Tag Archives: fun

Planning Ahead for Future Snow Days

Looking for ideas to keep the kids busy on a snow day (when they are home from school for winter weather?)

Here is a simple snow day game plan…

  • Play in the snow.  Pro Tip:  Remind your kids go to the bathroom before you get them all bundled up to go outside. 

  • Come inside and warm up with hot chocolate (don’t forget the marshmallows.) Pro Tip: Shake the snow off of the kids boots and snow clothes. Hang them up to dry or put them in the dryer, so they are ready for round 2 out in the snow. 
  • Make your own play dough.

  • Play board games or legos together.
  • Play in the snow again.

  • Warm up inside and make paper snowflakes.

  • Bake cookies together or make some other fun recipe.
  • Make a blanket fort.

Stay warm & have fun!

Photo: Tony Crider (Flickr)

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!

 

Make Your Own Play Dough

Play dough is the perfect modeling material for children. Their small hands can pat, poke, pinch, roll and knead it into many shapes. Keep it in an airtight container to use another day, or let it air dry into favorite shapes.

8640007416_3170564961_m

Measure 2 cups of flour, one cup of salt and 4 teaspoons of cream of tartar into a bowl. Add 1/4 cup of oil to one cup of water in a separate bowl then add the mixture to the dry ingredients. For colored play dough, squeeze 10-20 drops of food coloring into the water before you add it to the mixture. Cook the dough at low heat in a wide pan, stirring constantly until it becomes rubbery. Remove the dough from the heat and knead it for a few minutes. When it cools the kids can play too!

Photo: Kevin Jarrett (Flickr)

Valentine’s Day – History, Fun Activities, and Craft Ideas

Aine

Valentine’s day is celebrated in the United States every year on February 14th. There are many stories and legends behind who the real St. Valentine was, but most scholars agree that he was a martyr who was killed by Roman soldiers because he was marrying people in secret at a time when marriage was outlawed.  Later in the Middle Ages, a great writer named Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a poem as a present to King Richard II, who was going to be married soon. In it, he mentioned St. Valentine, and over time, the idea of Valentine’s Day became associated with the idea of love.

During the Victorian times (in the 1800s), Valentine’s Day became extremely popular! Men and women spent a lot of time making beautiful Valentine’s cards with ribbon, fancy paper and even lace. In those days, people were very reserved and they did not often say what they were feeling. Valentine’s day gave them a way to express their feelings to someone they were in love with anonymously.  The sender would remain a mystery until they could speak more freely.

In the last few decades, Valentine’s day has changed a lot! Today we still exchange cards, but many people buy ready-made cards instead. We also give flowers or chocolates as a gift to remind people of our friendship and love for them. Most Valentine’s gifts and cards make use of the colors red and pink, and are decorated with images of hearts or roses. Another common symbol of love on this day is Cupid, the Roman god of love. He is usually shown as a little angel with a bow and arrow. According to legend, anyone who is struck by his arrows will fall in love.

Here are some links with ideas about how you can celebrate and have fun with the children you care for over the next few days!

Click here for Valentine’s Day Cards, coloring pages, recipes, crafts, games and puzzles.

Check out our Au Pair in America Pinterest page for Valentine’s Day for more ideas.

Photo by Aine

52 Weeks – An Au Pair Adventure Plan

52 weeks…   365 days…   8760 hours…   525,600 minutes…

A year in the US, full of new and interesting experiences, this is what every au pair dreams of. Live with an American family, learn American culture and customs, experience American life, be a big sister to the host kids, improve their English. So many things you want to see and do, only 52 weeks to accomplish it!

It’s important to make your lists of adventures you want to have, from the simple to the amazing! Everyone has wishes and desires – make your lists so you don’t miss out on experiences! Our cluster meeting yesterday was a great time to talk with my au pairs about the things they want to see and do while they are in the US. In many cases, they have already checked off items from their lists.

A deck of cards has 52 cards,  the same number of weeks an au pair has in the US. I shuffled my deck of cards and dealt each au pair a few cards. As they went around the tables sharing what their cards said, it was fun to see the excitement of a coveted card like Travel to California or Carve a Pumpkin. Hearing these young women relate stories of experiences they had already had to the newer arrivals, offering tips and encouragement, to hear the plans for trips to Florida this spring, so wonderful!

We laughed and even cringed a bit while several au pairs discussed trying rootbeer floats, or shared their excitement at seeing a football or baseball game! We agreed that trips to Chicago or Las Vegas or Hollywood would all be awesome. Dressing up for Halloween was another must do experience! The ideas just kept flowing. I am excited to see where their journeys take them!

Cynthia Chan - 52 Weeks, An Au Pair's Year of Adventure

12105962_10204557151718855_5716141160200287995_n

Au Pair in America au pairs from all over the greater Washington DC/Baltimore region gathered recently to join in on a scavenger hunt at the National Zoo in Washington DC! The au pairs (and counselors) braved the cold to enjoy a morning hunting around the zoo. Afterwards, we gathered on a hill for a picnic! It was a great event!