Tag Archives: France

Camp Au Pair – Paris Summer Olympics

Next week’s Camp Au Pair theme is Paris Summer Olympics. The 2024 Summer Olympics are taking place in Paris, France, July 26-August 11.

Crafts, recipes, activities, and games related to the Summer Olympics can be found here on the Camp Au Pair Summer Olympics pinboard.

Culture Sharing – The Olympics bring so many opportunities for learning about other countries. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

  • Show your kids photos of your country’s Olympic team and tell them about any athletes you are aware of.
  • Host an international playdate with au pairs with kids of similar ages (with host parent’s permission), so you can each teach the kids a little about each of your countries.
  • Help your kids look up countries they see competing in the games on a map or globe.
  • Print out a blank world map and help your kids mark the countries they see represented in the Olympics.
  • If you are French or have any au pair friends from France, talk with your kids about what Paris is like and things children their age like to do in France.

Videos – On YouTube you can find many videos for kids about the Olympics.

Books – Stop by your local library and look for books about the Olympics.

Some good ones include: Olympig!, G is for Gold Medal: An Olympic Alphabet, How to Train with a T-Rex and Win 8 Gold Medals, Wilma Unlimited, America’s Champion Swimmer: Gertrude Ederle, Way to Go Alex!, Touch the Sky, Pele: King of Soccer, A Picture Book of Jesse Owens & Babar’s Celestville Games.

You can also check on YouTube for videos of books being read aloud.

Fun Fact: The Olympic symbol consists of five interlaced rings of equal dimensions, used alone, in one or in five different colors, which are, from left to right, blue, yellow, black, green and red. The Olympic symbol (the Olympic rings) expresses the activity of the Olympic Movement and represents the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from throughout the world at the Olympic Games.

Image: Project Nursery

Life In America – Natacha

Natacha 1Five Things That Surprised Me Most in the US

  • Everybody is so friendly. I think Americans are really friendly, when you go to a restaurant waiters and waitresses are super nice, calling you “sweetie” and coming during dinner making sure everything is ok; You can’t walk in a shop without having multiple help from the people working there, they also actually help you choose your clothes! You can say that it’s their job, but even people in the streets, strangers, seeing me with a map offered to help, asking if i was lost! I’m not gonna say French are not nice but we have more distance with strangers and maybe a little bit rude sometimes (me included for people here, it’s not being rude though, it’s culture haha).
  • The thing about being super proud of their country! I noticed that in the National Anthem (everybody just stand quietly, hand on your heart), the Flag on the door step (and it is sacred, don’t mess with the flag), the applause in the plane for military… We are not that proud of our country and especially not of the Army.
  • The Air Conditioning!!! It’s always cold inside, wherever you are, even your own house! Maybe because it’s doesn’t get THAT hot in France, but I’ve never been so cold at a movie, my house doesn’t have air conditioning and it actually make me sick because of the constant change of temperature!
  • The Driving! First week here my host parents took me to Michigan with them, just a … 10 hours drive!!! Then Canada…. 12 hours drive!!! We don’t drive so far away! Maybe because we have a really fast train or because our country is so small and in 10 hours we will cross the whole country, it made no sense for me to drive so far away! (Why not fly instead?)
  • 24/7, I never went to the grocery store at 1am before!

The Ones That I Liked

  • The friendly people of course, who wouldn’t like it! Even if it’s sometimes too much, it’s always nice to feel welcomed in a place and to be helped when you need it!
  • The driving! It seems crazy at first, but you actually can see more of the country driving through than being stuck in a plane!

Just Like in Movies

  • The yellow school buses!!!! Every morning i take my kids to the bus stop and I see them climbing in that big yellow bus, I didn’t know they were real, picking up kids almost at the front door!!
  • The Gigantic and Fantastic New-York City!!
  • The Fraternities and Sororities of University of Maryland – THEY ARE REAL!!! I missed the party and couldn’t enroll!! (but i have good pictures)

My Best Experience in the US?
I actually can’t choose ONE single thing!

  • The People that I met here (essentially au pairs) are the best friends I could have had here! I made such good friends that I’m sure I’m gonna keep even if we are far away, I will see them again and never forget our trips, our laugh, and the help they provide me in rough times! Always hard to see them leave of course but then you have to make new friends, always more amazing!
  • My College Time, I discovered a new passion, won an award, made friends, I didn’t thought i will have such a good time at college and I actually look forward to start my summer semester in a few days! American College a different but amazing experience!
  • My Travels, from New-York to Florida, and soon California! So many amazing places to see and variety of landscapes to remember forever!

natacha 6

Au Pair of the Year Award Nominee in Our Cluster – Emilie

emilie for blog

 

I wanted to share a little bit about Emilie, a French au pair in our cluster.  Emilie has done such an outstanding job that her host family nominated her for the International Au Pair Association Au Pair of the Year Award.

 

 

Here are a couple excerpts from the lovely nomination essay written by her host parents:

Emilie epitomizes the spirit of the au pair program – she is an active participant in each aspect, taking each “seriously”:  She is a member of our family, nurtures our children, is an excellent student, is an exemplary ambassador of her native culture, and is actively engaged in experiencing American life.

Going “above and beyond” is perhaps the understatement of the year when it comes to Emilie’s thoughtful consideration of contributing to our whole family.  She sends weekly e-mails to us and to my parents with everyday photos of the children.  Emilie comes with us to Grandma and Grandpa’s house almost every weekend we go – I’ve heard my mother sharing family recipes with her as they dry dishes together.  She has a special bond with Grandma since I returned to work when our son was only 2 months old, and Grandma stayed with us an additional 10 weeks.  She remembered to help our daughter make a mother’s day gift for Grandma, and then had a tear rolling down her own cheek when Grandma opened the unexpected gift.

Emilie’s au pair year is coming to an end and she will return home to go forward into the next chapter of her life. We will miss her and wish her all the best.