Monthly Archives: July 2018

Camp Au Pair – Bugs & Butterflies!

Get ready to get buggy as we explore bugs and butterflies this week! Ready for some serious fun? How about creating a butterfly suncatcher, explore a bit of science and make glasses of dancing worms or creating a toe caterpillar on a leaf rubbing? Try creating a butterfly themed  snack.  

How about playing some bug bingo? 

Create a sensory bug bin to investigate!

Read Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar and create a whimsical lunch plate!

Check out the Au Pair in America Pinterest site for more great ideas!

Photo: Nick Goodrum {flickr}

Camp Au Pair – Backyard Safari

This week we are off on a backyard safari!! Many safari animals can be seen in zoos. Lions and tigers and bears! Oh, my! But, how about bringing the safari or zoo to your own backyard?

 

 

Try your hand at creating polar bears with this cute craft!  Try your hand at an Animals of Africa wordsearch! Make a lion lunch plate! Create your own box zoo! How about making some hand print zoo animals?

Photo by: anjanettew {flickr}

Cluster Fun – 52 Weeks: Making the Most of Your Year!

Saying goodbye is truly the hardest part of summer! Over the year (or more) I  forge strong relationships with the au pairs in my group! I try to meet one on one or in small groups with everyone before they leave to talk about their experiences, plans moving forward as the return home and how to take the skills and experiences from America and transfer them to their future! Here are a few stories of some of the young women heading home this summer!

I met up with Solymar and Kenia (both from Panama) recently. Solymar is finishing her year in just a few weeks and Kenia is just a few months into hers. We talked about the impact of our program and the American experience as well as discussed transitioning home and how the skills developed in their time here relate to their lives and careers back home in Panama. It has been lovely having both of them in my cluster and watching them become friends!

I had the pleasure of meeting with one of my German au pairs, Nadine, who is finishing up her 21 month stay in the US in just a few weeks.
We had the opportunity to discuss her experiences here in Maryland and with her first year family in Georgia, how her skills developed and used here relate to her employment as she returns home, how much she has grown through this time, etc. We even brainstormed a few more things to experience before her time in the US is over.

 

 

Saying goodbye to Lisa and Lina, both from Germany, as they complete their year in Southern Maryland this month! We had a great visit discussing the impact the Au Pair in America program had on them and how it helped shape their plans for the future. Both young women had many wonderful things to say about their experiences as we chatted.

I gave them a list of 52 things they might have done during their year here, from trying Maryland blue crabs or root beer floats, to seeing a baseball or football game, to visiting amazing cities such as New York or Chicago. It was rewarding to see them cross off so many things and add to the list with their own unique experiences! They brought me lovely flowers as a parting gift! I will miss their infectious smiles and laughter, but I look forward to seeing what their new adventures bring!

 

Camp Au Pair – Pirate Adventures!

Ahoy! Save yourself from walking the plank of summertime boredom but checking out Au Pair in America’s summer fun theme PIRATES!

Find great books to grab from the library, or even a telescope! How about some coloring pages, playing Pirate Bingo or searching for buried treasure?  Create a sailboat lunch! Create a treasure map, have a Cannon Ball toss and create a Pirate name!

Join us for some swashbuckling fun!

Leonid Mamchenkov

Photo by: Leonid Mamchenkov

Camp Au Pair – Science STEM

Challenge yourself this upcoming week with some fun and exciting experiments!

Create a lemon volcano! How about a exploring buoyancy or what melts in the sun? Learn how to make a cloud in a jar or try some gross experiments like growing mold! How about creating a catapult and flinging mini marshmallows or checking out fingerprint science?

Turn pennies green, learn about the water cycle and try some seed science!! How about creating a tornado in a jar? So many fun and exciting opportunities! Read more about them here!

Michele

Photo by Michele

Cluster Fun – Sunflower Maze!

This past weekend we braved the heatwave and experienced the Ladybugs Alive Sunflower Gardens and Maze in Chaptico! Such a beautiful experience! The sunflowers were amazing, the maze was challenging, but not too hard, the staff was wonderfully friendly! We can’t wait to visit again next summer!