Monthly Archives: January 2020

Big Kids Need Interaction Too!

Just because a child is old enough to occupy themselves, doesn’t mean that they should be expected to do so the majority of the time.  Host families have a certain expectation of activity and involvement for their children. Get the kids engaged and active. You can be more fun than the TV or a video game.

Problem:
But, my kids don’t want to do anything but watch TV or play video games.

Solution:
Instead of saying,  “Would you like to (fill in the blank with any activity)?  The answer will often be, “No.”

Try this, “Now we are going to (fill in the blank with any activity.) or “Would you rather do  _____ or ______?”  Make sure both the choices are good options.
Your chances of co-operation are greatly increased. Even kids who are reluctant to try new things will usually get in the spirit of things and have fun, if you pick a good activity.

Problem:
I don’t know what to do with school age kids.

Solution:
Look for ideas online. Google “activities school age kids” or “activities tweens”. Below is a list of some ideas to get you started.

  • Cooking
  • Making things (check craft stores like Michael’s for kits and models that are age appropriate)
  • Going fun places (pottery painting, jewelry making, farms, museums, mini-golf, go-karts)
  • Sports (soccer, tennis, swimming, bicycling, roller skating, ice skating)
  • Let them teach you to do something they enjoy. Kids this age love being the expert.
  • Get outdoors and visit local parks.  You can even make a project of reviewing all the local parks (what kind of equipment they have, is there shade, water fountain?)  They can write this up and keep, so they remember which ones they want to go to again and which ones to skip in the future.
  • Let them help you search and plan some activities.
  • Check on the APIA Pinterest page and here on our cluster blog for ideas.
  • If you have a GPS, try taking them geocaching. Here is a website with all the details.

Note: Always get permission from your host parents before taking the kids places.

Photo: Killian77

International Potluck

Recently we gathered some of the local au pairs together for a delicious evening of international food sampling! A diverse collection of foods were served!

  • Steamed bread and melktert from South Africa.
  • Meatballs, potato salad, schnitzel, pancakes with cinnamon sugar / applesauce and Kinder chocolate from Germany.
  • Mung bean salad and Chinese sausage along with rice candy, White Rabbit candy, Poky Sticks and a jello type candy to celebrate Lunar New Year.
  • Kielbasa and pasta from Poland.
  • A chicken dish similar to chicken fricasse from Brazil.
  • Dragonfruit from Central America.
  • Representing the US – Oreos, apple pie, our interpretation of Chicago style popcorn (a mix of cheddar, caramel and regular buttered & salt) and Pop Rocks!

“I really enjoyed our International Potluck. It was so nice to talk about our home country, exchange traditions and of course to try something very typical from each country. It was super delicious and I really love spending time with all of you! I had super nice conversations. I tried everything and I think my favorite was Patrycja’s polish food, and the Chinese noodles! Actually, EVERYTHING was amazing! It was such a great experience. I had a wonderful time! Thank you for making this happen!”

  •  Emily, Germany

 

“I loved everything! The food was great and I loved the potato salad and the Chicago popcorn and how can I forget the pop rocks, it was really cool! I didn’t know what dragon fruit was and that is was cactus plant and that is indigenous to the America’s that was really cool. I honestly enjoyed everything. 

  • Zizi, South Africa

“The International Potluck was fun! Pauline and I were talking about it and we recognized that we only got to try very tasty dishes. There was nothing that we didn’t like! I personally tried all the food: Brazilian salad, South African bread, South African dessert, Polish Pasta, Chinese sausage and pasta salad and a lot of German and American dishes. It was really interesting and exciting and I can imagine that I will try some of the recipes either with my host kids or at back home.”

  •    Carla, Germany

“International potluck was a fantastic idea to bring different cultures together in a really simple way! All the dishes were very interesting and tasty! I was already familiar with German food and I really enjoyed it! Steamed bread was new to me, as well as Chinese sausage. This was also the first time I was introduced to pop rocks and it was really cool! Overall, I think that international potluck was one of the best ideas to bring au pairs together.”

-Patrycja, Poland

“I loved the potluck! I loved the variety of dishes we could try and I thought I was really interesting that some meals that come from different countries are actually similar to some meals I know. For example, the dessert that Danielle made (Melktert, South Africa), it reminded me a lot of a dessert my grandma used to make. So, I think that’s really cool! All in all I think it was a really cool idea for a cluster meeting and I totally enjoyed it!”

  • Pauline, Germany

 

“I really like the Chinese sausages and the dish Patrycja brought (Kielbasa and penne pasta). The Chinese sweet treats were a real surprise and taste different than I would have expected. The German food reminded me a lot about food back home since we have a lot of the same dishes.”

  • Danielle, South Africa

“I really enjoyed the potluck! I think that it was a really great and different way to learn about everyone’s culture! And especially Danielle’s dish (melktert) was sooo awesome!”

  • Rebecca, Germany

Winter Driving Tips

Driving in the snow and ice can be a challenge even for experienced drivers. If you don’t have to go out in bad weather, stay home. If you do have to go out, here are some tips from AAA. Check out the full article on the AAA website. Steve Pisano (Flickr)
Tips for driving in the snow:

Accelerate and decelerate slowly…
Drive slowly…
The normal dry pavement following distance of three to four seconds should be increased to eight to ten seconds…
Know your brakes…
Don’t stop if you can avoid it…
Don’t power up hills…
Don’t stop going up a hill….
Stay home.

Photo: Steve Pisano (Flickr)

Snowy Days and Winter Fun!

As we prepare to for winter weather, a few reminders and some fun snow day ideas!  

*If you have school aged kids who will be home due to school closures, this will change your au pairs work hours. Host parents and au pairs should work together to adjust the schedule as needed to stay within the regulations from the Dept. of State.

*Remember, no more than 10 hours per day and no more than 45 hours per work week. Host parents should be cognizant of this and if you are home too, look at having the au pair start late or end early. You can also choose a middle of the day break, but remember, a meaningful break is three hours minimum. The key here is to be flexible and prepared! Always have a back up plan!

*Remember that days on end in the house due to the weather and now more days can be draining. Be empathetic and offer encouragement and ideas. When the roads are safe in your area, suggest she get out for a couple of hours while off duty. This will offer her a chance to have a break and recharge. As parents, we all know the need for that.

*Check out our Pinterest boards for some great ideas on beating the winter blues! Do you want to build a snowman (inside where it’s warm)? Check out the Olaf activity. How about “painting” snow? We can show you how! Make sure you bundle up when heading outside. Don’t forget hot chocolate or tea when you come back in!

For some fun ideas, check out the – APIA Pinterest Board – Winter Fun

Photo by Cynthia Chan

2020 Challenge: Collect Moments, Not Things

Common problem: “It’s the end of my au pair year and I have sooooo much stuff! It’s going to cost me a fortune in extra baggage fees.”

This post is about one way to prevent that problem.

I know it can be tempting. There are so many beautiful things and great sales out there. But in 2020, I challenge you to take a moment before each purchase and ask yourself:

  • Do I really need this?
  • Do I want it enough to pay extra baggage fees to get it home later?
  • What experience could I have with this money instead? For example, you might ask yourself, “Would I rather have these designer shoes or a ticket to a concert?”

Being an au pair can be an amazing time in your life where you have the opportunity to try new things and see new places. The more money you save for travel, the more of those unforgettable moments you will have to carry home with you.

Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.

Photo: Canva.com

How to handle expenses

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 or transfer money using an app like Venmo or Zelle 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.

Transportation Costs 

Host families are responsible for the au pair’s transportation costs: to and from classes, cluster meetings and when driving the kids. Transportation costs include: gas, parking, metro, bus, Uber or Lyft fare.

It is a good idea to figure out how much these transportation costs will be and give a gas or public transit 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.

Photo: Andrea Travillian