Yearly Archives: 2021

Father’s Day

Father’s Day in the U.S. is Sunday, June 20.

Father’s Day recognizes fathers, fatherhood and paternal bonds in general, as well as the positive contributions that they make to society.

The nation’s first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in the state of Washington. However, it was not until 1972–58 years after President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day official–that the day honoring fathers became a nationwide holiday in the United States. Father’s Day 2020 occurs on Sunday, June 21.

You will find great ideas for projects you can make with your host children here on the Au Pair in America Father’s Day pinboard.

Create an out of this world Father’s Day card! How about a Father’s Day Fingerprint Dish ? Or a Building Memories with Dad Jar! Try making some salt dough to capture hand or footprints. Create a cool memory with this Glad You’re My Dad printable! Create a one of a kind pair of work gloves.  Create an artistic photo with the host kids!

Photo: Wellspring Community School {flickr}

Education Requirements

Due to COVID-19, Au Pair in America has temporarily given approval for online/virtual classes,  with a few conditions. Classes must be offered by an accredited school and the class must registered for by August 30, 2021. Au pairs must still produce certificates or other acceptable documentation confirming the completion of the class.

If in doubt, ask your counselor to check if the school is accredited. All class hours must be completed by the end of your 11th month in the program if you wish to extend. If you are in a special 6-month extension, you must earn 3 credits, or the equivalent during your 6 months. Plan ahead!

The following schools are some of your options:

ESL Specific Schools

Community Colleges

Other Languages

Weekend/U.S. Culture/Travel Courses

Online Class Websites – These platforms will list online courses all over the country. These courses come from a variety of sources and some are NOT accredited and not a US post secondary institution. You must be sure you are selecting a course that is from an accredited university. Always send the info to your Community Counselor to review before signing up. You must purchase a certificate to show completion of the course. If you intend to enroll in a course offered by one of these sources, please discuss it with your Community Counselor in advance of registering.

Photo: Ivan Radic

Welcome to Camp Au Pair in America!

When kids are out of school for the summer, it doesn’t take long for them to become bored and  sometimes that leads to sibling squabbles and mischief. Even though they don’t realize it, they are usually missing routine and predictability in their daily schedule. One solution is to make fun plans to keep them busy! 

Each week this summer we will share a different Camp Au Pair theme. These weekly themes are designed to give you ideas to keep your host kids occupied and engaged all summer long. They will also be learning. (But shhhh, don’t tell them that part.) Check back each Friday, for the next week’s theme. This gives you a chance to make plans and gather materials for the next week. For each theme there will be crafts, games, snacks and activities. You can just use these ideas or add your own and customize the themes to fit the ages and interests of your host children.

Here are the themes you can look forward to:

  • Art Experiences
  • Backyard Safari
  • Bugs & Butterflies
  • Cars and Trucks
  • Dinosaurs
  • Explore the World
  • Nature Explorations
  • Outer Space
  • Pirate Adventures
  • Princesses & Knights
  • Science (STEM)
  • Under the Sea

Check out Summer Fun & Summer Holidays pin boards for even more ideas.

If you get some great pictures doing these activities with your host kids, please send those to your counselor. We love to share your accomplishments and inspire other au pairs!

Let’s make this an amazing summer!

 

Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day in the U.S. is Sunday, May 9.

Mother’s Day recognizes mothers, motherhood and maternal bonds in general, as well as the positive contributions that they make to society. It was established by Anna Jarvis, with the first official Mother’s Day was celebrated at St. Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia, on May 10, 1908.

Mother’s Day was officially established by President Woodrow Wilson as a holiday in the United States in 1911. The celebration of mother;s in not unique to the United States, however. More than 40 countries celebrate in some way! How about your country? Do you celebrate Mother’s Day? If so, this is a good opportunity to share culturally how you celebrate. Compare and contrast between the two countries! You can read about how several countries celebrate Mother’s Day here.

You will find great ideas for projects you can make with your host children here on the Au Pair in America Mother’s Day pinboard.

How about printable cards to color? Or a tin can butterfly planter! Try making some salt dough to capture hand or footprints.

Photo: Mrs. Flinger (Flickr)

Going Unplugged

Phones, tablets, and laptops are wonderful tools to stay connected and informed, but we need to be careful not to let them become distractions from real life interactions and most importantly our responsibilities.

jason-howie-flickrAu Pairs – Imagine for a moment that you went to the hospital and you were in the care of doctors and nurses.  How would you feel if those doctors and nurses who were there to care for you were more interested in texting or using their personal computer than caring for you?  How would that make you feel, about yourself and about them?  Would you think that you were getting good treatment Would you feel like paying the bill?

Life as an au pair, it is a fine balance between employee and family member. You live with your host family and participate with them as a member of the family, but you also have clear responsibilities as a childcare provider. Being a childcare provider is truly one of the most important jobs I can think of, because you are helping to shape our next generation.  What message are you sending them when you would rather interact with a computer than with them? How will they feel about themselves and about you? Children feel as though everything is about them. They will see this as a rejection of them and they will be more likely to act out.

It also poses a safety concern when you are not paying enough attention to the children in your care.  Accidents happen, but when an adult care giver is close by and appropriately supervising the chances of a major injury dramatically reduce.

During work hours, communicating with friends and family in the following would not be considered acceptable (limited use should be discussed with your host family). If you have a break or nap time, this would be a suitable time and of course communicating with the family, APIA staff or directly regarding the children to set up playdates or the like:
-Texting
-Talking to friends on the phone
-Chatting with friends online
-Using Skype or FaceTime
-IMing
-Emailing
-Updating your status on Facebook
-Using Snapchat, WhatsApp or any other app or social media site
-Watching videos on YouTube, Netflix, etc.
-Tweeting on Twitter
-Uploading photos on Instagram
-Anything else online unless it is going to approved child sites such as Nickjr.com together with your host children

Think about this — even if you work 45 hours a week, that leaves you 123 hours per week for all of that other stuff, or about 70 hours (if you are getting the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep per night). Your host parents will give you guidelines for your use during work hours, please follow them.

Host Parents – You need to be clear about what you consider acceptable during work hours to avoid misunderstandings.  Taking a short phone call while still being attentive to the children, checking email during nap time, researching activities to do with the kids, etc. Set clear expectations and be specific to your au pairs. Also, please understand that you are dealing with a new generation of people who are very accustomed to being plugged in at all times.  Their intention is not to be rude, they don’t necessarily realize how their actions will be perceived.  Please use this information as an opportunity to begin a dialogue on the issue.

Know that there will be times that your au pair needs to make calls or emails to communicate with you, APIA staff, school or personal appointments, etc. Time differences may make communicating with their family at home challenging. Communication between you and your au pair is crucial.

Cooking with Kids!

Cooking with children can help with many skills and encourage them to become an adventurous eater! It engages the senses, builds mathematics and critical thinking skills, explores science, build language skills, you can share your culture or learn about a new one together through food.

Check out these great tips for kitchen safety!

Ready to cook up a bit of fun in the kitchen? Check out these great ideas! Consider making animal pancakes for breakfast or a fun snack! Or a birdhouse sandwich for lunch!

How about a tropical fruit snack plate?  Or a fun popcorn mix? Or try some PB&J faux sushi?  Create a fruit filled rainbow!

Make your own granola bars! Or jellyfish sandwiches!

 

Photo: Melissa {flickr}

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 or online stores like Michael’s for kits and models that are age appropriate)
  • Going outside for fun activities
  • Sports (kick around a soccer ball, play tennis, bicycling, roller skating, shoot hoops)
  • 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?)  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

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)

Au Pair Creative Logo Contest!

The start of a new year is a quintessential time to think about how you might make long- anticipated changes, tackle “that thing” you’ve been meaning to pursue, set new resolutions, or reflect on your previous year. You even may set a goal of determining or evolving your personal “brand!” This is especially true for au pairs who are starting their journey at the beginning of the year, or for those who have returned to their home countries and are reflecting on how their new skills can enhance their resumes or post-exchange life.

We asked out au pairs across the country to create a creative logo of their experience, one that reflected their personal “brand.” You can read more about their inspirations and see their logos here – Creative Logo Contest.

Winter Snow Days!

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

*Changes in school days, in person or virtual, may affect your schedule. 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