Category Archives: Fun Things We Do

Volunteering at Capital Area Food Bank

 


Last weekend, we volunteered at the Capital Area Food Bank in DC. We were tasked with filling boxes that will be distributed to families in need. Our group made up more than half of the afternoon volunteer shift that filled 900 boxes!

The boxes go around on a conveyor belt and each pair of volunteers adds it’s designated food can or package. The boxes sped up as the group gets better at filling them. We never quite got to I Love Lucy speed, but there were a few intense moments. It was a great experience and several of the au pairs said that they would be interested in going back and volunteering on their own. If you are interested in helping the Capital Area Food Bank, check out their Volunteer Information Page.

Galentine’s Day Cluster Meeting

What is Galentine’s Day? This “girlfriend holiday” dates back to 2010 when it was created by a fictional character named Leslie on a show called Parks and Recreation. During an episode (called “Galentine’s Day”), Leslie gathers a group of her closest gal pals for a brunch full of waffles and love and proclaimed “Every February 13, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home and we just come and kick it, breakfast style.” Thus, this holiday of “ladies celebrating ladies” was born.

For our February cluster meeting, we had our own Galentine’s Day celebration with sweet treats, an art project, bingo with prizes, and of course an opportunity to make friends.

 

Beautiful Day at the US Botanic Garden

We had a beautiful day for our April cluster meeting at the U.S. Botanic Garden.

Established by Congress in 1820, the U.S. Botanic Garden is the oldest continuously operating botanic garden in the United States. Admission is free and it is located in view of the U.S. Capitol. For more information visit their website here: https://www.usbg.gov.


  

 

Scavenger Hunt at National Harbor

It was a beautiful evening for a scavenger hunt!

These are the lovely au pairs who participated. This was our first in-person meeting since March 2020! For most of these au pairs it was there first in-person cluster meeting they ever attended. It was so great to finally meet people we have been communicating with online for all this time.

Here are the ladies on the winning team!

They were the first ones back and completed every item on the hunt!

Here is the scavenger hunt activity we did…

A scavenger hunt is a game where you are given a list of questions, things to look for and photographs to take. You will work together as a team to complete as many as you can in an hour.

Rules:

  • Photos need to be taken as a group selfie with all team members included.
  • Questions/photos may be completed in any order you choose.
  • Return to the starting point (outside of Del Sol store) by 7:15 pm to have your score calculated and find out who is the winning team.

Let the game begin!

  • Learn the names of all the au pairs on your team.
  • Find the first president of the United States and take a picture with him.
  • Find the U.S. president called “The Great Emancipator” and take a picture with him.
  • Find the mosaic mural called Maryland’s Bounty and take a picture in front of it.
  • Take a picture with the Capitol Wheel in the background,
  • Take a picture with a boat or picture of a boat.
  • Take a picture in front of the business with piano keys on their sign.
  • Take a picture trying to help the statue of a lady carrying her groceries.
  • Take a picture with a famous movie star from the 1960s.
  • Take a picture in front of a restaurant named for an American car.
  • Take a picture with the carousel.
  • Take a picture inside the heart statue.
  • Take a picture with “The Awakening”.
  • Take a picture of something you find beautiful.
  • Take a picture of something that looks delicious.
  • Group selfies with these famous people:

 

You probably won’t complete all of the questions/photos. That’s not a problem. Have fun and take great pictures.

 

Camp Au Pair – Under the Sea

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In honor of Shark Week (see below), next week’s Camp Au Pair theme is Under the Sea.

Crafts, recipes, activities, and games related to creatures who live under the sea can all be found here on the Camp Au Pair – Under the Sea pinboard.

Webcams – You can do a google search for aquariums and zoos across the country (and the world) with webcams that allow you to observe sea creatures. Here is one to get you started.

Field Trips can be a great way for kids to learn and have new experiences. Get permission from your host parents before any outings and be sure to take all social distancing precautions.

Here are a few places to go that fit this theme:

Television – The Discovery Channel has an annual Shark Week. This year it will be July 11-18, 2021. Much of the programming will be too scary for younger kids, but for nature-loving tweens and teens, it could be a great way to get them interested in sharks and other ocean animals. Check out 15 JAW-some Activities for Shark Week with lots of fun ideas for kids in grades 5 and up, but a few for younger kids too.

Online Games – NOAA has fun interactive games that help kids learn about sea turtle survival.

Videos – Look for fun videos on YouTube about sea creatures. There’s more to see than Baby Shark. Movies like Finding Nemo, Dolphin Tale, and the Little Mermaid also go well with this theme.

Books – Stop by your local library and look for books on sea creatures. The Rainbow Fish is a classic children’s book, your kids may already own. If not, you can find videos like this of it being read aloud.

Photo: mimisdollhouse.com

Amazing Cluster Meeting at U.S. Capitol

More than 700 au pairs from 30 DC/MD/VA area Au Pair in America clusters came together on Saturday, March 9 to tour the U.S. Capitol. We were joined by Au Pair in America director, Ruth Ferry. We had a wonderful time and got some great photos.

Au pairs from the DC/MD/VA area, their community counselors and APIA director, Ruth Ferry

If you have never toured the U.S. Capitol, I highly recommend it. The Visitor Center offers free online tickets and a limited number of same day tickets. The tour starts off with a brief yet engaging video with some history on the Capitol Building and the U.S. in general. The tour guides are knowledgeable and you get to some very iconic places in the building. The view looking up at the Capitol dome is breathtaking.

Our cluster in front of the U.S. Capitol

Our cluster being silly on our way to the Capitol Visitor Center

Volunteering for International Exchange Day

Our cluster volunteered at the Greater DC Diaper Bank as part of International Exchange Day, also know as J-Day.

We collected donations from some of our host families and au pairs. We learned about the great work they do and spent a few hours packaging up diapers for distribution to families in need throughout the greater DC area.

If you’d like to find out more about this organization, and ways to support them, check out their wish list here.

Here is a post on the Au Pair in America Blog about us and other clusters across the country making a difference in our communities.

#EatPlayGive: Celebrating International Exchange Day

 

30 Hours of Service Update – Sending Smiles

Back in May, we announced that our cluster would be celebrating Au Pair in America’s 30th anniversary year with 30 Hours of Service in 2016. We are counting the time preparing for and carrying out the volunteer projects.

We have done these project so far:
April 10 – Making Sandwiches for the Homeless (5 hours of service)
July 31 – J-Day Shoe Donation (3 hours)
August 9 – Storm Drain Project (6 hours)
September – Preparing for International Festival (4 hours)

And at our November 27 cluster meeting – Making cards for Sending Smiles (2 hours)

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Still to come:
December – Holiday Global Awareness presentation for Cub Scouts, buying and wrapping gifts for needy kids, making scarves and volunteering at a school Santa shop.