful of course, there was music playing, everyone (the runners and race organizers) was very friendly and happy which created a great atmosphere. My favorite part of the race had to be just spending it with some of my friends and also crossing the finish line with all all the other people that had finished as well and properly celebrating it right there with music and of course the throwing of colored powder, which looked incredible. I would like to do it again and am hoping to do the one coming up in July, in Brooklyn, hopefully get some more people into it. All and all i think the color run was a great idea to do as a group, and the message behind it is so much more meaningful, just knowing that it promotes healthy living around the world, and supports charities is a wonderful accomplishment, not to mention all the smiles it generates. I definitely encourage other people to try t out, at least once.”
Corinna a German au pair living in Huntington added, “ The color run was so much fun. I did it because I wanted to meet some other girls and it just sounded fun and I saw so many pictures but I never did it myself.. I checked out their website for pictures and I saw that they also do it in Germany, so I definitely will do it again with my German friends 🙂 My favorite part was of course getting dirty and party afterwards with the girls 🙂 It was such a nice day, even though we all had to get up early, but it was totally worth it!”
Congratulations to the Team! Spreading good will and happiness with a cultural flair!
Monika’s Poem Read at Graduation!
The one poem read at the Suffolk County Community College ESL graduation ceremony was by Au Pair Monika Vuic from Croatia. Monika is the au pair for a family in Mt. Sinai.
Way to go Monika!
Time Keeps Flowing
Time keeps flowing
Years have passed,
But what matters
Is in our hearts.
It doesn’t matter
How old we are:
Achieving our goals
Will get us far.
Let’s mark our lives
Fulfilling our dreams,
Achieving our goals
Will get us far.
Let’s mark our lives
Fulfilling our dreams,
Loving nature and feeling its streams.
Always remember and never forget
We’ve come this far
And we’re not done yet!
A beautiful future awaits
Because we are in front of open gates.
Time keeps flowing,
Years will pass
But what matters
Is in our hearts
By Monika Vuic
2nd Graders Visit With German Au Pair
German Au Pair, Justine Probst visited her host child’s 2nd grade classroom to talk about her country with the students.
She showed the students a traditional dirndl dress she made for October fest. She said she wore it to Octoberfest here with her host family!
She engaged the students by asking them questions about Germany. Many knew it is in Europe. Justine showed them where on the world map.
She brought a German flag and some of the children knew the colors before she even showed it to them!
She brought some euros and explained that most of Europe uses euros for money. The children all got a chance to see and touch the money.
They learned some words in German and even sang the song “Happy Birthday” in German! Justine kept the children interested and they were engaged in her lesson.
Au Pairs from Au Pair in America are encouraged to share their culture with American students through a program called Global Awareness. http://www.globalawareness.com/
Au Pair in America au pairs not only provide childcare but are also active in their local communities. Global Awareness, a unique volunteer program sponsored by Au Pair in America, is designed to foster a greater knowledge of the diversity and variety of cultures the world has to offer.
Au pairs go into elementary school classrooms, libraries, local bookstores, cub scout and brownie groups and other areas of interest to children to share their culture. One teacher recently said “60 kids will go home today knowing more about the world than when they first arrived at school this morning”.
The au pairs present a wide variety of topics and all the presentations are interactive and fun for the children!
A Spring Sunday Walk Across the Brooklyn Bridge
On Sunday, April 27th Long Island Au Pairs from Au Pair in America walked from Borough Hall in Brooklyn to Manhattan across the Brooklyn Bridge. Lots of people were walking around the city and across the bridge on the beautiful Sunday afternoon.
The Long Island Community Counselors organized the afternoon and joined the au pairs on the walk. Cindy Garruba, Eileen Friedman and Andrea Wax enjoy spending time with the au pairs in their cluster. Next month the clusters will be going to Bullets Over Broadway, a new Broadway musical. Most of the au pairs will be seeing their first show on Broadway!
SPECIAL AU PAIRS FOR SPECIAL CHILDREN
Au Pair in America has au pairs who love working with different types of children. April is Autism Awareness month and some many families with autistic children have turned to Au Pair in America to find the right childcare to fit their needs. We have au pairs who are not only willing to work with special needs children, but many who request this for their year in America.
Jessica Klose from Germany
Jessica Klose is spending a second year as an Au Pair in America with a family in Ronkonkoma with three children, 2 are autistic. She is extended for a second year because her first year was so rewarding and she loves the children. Her host parents are very involved and supportive of her, introducing her to the children’s teachers and support services. Jessica is turning 21 in May, so she began working with her host children when she was 19. She says she has learned so much about herself and grown as a person through her experiences here in the USA. Most importantly she has learned how to be patient, how to put someone else’s needs first. Her host children need lots of repetition and routine. She finds it fascinating how they think and has learned that they think in pictures. The I Pad has become a great tool to communicate with her host children. Her host children love bowling once a week with their peers. Jessica loves watching how much they have grown since she first arrived!
Jessica’s host mom, Christine Murphy, said this about Jessica and her past au pairs, “
Jessica, Elsa and Lara have all been open minded and loving caretakers for all of our children. They have had to be patient and flexible. Having two special needs children presents many challenges. Their positive attitude and commitment to learn positive behavior support strategies have made a great difference for our family. We are grateful to have them in our lives.”
Jessica would recommend this program to all her friends and would encourage others to consider being an au pair in a family with special needs children. When she returns to Germany this summer, she wants to pursue a degree in psychology or renewable energy. She looks forward to being an ambassador for the Au Pair in America program someday, so she can tell other young women what a great opportunity it is for them.
Shireen Hendricks is from South Africa working with a family with 4 children, the 15 year old boy is a high functioning autistic child. She says he is very literal and enjoys technical video games. He is in a special class at school that is teaching him basic social skills as well as academics. She finds the interactions between him and his siblings challenging at times, but she, like Jessica, has learned patience and the importance of routine. She also extended for a second year in America with her host family.
Aisha Summers from Canada works with two autistic girls. Her host mom, Kirsten Fergusen, is a special education teacher and says “Having an Au pair to help with our 2 special needs daughters has made such a difference in our lives. Autumn and Ava have multiple disabilities. They are non-verbal with cognitive impairment, seizure disorders, and both are on the autism spectrum. It takes a person of strong character with unyielding patience, a generous heart, and a commitment to going the extra mile. Aisha has all of this to offer and more. She understands the importance of consistency. She never takes the easy route. She nudges my girls towards independence. She has high expectations for them and loves them unconditionally. Having Aisha as part of our family for almost 2 years has helped more ways than I can say. She has been a true blessing.”
Aisha Summers, Canadian and Shireen Hendricks, South African
Aisha feels very strongly that working with autism and special needs children has been the most rewarding part of being an Au Pair in America. She has experienced so many special moments with the girls and loves creating experiences for them within the structure of the day. She is returning home this summer and will continue working with children and planning more education for her future career. Aisha feels so strongly about Autism Awareness and has recently had a tattoo added to her body with the puzzle design for awareness. Her host parents have developed an app for the I Pad to communicate more effectively with autistic children. Aisha said the girls are even talking more with the app. Check it out at https://close2homeapps.com/?q=our_apps
To learn more about Au Pair in America for your family go to www.aupairinamerica.com or call me, Cindy Garruba, Senior Community Counselor for Au Pair in America in Suffolk County, NY at 631-591-3573 or email me at Cindy722@aol.com
April is Autism Awareness Month
Our au pairs can care for many different kinds of children. We have special au pairs for special needs children. Simplify your life and give your children the best and most extensive care available with Au Pair in America!