Tag Archives: boredom busters

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 and ants. All about Insects covers lots of tiny creatures who crawl and fly. Here is a video showing a Monarch Butterfly metamorphosis time-lapse.

Books:

  • The Big Book of Bugs:
    A beautifully illustrated, informative book for children introducing them to bugs that creep, crawl, bite, fly, and moreFrom 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 – Outer Space & Flight!

Get ready to blast off as we explore outer space and flight this week! Ready for some serious fun? How about creating the phases of the moon with Oreo’s, exploring solar system mazes or building a space shuttle with recyclables? Try creating outer space themed lunches and snacks, flashlight constellations and answering the questions on “If I Could Be An Astronaut!”

Our Pinterest board is FULL of great ideas for you to use to explore outer space from the comfort of your own home! Moon rocks are optional!

Focus on History: They taught the world to fly!

Wind, sand, and a dream of flight brought Wilbur and Orville Wright to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina where, after four years of scientific experimentation, they achieved the first successful airplane flights on December 17, 1903. With courage and perseverance, these self-taught engineers relied on teamwork and application of the scientific process. What they achieved changed our world forever. Click on the link above for many wonderful activities for kids!

Bessie Coleman, soared across the sky as the first African American, and the first Native American woman pilot. Known for performing flying tricks, Coleman’s nicknames were; “Brave Bessie,” “Queen Bess,” and “The Only Race Aviatrix in the World.” Her goal was to encourage women and African Americans to reach their dreams. Unfortunately, her career ended with a tragic plane crash, but her life continues to inspire people around the world. Click on her name to learn more about this amazing woman.

Resources:

Virtual Field Trip Options:

Webcams – You can do a google search for websites with webcams which allow you to observe space. Here is one from the International Space Station to get you started.

Videos – Look for fun videos on YouTube about outer space. Solar System 101 is good for school aged kids. The Planet Song is for toddlers and preschoolers. WALL-E, Zathura, Monsters vs. Aliens & Star Wars are all great family movies that fit with this theme. For older kids, movies like Hidden Figures and the Martian too, both are rated PG-13.

Books –

Amazon has a great list of books on outer space and astronomy.

Photo: AGeekMom; Photo.Resource.Org; Charles Edward Miller

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

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

Camp Au Pair – Global Awareness/Multicultural Experiences

Wrapping up Camp Au Pair for Summer 2018, let’s focus on global awareness and share some cultural experiences!

Let’s create mini books from multiple countries!  Culture through cooking! Around the world in 12 dishes! Check out this photo collection of how children play around the world.

Create a bilingual literacy game! Listen to samples of various languages! Learn about volunteering in your host kids school or scouting group!

Learn about Christmas in Australia! Have some Diwali fun with playdough! Look at the library for books on different cultures! Use the internet to help you share language with your host kids!

Check out these tips and activities for raising global citizens! Check this out to see what people around the world eat for breakfast! How about using apps to develop foreign language skills?

Photo by {Rona Proudfoot}

Camp Au Pair – Kids in the Kitchen

Camp Au Pair is in the kitchen this week! Feeling creative? Try making these adorable palm tree snack plates!

For more creative cooking ideas, try these under the sea yogurt snacks! How about some American flag brownies? Make your own mason jar “lunchables”. Try your hand at making butter in a jar.

Try some theme foods! Outer space snacks are out of this world! Edible sailboats are fun too! Rainbow weather cloud graham crackers are guaranteed to make you smile! Speaking of graham crackers, try these awesome under the sea graham crackers!  Do you have older kids? Try using marshmallows to build structures!

Do you want to build a snowman snack? Want a healthier option? Try making salads in a jar! Everyone loves mac-n-cheese, try making it in a crockpot! Taco cupcakes are fun! How about PB&J sushi rolls? Banish snacktime boredom with these fun ideas! Create a Very Hungry Caterpillar plate! Turn hard boiled eggs into chicks! Try using M&M’s to get to know your host kids if you are a new arrival!

Who says you can’t play with your food! Have fun in the kitchen with your host kids!

Photo: Melissa {flickr}

 

 

 

 

 

Photo: Melissa {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}

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

Camp Au Pair – Castles, Princesses, Knights and Fire Breathing Dragons!

This week we are all about adventure! From magical castles and fire breathing dragons! Learn how to make princess paintings with your feet (really!) or a knight tunic with a pillowcase!

How about a fire breathing dragon from a cardboard tube or a cardboard shield and sword or a magical wand with ribbons! So many wonderful options for this week!

Make a castle, fairy dough or even play bingo! When you are ready for a lunch break, you’ll find a simple recipe for a castle sandwich!!! You’ll find even more on our Pinterest boards!!

USAG Humphreys

Photo by USAG Humphreys