Monthly Archives: August 2023

Camp Au Pair – Bugs & Butterflies

Get ready to get buggy as we explore bugs and butterflies this week! Ready for some serious fun?

Activities

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

Field Trips can be a great way for kids to learn and have new experiences. As always, have a conversation as a family about suitable activities and COVID precautions before venturing out. Here are a few places to go, that fit this theme:

  • Goldpetal Farms sunflower maze. The flowers attracts bees and butterflies! *Admission*
  • Historic St. Mary’s City has a lovely variety of outdoor spaces were bugs, butterflies and critters abound! *Admission*
  • The Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum grounds offer a wide variety of outdoor habitats.
  • Battle Creek Cypress Swamp. The trails are open during operating hours. This is one of the northernmost stands of bald cypress trees in North America. A short boardwalk trail enables visitors to experience the majestic quality of the cypress trees and the tranquility of the swamp.

Videos – You can find many great videos of butterflies and insects on YouTube. Check out these videos for kids about bees. All about Insects covers lots of tiny creatures who crawl and fly.

Books:

  • The Big Book of Bugs:
    A beautifully illustrated, informative book for children introducing them to bugs that creep, crawl, bite, fly, and more. From moths and beetles to worms and spiders, the world is crawling with fascinating bugs. The Big Book of Bugs is the first fact-filled book for children to explore the vast array of creepy-crawlies that share our Earth.
  • How to Draw Bugs & Insects:Young artists learn to draw by following 8 simple step illustrations. Perfect for children who are learning to draw.★ Simple step-by-step instructions★ Filled with cute ladybugs, bumble bees, butterflies and many more insects and bugs!★ Single sided printing to prevent bleed through★ Extra pages to practice drawing all the animals
  • The Amazing Life Cycle of Butterflies: From moth to chrysalis to beautiful butterfly, learn  about a butterfly’s life. Children have lots of questions about the world around them, and this book helps them discover many amazing and wonderful scientific facts about butterflies.
  • Insects, Spiders & Other Terrestrial Arthropods: Written by noted entomologist George C. McGavin, this comprehensive handbook covers all 29 orders of insect as well as spiders and terrestrial arthropods. It’s packed with hundreds of annotated photographs and illustrations to help you discern the many types of insects and gives you a brief description of each insect family with main characteristics, including life cycles, the environment in which they thrive, and a photographic guide to assist you in categorizing the insect group. It’s an indispensable handbook for beginners and enthusiasts alike.

Photo: Nick Goodrum {flickr} & Cynthia Chan

Camp Au Pair – Science and STEM

This week’s Camp Au Pair theme is Science (STEM).

Crafts, recipes, activities, and games related to all things science, technology, engineering and math can be found here on the Camp Au Pair – Science (STEM) pinboard. Try some of these great ideas!

Virtual Field Trips can be a great way for kids to learn and have new experiences. Here are a few places to visit virtually, that fit this theme:

Videos – On YouTube you can find many great videos of with science experiments to do with kids. You can also check out Steve Spangler Science lab videos! Check out the cool slime art!

Movies – The Lego Movie, Big Hero 6, Wall-E and Hidden Figures all fit the STEM theme.

Webcams – You can do a google search for science websites with webcams. Here is a collection of 22 science webcams from around the world.

 

Books – Stop by your local library and look for books on science, technology, engineering and math.

  • Clouds encourages children to look up at the sky and observe the clouds in order to find out what the weather will be. With simple text and folk-art style illustrations, this colorful picture book introduces 11 different types of clouds according to their positions in the atmosphere.
  • Roll, Slope, and Slide is a simple concept book that describes the different kinds, uses, and benefits of inclined planes and ramps. Includes an activity.
  • In a Guatemalan village, the tiny schoolhouse desperately needed expansion. When the money ran out before the project was finished, someone had a creative idea: Why not use readily available soda bottles for the walls? The Soda Bottle School teaches children that thinking outside the box can lead to the perfect solution.

Photos by: Lars Plougmann {flickr}, Frank Starmer {flickr}

Camp Au Pair – Let’s Go Outside

Let’s get our creative hats on! This week we have a variety of creative outdoor activities! Whether you are walking in the woods or in your own neighborhood, we can have all kinds of fun together!

Feeling creative? Check out the Au Pair in America Pinterest boards for some great ideas to get you started!

Field Trips:

Please discuss any field trip options as a family and decide if this is an activity you are comfortable participating in before heading out!

Annmarie Garden :

Enchanted Summer at the Garden

Through September 4, 2023

Enjoy a safe, outdoor, engaging experience during Annmarie’s Enchanted Summer at the Garden!  You will find a variety of low-touch, no-touch fun along the trails and paths of the Sculpture Garden.  Grab your bug spray, pack a picnic blanket or chairs, and spend your summer with us! Admission.

During the Enchanted Summer, daily visitors can:

-Explore the galleries

-Search for over 100 fairy houses

-Play in the Fairy Lolly nature play space

-Build your own fairy house in the forest

-Search for gems and fossils at the Fairy Grove Mining sluice (additional fees apply)

-Try the Wild Rumpus Run

-Enjoy unique photo ops along the trail

-Find the hidden Dragons Nest

-Search for the hidden tree pop paintings

-Pack a picnic to enjoy in the park or enjoy our Food Truck Fridays

-Create your own artwork in the artLAB creative reuse studio

-Enjoy the sculpture throughout the park, including the Creature in the Garden exhibit

Gold Petal Farm:

Goldpetal Farm is Southern Maryland’s ONLY living maze. We design, plant and manage two unique mazes, providing about six weeks of beauty, nature and family fun. Admission.

Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum:

Explore the grounds, trails, Indian Village and more of Jefferson Patterson Park! The grounds and outdoor facilities are open. Enjoy 560 Scenic acres along the Patuxent River in Calvert County, more than 65 identified archaeological sites! Check out the Visitor Center full of interactive exhibits, enjoy the trails, the educational programs or exhibits, find the beach areas, the hidden playground and so much more! No admission.

 

Books:

 

Photo credit: Chalk art – Walter {Flickr}; Sach1tb {Flickr}; Cynthia Chan