Our May au pair cluster meeting was a cultural fair. It was also our host family workshop for this year. The au pairs who participated did an amazing job representing their countries. The host families, au pairs and guests who attended enjoyed learning more about the various countries. Photos and information were displayed for each of the countries. Some played videos, provided snacks and sweets, or played music. Others had activities like crafts or seeing your name written in Japanese writing systems of hiragana, katakana and kanji.
These tips are not intended to scare you, but to make you aware of some simple things you can do to prevent being the victim of a crime.
When you get into an Uber or Lyft, make sure the vehicle matches the description and the driver is who the app shows.
When riding on metro, try to wait in well lit areas where there are other people and try to get into a train car with other people, rather than being alone.
Be very careful using outside ATMs at night or in unfamiliar surroundings.
When walking, face the oncoming traffic. It will be harder for someone to pull you into a car and abduct you. You can also see cars coming in your lane.
Tell someone where you’ll be and what time you’re supposed to return, or if you will be with someone you don’t know well.
If you are meeting someone new for the first time, meet in a public place.
Don’t overload yourself with packages. If you must have your hands full, visualize how you would respond if approached, how you would get your hands free, etc.
Don’t wear earbuds or headphones, while walking or jogging.
Don’t read or get distracted by your cell phone while walking or standing on the street.
Pay attention to what is going on around you and be aware of people near you.
Host parents often ask for suggestions on how best to handle common expenses that occur as au pairs are caring for the children.
Miscellaneous Expenses
There are different ways to handle the little day-to-day expenses that come up. Things like when an au pair takes the kids out for ice cream or picks up a gallon of milk. Some families keep a cookie jar fund, a little cash that they set aside weekly or monthly for these types of expenses. Others give their au pair a prepaid debit card for this purpose. Below are some suggestions for avoiding problems with expenses.
Host Families
It’s important to be clear about how long this money should last and what types of expenses are approved.
Let the au pair know whether or not you expect receipts.
Au Pairs
Only spend the money on approved expenses.
If it is something you are not sure about, ask first.
Put your receipts in the cookie jar in place of the money to avoid any confusion.
Gas, Uber & Metro
Transportation costs will vary depending on if your au pair is driving or taking public transportation. Here is a post dedicated to How to Handle Transportation Costs.
We had a cluster birthday party for our March meeting. We played birthday party games, sang Happy Birthday and enjoyed cupcakes. We also completed a service project. Everyone brought supplies to create birthday bags to donate to the local food pantry. Each bag contained a cake mix, frosting, candles, and other birthday party supplies.
Host parents often ask for suggestions on how best to handle common expenses that occur as au pairs are caring for the children.
Miscellaneous Expenses
There are different ways to handle the little day-to-day expenses that come up. Things like when an au pair takes the kids out for ice cream or picks up a gallon of milk. Some families keep a cookie jar fund, a little cash that they set aside weekly or monthly for these types of expenses. Others give their au pair a prepaid debit card for this purpose. Below are some suggestions for avoiding problems with expenses.
Host Families
It’s important to be clear about how long this money should last and what types of expenses are approved.
Let the au pair know whether or not you expect receipts.
Au Pairs
Only spend the money on approved expenses.
If it is something you are not sure about, ask first.
Put your receipts in the cookie jar in place of the money to avoid any confusion.
Gas, Uber & Metro
Transportation costs will vary depending on if your au pair is driving or taking public transportation. Here is a post dedicated to How to Handle Transportation Costs.
Host parents often ask for suggestions on how best to handle common expenses that occur as au pairs are caring for the children.
Miscellaneous Expenses
There are different ways to handle the little day-to-day expenses that come up. Things like when an au pair takes the kids out for ice cream or picks up a gallon of milk. Some families keep a cookie jar fund, a little cash that they set aside weekly or monthly for these types of expenses. Others give their au pair a prepaid debit card for this purpose. Below are some suggestions for avoiding problems with expenses.
Host Families
It’s important to be clear about how long this money should last and what types of expenses are approved.
Let the au pair know whether or not you expect receipts.
Au Pairs
Only spend the money on approved expenses.
If it is something you are not sure about, ask first.
Put your receipts in the cookie jar in place of the money to avoid any confusion.
Gas, Uber & Metro
Host families are responsible for the au pair’s transportation costs: to and from classes, cluster meetings, and when driving the kids.
It is a good idea to figure out how much gas an au pair will use for these trips and either put gas in the car or give a gas allowance. If your au pair is riding to classes or cluster meetings with another au pair, you should offer to share the cost of gas.
Au pairs are responsible for their own transportation at all other times. You should replace the amount of gas used for personal use.
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.
Television – The Discovery Channel has an annual Shark Week. This year it will be August 9-16, 2020. 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.
Reading, playing, and doing art projects are always great ways to entertain children and keep them physically active and learning. It’s a good idea to limit screen time. But, in this time of social distancing, technology can play an important role in allowing kids to see and connect with the world outside of their homes. Many online resources are popping up to create those opportunities.
And if kids have questions about the coronavirus, Live Science has created an ultimate kids’ guide to the new coronavirus that has lots of information and is appropriate for school-aged kids.
