Category Archives: Blog

Top 3 Tips for Beating the Winter Blues

The winter has it’s own kind of beauty, but when the days are short and it’s cold outside, some people feel less energetic or even sad. The cold weather can make you feel like staying indoors. For some au pairs, those conditions can cause homesickness to resurface.

Here are some tips to fight the winter blues (sadness):

  1. Don’t hibernate. Hibernation is staying inactive or indoors for an extended period of time. Seeing friends and enjoying new activities is a great way to fight homesickness.
    • Meet up with friends for coffee or a movie.
    • Try new activities and foods.
    • Visit places you’ve been wanting to visit like museums and indoor landmarks.
  2. Stay physically active. Keeping moving helps elevate your mood and boosts your immune system.
    • Head to the gym or community center.
    • Go walking inside a shopping mall.
    • If you are feeling brave, dress warmly and get out there and enjoy the winter beauty!
  3. Maintain a Healthy Sleep Routine. It’s important to keep your body on a consistent sleep schedule. Too much or too little sleep can impact your mood and health.

Photo: Marwan Youssef

Federal & School Holidays

As you may be aware, the public school children are out of school several days in September and October. These are regular workdays for an au pair, unless your host parents tell you otherwise. As with any “school holiday” start making plans for activities with the kids now.

In addition to holidays in September (Labor Day & Rosh Hashanah,) many public schools are also out additional days for teacher development and the end of the grading period. As with any holiday, it is up to the host family’s schedule whether you will have the holiday off. Please check with your host families before you assume you have this day off. Do not make any travel plans until you have received confirmation that you will not work on this day.

Host parents, please check your schedule to make sure that you are factoring in these hours and make adjustments as needed to stay within the State Department regulations not exceeding 10 hours per day or 45 hours per week (or 30 hours her week for Educare.)

Photo: Dafne Cholet

September 15-21 is Child Passenger Safety Week

To help keep children safe on the roads, NHTSA is sponsoring Child Passenger Safety Week from September 15-21, 2019. The goal is to make sure your child is in the correct car seat, that it’s properly installed and used, and that it’s registered with its manufacturer to ensure you receive important safety updates.

Car seats and boosters are one of the easiest ways to keep your child safe and, when installed correctly, car seats can reduce the risk of fatal injury in a crash by 71% for infants and by 54% for toddlers. Unfortunately, many parents and caregivers install and/or use their child seats incorrectly. Among children under 5, an estimated 325 lives were saved in 2017 alone because they were properly buckled, but an additional 46 children could have been saved if every child was properly buckled.

Parents, Are You Using the Correct Car Seat or Booster Seat?

Parents and Au Pairs, Get Help Checking Your Car Seat

Parents, Get Notified about Recalls on your Car Seat

Image: nhtsa.gov

Camp Au Pair Week #7 – Art Experiences

This week’s Camp Au Pair theme is Art Experiences.

Crafts, recipes, activities, and games related to art can all be found here on the Camp Au Pair – Art Experiences pinboard.

Field Trips can be a great way for kids to learn and have new experiences. Here are a few places to go, that fit this theme:

Online Art Fun – Here is an article about the best art museum websites with interactive online fun.

Videos – Look for fun videos on YouTube about drawing and all kinds of art.

Books – Stop by your local library and look for books on famous artists and art.

Image: teachkidsart.com

Water Safety Tips for Children

When hot summer weather hits, the pool and beach are popular places to cool off. Here are some tips for host parents and au pairs to keep everyone safe when supervising children around water.

Water Safety Tips

  • Never leave a child unattended near water.
  • Drowning is silent; keep your eyes on the children at all times.
  • If in the pool with a young child, never be more than an arm’s length away.
  • Make sure the fence around the pool is closed properly.
  • If you have an above-ground pool, remove the ladder when not in use.
  • Swim at the beach or lake only when a lifeguard is on duty.
  • Children over 4 years old should learn how to swim.
  • Designate a specific person to watch the children.
  • If boating, always wear a Coast-Guard approved life jacket.
  • Keep a phone close by in case there is an emergency.
  • If you leave the area for any reason, the kids go with you.
  • Consider taking a water safety course.

Here is a video with info on how to spot when someone is in trouble in the water.

 

 

 

Camp Au Pair Week #1 – Under the Sea

We are going to kick off Camp Au Pair with the Under the Sea theme.

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.

Field Trips can be a great way for kids to learn and have new experiences. Here are a few places to go that fit this theme:

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

Videos – Look for fun videos on YouTube about sea creatures. There’s more to see than Baby Shark. You can learn 10 Fun Facts About Turtles in this video. 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.

Photo: mimisdollhouse.com

Make this the Best Summer Ever!

4133298507_b0f2fecd9a_nWhen the kids are out of school on summer break there are soooo many possibilities. But, if you don’t make plans, you will often end up in the house with bored kids getting into trouble and arguing with their siblings.  Make plans!

Having lots of ideas ready can minimize those problems.

Looking for fun activity ideas to get the summer started off right with your host kids?

The Au Pair in America Summer Fun Pinboard is a great place to start. Together, create a Summer Bucket List. Talk with the kids about things they would like to see and do. Even toddlers and preschoolers can contribute to the conversation. Run these plans by your host parents and clear things like how much you may spend and when is best to do some of these activities.

Check back here next week for information on Camp Au Pair in America: a weekly blog series with themed weeks for the entire summer break.

Photo: MissMessie (Flickr)

What is Global Awareness?

What is Global Awareness?

The Global Awareness program brings expanded educational and​ ​cultural opportunities to the forefront for au pairs. It gives them the​ ​opportunity to share their culture with others.

How do au pairs get involved?

Au Pairs can volunteer in pre-school, elementary and middle school classrooms. They have the opportunity to share their culture, customs and language with young American children. The mission of this volunteer experience is to bring multi-cultural understanding into the classrooms and help children form positive first impressions of people from other countries. Visit the Get Involved page of our website for all the info you need to get started.

Is Global Awareness just for schools?

No. Au pairs have done presentations for scout groups, at birthday parties and at children’s story times.

Are you interested in scheduling a Global Awareness presentation?

Teachers, parents or others who would like to schedule a presentation, please visit the Global Awareness website for more information and a contact link.

How can Global Awareness help host parents?

Global Awareness offers a webinar series for host parents. The goal is to increase their cultural awareness, improve communication with their au pair and ensure the most successful exchange possible. Your community counselor can provide you with the webinar schedule and how to register.

Outdoor Movies in DC Area

If you are looking to enjoy a movie outdoors this summer, there are lots of local options to consider.

DC Outdoor Films website offers a very comprehensive list which includes locations in DC, Maryland and Virginia.

Here are a few popular ones:

Golden Cinema Series
Golden Triange BID offers outdoor movies Friday nights through July.

Movies on the Potomac
National Harbor offers movies Thursday and Sunday nights through September 30.

Screen on the Green 
Outdoor movies on the National Mall in DC

Drive-In Movie 
Don’t forget about Bengie’s Drive-in Movie Theater in the Baltimore area. It’s a good hour drive from most of our cluster, but well worth it for the experience if you’ve never been to a drive-in movie. Check out my blog post about Bengie’s Drive-in.

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., now only a few hundred remain.

One of those still operating is right here in Maryland, in the Baltimore area.  Bengies Drive-In has been in business since 1956.

It is about an hour drive from most parts of our cluster, but since they are the only one left in the entire state of Maryland, that doesn’t sound so far.

If you have never been to a drive-in movie, you should definitely check it out!

Drive-In Movie Tips for First Timers:

  • You pay one price whether you stay for 1, 2 or all 3 movies. *Cash only for admission*
  • The drive-in is only open Spring-Fall.
  • You may stay in your car or bring chairs to sit in in front of your parking space.
  • If you go in the summer and plan to sit outside, bring insect repellent spray or bug bracelets.
  • If you go in the fall when the weather is cool, bring blankets.
  • You cannot bring in outside food or drinks, unless you purchase an outside food permit. I recommend you buy your snacks there. They have some interesting options that you don’t see at a regular movie concession stand and that’s part of the full experience.
  • Before you go, read the information on their website about headlights. You need to know how to disable your headlights when you are inside the movie.
  • You also need to figure out how to turn your vehicle to the “accessory setting” with your key. This will allow you to listen to the movie without draining your battery. VERY IMPORTANT
  • There is a note on their website about how to enter their address with GPS.  There address is listed as “Middle River” not Baltimore on GPS.

If you give it a try, let me know how you like it!