Monthly Archives: September 2016

Activities for Toddlers!

Toddlers are a bundle of inquisitive energy! So much to explore! Lets look at some engaging activities, inside and out, that we can plan for our days together!!

How about some outdoor hopscotch? Grab some chalk and get creative!

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Practice cause and effect with this easy craft project. Bonus points – it travels well for entertaining small hands in waiting rooms, restaurants, etc.

Try playing with muffin tin sorting! Easy to find items in the home become useful tools of play as your and your child sort, place in, take out, etc.

Try your artistic hand at making a rainbow salt tray to explore! Completely reusable, this activity has long staying power!

Use recyclable water bottles and some miscellaneous items to create a Discovery Bottle.

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Try creating a rainbow sand box! This compact box is perfect for small spaces, indoors, etc. Just grab another shallow container with a lid, add in the colored rice after it dries and some digging and sifting equipment!  kidz-activities

Photo credits to – Ilya Haykinson – Flickr;  Emma Craig – Flickr;  Kidz Activities – Flickr

As with any activity, please use your own judgement about what your particular child can do or try.

World Oceans Day Event – Cluster Fun!

World Oceans Day, June 8th,  was the United Nations-recognized day of ocean celebration and action. This summer, people all over the world are celebrating under the theme of Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet. Organizations and individuals are promoting prevention of plastic ocean pollution with events in their communities, special announcements, and everything in between!  As a part of this special program, au pairs from APIA have participated in several activities over the summer to bring awareness and work together to preserve our oceans.

Au pairs from Southern Maryland planned a day at the Flag Ponds Nature Park. Together, we hiked to the Chesapeake Bay, picking up trash along the trail and along the shore line, participated in fossil hunting and enjoyed a picnic! Many treasures were found, including a very big sharks tooth found by Alisa from Germany!

 

 

Education Requirement Explained

Au pairs are required to complete 6 credits or 8 CEUs or 72 or more hours. I will work with your au pair to ensure that she earns the appropriate amount.

You may take credit or non-credit classes from an accredited college.  If you want to take a class at a school not listed here on my blog, please check with me first to make sure it is accredited. Otherwise, it would not count toward your education requirement.

Your host family will pay an education allowance to assist you in completing your education requirement. They will also ensure your transportation to class (access to a car and gas expense will be covered). The education allowance is $500.

There are ways to get your credits for close to  your education allowance, but it will not give you a lot of choices. Normally au pairs will contribute some of their own money ($200+) towards their education. I can help you plan out your year of classes to make it fun, interesting and educational!  CollegeDegrees360

The APIA Advantage UCLA Course is the only State Dept. approved class with an online component. No other online classes are accepted.

Note: Au pairs should only take one weekend course for their education requirement. Using only weekend courses to meet your education requirement could result in the denial of your extension application (should you decide to extend.)

Photo Credit: CollegeDegrees360 (flickr)

Culture Shock

Almost everyone experiences culture shock when they come to a completely new environment. Everything is different: the language, the food, and the people.

Here are my Top 5 Tips for
Dealing with Homesickness

1. Make Friends – Don’t wait for other au pairs to reach out to you, reach out to them. There are other lots of new au pairs who are feeling the same way you are right now. Set a goal to reach out to someone each day. Some will respond and some will not. Don’t let that discourage you. No one will ever be mad at you for sending them a message to say hello or ask if they want to do something together. Make friends from various countries and you will also get a chance to practice your English skills together.

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2. Stay in touch with your home country, but not too much. Skyping or talking on the phone every day with your family and/or friends back home normally makes homesickness worse. Try emailing instead and reduce the Skype and phone calls to once a week, until you feel stronger. It’s much harder seeing the faces and hearing the voices of those you miss.

3. Get out of the house (or your room specifically) – Go to cluster meetings, have coffee or movies with other au pairs, join a gym, go to the library, go for a walk, visit the mall, get a manicure, visit a museum, go to get ice cream. If someone invites you out, say “yes.” Also, don’t be afraid to do the inviting. If your host family invites you to do things with them, say “yes.” This will help you get to know each other and contribute to your overall happiness.

4. Realize that it definitely gets better – All au pairs experience homesickness and nearly all of them stay and have a successful year (some stay for two years, some even come back for a second au pair experience after being back home for two years) So, it must get better, right? Once you get past the initial homesickness, most au pairs report how quickly the year goes by. Make sure you tell your host family, counselor and au pair friends that you are homesick – we’ll help you!

5. Make Plans – Create your own Au Pair Bucket List (places you want to go, new foods to try, new things to experience during your year in the U.S.) and start doing them now. Pinterest is a great option to plan your adventures! Post on our cluster Facebook group to find others who may want to join you on your adventures.