Tag Archives: Southern Maryland au pairs

Halloween Fun Ideas

Halloween is fast approaching! There are many ways that you can make this time fun and interesting for both you and the children you care for!

philip-james-flickrAu Pair in America has captured a wonderful array of projects you can work on together. You can find them on our Halloween Fun Pinterest board! Try making a collection of glowing pumpkins using jars from the host family’s recycling! You’ll need clean jars, liquid glue, orange tissue paper, some paint, black construction paper or cardstock and a strand of lights or battery operated tea lights.

mootsie

If you have a collection of plastic pumpkins for trick or treating, place them on a shelf or table and dress them up! baseball hats, party hats, tiaras, fire fighter hats, pirate hats and more will help you create a fun display! Dig through the dress up collection for some great options or make some of your own with craft supplies!

Check out the Pinterest board for some other great ideas like ghost bowling using toilet paper!  How about adding some fun to lunchboxes by slipping a Halloween joke in? Try making some glowing cups – Frankenstein, ghost and pumpkin! Try transforming some acorns into pumpkins using paint!

                                                                                                            Photos by Philip James and Mootsie

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American Experience – Apple Sampling, Corn Maze, Pumpkin Patch & Hay Ride

Au pairs in Southern Maryland gathered at the Forrest Hall Farm and Orchard on a picture perfect Saturday afternoon! We grabbed a bunch of apples to sample!

Everyone enjoyed taking some silly pictures!

Corn maze, hay ride, corn hole and picking out our pumpkins!

Carving Pumpkins!

 

Here is a video explaining how to carve a pumpkin (as well as some non-carving alternatives.) If you get a pumpkin at a pumpkin patch, I don’t recommend carving it until the week of Halloween, so it will stay looking fresh for big day. Follow the tips towards the end of the video to extend the life of your pumpkin! The carving fun starts at the 1:27 mark!

Find more fun on the APIA Fall Holidays Pinterest board.

 

 

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! 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 everything in our Pinterest boards!!

USAG Humphreys

Photo by USAG Humphreys

Easter eggs and other spring break fun – boredom busters!

Photo by Michael

Looking for some fun ideas for Easter celebrations and spring break activities? Check out the Au Pair in America Pinterest board for lots of great ideas!

Make crispy rice eggs

Bake and decorate chick cupcakes

Easter egg hunt in the dark?

Paper plate bunny basket

Make a foosball game out of a shoebox

Go on a scavenger hunt at the park

Make finger leg puppets

Play the Draw A Monster Game

Photo by Michael

Focus on Education Opportunities – Virginia International University Saturday Museum Classes

UPCOMING MUSEUMS & DATES 2016

Stephane Gallay                               Air & Space Museum – photo by Stephane Gallay

(Museum classes are from 10:30 AM – 3:30 PM, with the exception of the American Art Gallery & the National Portrait Gallery classes which are from 11:30 AM-4:30 PM.)

  • March 5 National Museum of African Art – 10:30 AM
  • March 12 National Gallery of Art, West Wing – 10:30 AM
  • March 19 American Art Museum – 11:30 AM
  • March 26 No Class – Easter Break
  • April 2 National Museum of American History – 10:30 AM
  • April 9 National Portrait Gallery – 11:30 AM
  • April 16 National Museum of Natural History – 10:30 AM
  • April 23 National Air & Space Museum – 11:30 AM
  • April 30 The National Zoo – 10:30 AM

 

  • TUITION: $40 per visit + $20 one-time administrative fee (new students only)
  • Earn .5 CEU’s or 5 hours per class
  • Great way to see amazing sights in DC AND earn credits!
  • Cost effective!
  • Go with friends or make new ones!

http://viu.edu/sels/programs/adult-esl.html

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

Winter Fun and School Closures

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As we prepare to endure a couple more snow days this week, a few reminders!

*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!

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

Winter Wonderland Fun at National Harbor

 

 

F Delventhal

National Harbor is home to amazing shopping, dining and entertainment opportunities! Their Winter Wonderland events will draw crowds from near and far! You’ll want to take the time to stop and check it out if you are nearby! Upcoming events include – the Holiday Market, the Ugly Sweater Run, movie showings of classics such as How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Frosty the Snowman, and so much more.

National Harbor main page

National Harbor events

 

Photo by F Delventhal