Fun Things We Do
Fall Traditions: Carving Pumpkins
It was great to see so many of you at our Pumpkin Patch Host Family & Au Pair Meeting on Sunday! A treasured fall/Halloween tradition in the United States is pumpkin carving or making “jack-o’-lanterns”. Whether this is your first time decorating a pumpkin or you are a seasoned pro, these videos have a few tips 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, 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 Read More
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 Read More
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 Read More
Beautiful Day for a Tour of the Washington Monument!
For our May cluster meeting we did a tour inside of the Washington Monument. This was our first Washington Monument tour since before the pandemic! We were very happy to have a great turnout and gorgeous weather. Read More
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 Read More
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 Read More
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 – Read More
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. If you have never toured the U.S. Capitol, I highly Read More
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 Read More
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 Read More
Naval Academy Football Game
On October 24, we watched the Naval Academy Midshipmen take on Tulane University. The Naval Academy won! It was many of our au pairs first taste of American football. Read More
Maryland Crab Feast Cluster Meeting
We had a crab feast/pool party cluster meeting at Whitehall Pool in Bowie on August 10. This was Lisa Maxwell’s first official cluster meeting as community counselor. We had au pairs in attendance from nine different countries: Germany, Bolivia, Brazil, South Africa, France, Thailand, Mexico, Panama & Costa Rica. It was the first time any Read More
Snowman Contest Winner is…
Photo #3. Congratulations to Pamela from Brazil! By the way, I hope this is my last post involving snow for at least 9 months! 🙂 Read More