Au Pairs
Surviving & Thriving in the Holiday Season
The fall/winter holiday season is most often a time of joy and excitement. However, it can also be a time of stress and disappointment for both host families and au pairs. Here are some ideas and insights that will hopefully help you avoid stress and disappointment and share more of the joy and excitement! Holiday Read More
5 Tips for Safe Trick or Treating
TRICK OR TREAT TOGETHER – Children should trick or treat in groups and younger children should have adult supervision. DRESS UP SAFELY – Avoid masks that block children’s vision and make sure costumes don’t pose a tripping hazard. Avoid sharp or heavy props that could cause injury. BE VISIBLE – Children should be visible to drivers. Read More
Preparing for Cold Weather
We’re in that time of year when Maryland temperatures start dipping a little lower. It can be 70°F (21°C) one day and 40°F (4°C) the next. But, that doesn’t mean you need to hide indoors. There are lots of ways to stay warm and enjoy the outdoors through fall and winter. There is a Scandinavian Read More
Hints for Success – Homesickness/Culture Shock
Almost everyone experiences culture shock and homesickness when they come to a completely new environment. Everything is different: the language, the food, and the people. Here are my Top 5 Tips forDealing with Homesickness 1. Make friends – Don’t wait for other au pairs to reach out to you, reach out to them. There Read More
Going Unplugged During Work Hours
Phones, tablets, and laptops are wonderful tools to stay connected and informed, but we need to be careful not to let them become distractions from real-life interactions and most importantly our responsibilities. Au Pairs – Imagine for a moment that you went to the hospital and you were in the care of doctors and nurses. How would Read More
Local Fairs & Maryland Renaissance Festival
What is a Fair? According to Wikipedia:A fair (sometimes fayre) is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. Activities at fairs vary widely. Fairs are also known by many different names around the world, such as agricultural show, carnival, Read More
Stopping for School Buses
With schools getting back in session soon and many new au pairs, I wanted to remind everyone about the Maryland law that requires you to stop for school buses. Below you will find pictures explaining what to do in 4 different types of roads if you approach a school bus at a stop. If you Read More
Back to School Planning
Back to school time is here. This can mean changes to the au pair schedule and possibly to the duties. It is very important to communicate these changes to avoid problems. Here is a list of topics to consider discussing: Au pair’s work schedule. The children’s school and activity schedules. Where the children get dropped off Read More
Camp Au Pair – Cars & Trucks
Next week’s Camp Au Pair theme will be Cars & Trucks. Crafts, recipes, activities, and games related to all kinds of vehicles can all be found here on the Camp Au Pair – Cars & Trucks pinboard. Field Trips can be an excellent way for kids to learn and have new experiences. Get permission from your Read More
Create Your Own “Summer Bucket List”
The term “bucket list” was popularized in the 2007 Jack Nicholson/Morgan Freeman movie. The idea is to make a list of things you want to do before you “kick the bucket” (which is an idiom referring to death.) Even though that sounds kind of morbid, the idea has taken off as something much more positive Read More
Holiday & Vacation Reminders
“Rest and be thankful.” – William Wordsworth Holidays and vacations are a great opportunity to rest, recharge and explore the U.S. Memorial Day Weekend is the unofficial start of the summer travel season. Here are some reminders about program rules regarding holidays, vacations, and international travel. Holidays Host families are not required to give au pairs off on any Read More
Big Kids Need Interaction Too
Just because a child is old enough to occupy themselves, doesn’t mean that they should be expected to do so the majority of the time. Host families have a certain expectation of activity and involvement for their children. Get the kids engaged and active. You can be more fun than the TV or a video game. Problem:But, Read More
Travel Outside of the U.S.
7 Things to Know Before You Go There is always some risk with traveling outside of the U.S., as re-entry is at the discretion of the port of entry agent. APIA recommends that au pairs and host families discuss the risks and decide whether they are comfortable. Please review the appropriate checklist(s) from APIA, as you Read More
Drive-In Movies
Have you ever been to a drive-in movie? Drive-in movies are outdoor theaters where the movie is projected on a large screen and you watch from your car. There were once over 4,000 drive-in theaters in the U.S., and now only a few hundred remain. For our June outdoor movie cluster meeting, there is an Read More
Protecting Privacy & Personal Information Online
We live in a time of constant sharing through social media. We often share pictures, plans of somewhere we are going, or rants about problems, without thinking much about who will see it and what could be the consequences. Before clicking “post”, stop to think: Am I violating someone’s privacy? Am I sharing personal information that could Read More