Tag Archives: Au Pairs

"Au Pair in America Day" Thurs 6/27 For Mini Golf at Bohrer Park

Hurray for Au Pair in America! On Thursday, June 27 all Au Pairs, Host Families and children will have a discount on Mini Golf at Bohrer Park in Gaithersburg as they have designated that day as Au Pair in America Day and golf will be $6 for unlimited play!

I know that many closer-to-DC towns think that Gaithersburg is too far, but while it really isn’t (either via 270 or via back roads), its lack of congestion, inexpensive activities and plentiful free parking are worth the ride.

mini_golf9If you are willing to drive a little further West and North you will  discover a great and very inexpensive place to have family fun: Bohrer Park at Summit Hall – just off of 355 north of Montgomery College and just down the road from the Gaithersburg Costc0! (sharing the same driveway as Gaithersburg High School). Click here for directions.

Bohrer Park offers Mini Golf, a Water Park and a Skate Park all in a shaded, outdoor complex.

Mini Golf: Mini Golf per game is $6 or unlimited for $8

Hours for 2013 SeasonMinigolfing008

Play must start one hour prior to posted closing.

May 4 – June 14
Monday – Friday: Closed
Saturday: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Monday, May 27: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. (Holiday)

June 15 – August 25
Sunday – Thursday: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Thursday, July 4: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. (Holiday)

August 26 – October 13
Monday – Friday: Closed
Saturday: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Monday, September 2: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. (Holiday)

In case of Inclement Weather please call 301-258-6350 to verify if we are open.

Special Promotional DaysSunday, May 12, 2013 – Mother’s Day
Mothers play for free with a paid customer

Thursday, June 27, 2013 – Au Pair in America Day
$4 for one round of golf and $6 for all-day unlimited golf

Sunday, June 16, 2013 – Father’s Day
Fathers play for free with a paid customer

Sunday, July 14, 2013 – Couple’s Day
One date member pays… the other plays for free

Sunday, August 4, 2013 – Military Day
Show your Military ID / buy one get one free

Sunday, August 18, 2013 – Senior Day
55 and older /buy one 2nd plays free

Sunday, Sept. 8, 2013 – Grandparent’s Day
Grandparents play for free with a paid customer

Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013 Final day!
Closing day for 2013. Half-price ice cream with paid admission ticket

Water Park:

2013 Weekday
Admission

2013 Weekend and
Holiday Admission

Residents*

Non-Res

Residents*

Non-Res

All Ages
(ages 3 and above)

$5.75

$6.75

$5.75

$8.00

Putt-n-Pool Pass

$9.25

$10.25

$9.25

$12.00

Twilight Discount of .50 off (per person) for admissions purchased after 5:30 p.m.

A major attraction at The Water Park (for those 48″ and taller) is the double water slide that is 250 feet long and twists and turns into the splash pool. For the adventuresome, the blue slide offers a breathtakingly fast ride, while the white slide offers a tamer, slower water journey. Choose the trip that suits you!

Splash PoolThe children’s splash pool, designed for children of a height 54 inches or less, includes a custom in-water play structure with open and closed flume slides that pays homage to the state of Maryland with Black-Eyed Susan and Blue Heron play features.

There are play pieces outside the pool, plenty of shade for little ones, and a special eating area for families. For your convenience, there is even a bathroom located within the fenced area equipped with a changing station.

The locker rooms are designed to accommodate the needs of our patrons and feature child height hair dryers, baby changing stations, lower toilet facilities, a family changing room and all traditional amenities.

Your day at the park is not limited to the water and sun! Enjoy our playground, picnic tables, and a snack bar managed by Boardwalk Fries. You’ll also find high back sand chairs and chaise lounges spread throughout the park. And when you need to get out of the sun, there’s plenty of shaded areas.

Strawberry Picking in Montgomery County…almost time!

strawberry-pickingW

Taking children strawberry picking can be a great outing during the day or with your Host Family or friends on the weekend.

Do take some ziplock bags or other container to bring the fruit home as well as some money…You are charged for the strawberries you pick by the pound at a register near the exit.

Below is an excerpt from a very thorough article from an amazing DC family and au pair resource: KidFriendly DC website.

Butler’s Orchard in Germantown or Homestead Farm in Poolesville are two easy-to-reach strawberry picking farms in suburban Maryland…call or look on their webpages before you go for hours of operation and picking times.

000_4041

Homestead Farm
Strawberry season is expected to open in early June this year, likely due to the cool temps we had for longer than usual. You can sign up to receive weekly updates by email, so you know when they open. Along with berry picking, there are animals to visit — goats, pigs, and chickens are some of the farm’s bestial residents. And Homestead scores high on aesthetics — the lovely pastoral setting in Montgomery County makes you feel like you’re way more than 20 miles from the city. The farm is open seven days a week from 9:30am – 6pm, though pick-your-own ends at 5:30.

strawberry chlidren

Butler’s Orchard
The farm might be best known for it’s Halloween and Easter extravaganzas, but they have a bounty of great crops, too. Their strawberry season is expected to start late May or early June, and the fields will be open to visitors everyday. Go to Butler’s Pick Your Own `section of their website. Stay updated on their status by following on Facebook and Twitter. During strawberry season their hours are 8:30am – 6pm during the week, and 8:30am – 5pm on weekends.

Today is National "Don't Fry Day" – Review Sun Safety for Children

dontfrydayofficiallogo-tm

Don’t Fry Day is an annual event observed on the Friday before Memorial Day. Sponsored by the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention (NCSCP) along with other organizations, DFD is dedicated to protection and prevention. Don’t Fry Day shines the spotlight on the harmful effects of the sun while raising awareness about the importance of protecting your skin.

Go to this great Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DontFryDay

As the unofficial beginning of summer kicks off this weekend, people will be spending more and more time in the great outdoors. Now is the time to put that protection plan in place.

Ultraviolet rays are the primary cause of skin cancer which is now the most common type of cancer in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 76,000 new cases of malignant melanoma will be diagnosed in the United States this year.

images

Why is it important to protect children from the sun?

  • Too much sun is particularly harmful to young children, who should be kept out of direct sunlight at all times.
  • Protecting children from the sun not only prevents painful sunburn, it also significantly reduces the risk of developing skin cancer later in life.
  • 50 per cent of total lifetime sunlight exposure occurs in childhood.
  • Breezes or water can cool the skin of children playing in the sun, so excessive exposure to sunlight is not noticed until they are burned.
  • Some children are sensitive to sunlight and might develop a rash.

How to protect children in the sun

  • Remember that infants must be kept out of the sun entirely, while children with light skin will burn easily.
  • If the child is not exposed to direct sunlight, sunscreen is not usually necessary.
  • Children should be encouraged to play in the shade, wearing good protective clothing.
  • Sunscreen use does not allow an increase in the time spent in sunlight.
  • Sunscreen must have sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30. Anything less is useless.
  • Make sure you use enough sunscreen; half a handful (approximately 20ml) is usually enough for the child’s entire body.
  • Remember that some sunscreens come off through contact with water, sweating or rubbing with a towel.
  • Re-apply sunscreen every couple of hours during a day in the sun, especially if they are in and out of water.
  • Keep children out of the sun between 11am and 3pm, when the sun’s rays are at their strongest.

Five things to remember:

  • Small children should always be kept in the shade.
  • Avoid the sun between 11am and 3pm.
  • Stay in the shade as much as possible.
  • Good protection is provided by light clothes and a hat.
  • Children should be given sunscreen with a high SPF (at least 30).

Q: How to Protect Yourself?

A: Wear protection! Make sure to generously apply sunscreen and reapply after swimming, sweating and about every two hours.

B., Stay in the shade if at all possible, especially between 10:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. when the sun’s UV rays are the strongest.

C. You can burn even on a cloudy day. In fact, some of the worst sunburns occur on a hazy or cloudy day.

D. Cover up – wear sun-protective clothing including a hat and sunglasses.

E. Don’t burn!

Au Pairs Tour US Capitol on a Glorious Saturday Morning

It was a sunny and crisp morning in May when 65 Au Pairs from all over Montgomery County gathered to tour the US Capitol with Senior Community Counselors Imelda Farrell and Victoria Paton. Au Pairs learned a lot and an Au Pair from Brazil even taught the tour guide something…that Tom Hanks and George Clooney both claim to be distantly related to Abraham Lincoln…who knew?

Au Pairs on US Capitol Tour

DSC09866

Imelda Farrell, Counselor for Northwestern Montgomery County

melanie and rebecca

V at Capitol

Today is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day!

What could be more American than chocolate chip cookies? nestles choc chipCertainly my absolute favorite over apple pie!

My fellow Community Counselor, Pat Van Haste in Virginia, offered this website of Best Chocolate Chip Cookies…http://allrecipes.com/recipe/best-chocolate-chip-cookies/

It is a gray and chilly day here in the MidAtlantic, I think I’ll whip up a batch to surprise the kids!

Here is a website with recipes that children can help with for chocolate chip cookies and other really great ideas

6a00d8341bff0153ef010536ac34f0970c-600wi

Au Pairs, if you haven’t tried to make the American favorite, today might just be the day!  Oh, and don’t forget the ice cold milk to go with and ask your kids to show you how to dunk!

dunking

Yoga 101 for Au Pairs at Potomac Community

Au Pairs from Au Pair in America gathered at Potomac Community Center to learn yoga from well-known instructor, Silga Vasilevsky. The room was packed with young women: some were already accomplished at yoga and others had never had a chance to try it before.

They all had a lot of fun and mDistrict 10-20130228-00075yoga 2any Au Pairs spoke to Silga afterward about finding local classes to continue in their practice both for relaxation and health.

Remembering 9/11

9-11-01candleangellarge-250x300Most Americans remember where they were the moment the planes hit the twin towers, the pentagon and went down in the field in Pennsylvania.  I remember the au pairs who were in my cluster at that time – September 2001.

My thanks to Cindy Garubba, an Au Pair in America Counselor from Suffolk County NY (another area which was hit hard by 9/11) for this piece which I added to.

I was proud of every au pair in my cluster on that day and the days following.  They were just as stunned as every American, their families and friends at home were worried that they were in harm’s way and the children in their care were scared.  Not one of the young woman in my cluster in Bethesda, Potomac, Cabin John and Glen Echo was too scared to stay, too worried about themselves to comfort their host children or continue with their duties – many Au Pairs in this emergency situation had to take over when parents were stuck out of town because airports were closed. They responded with compassion, bravery and were an inspiration to me.  Young women from all over the world stepped up at that difficult time, they spread cultural understanding and world peace through their example.   Thank you.

I recall an Au Pair who could never remember to close the garage door and it was frustrating to the host family, but on 9/11 both her host parents had flown to NYC for business and they couldn’t return for several days as all transportation had ceased to operate. For a time, in the chaos, they couldn’t even find each other in the city. The Au Pair was amazing!  She kept the children (including one with a special need) calm and safe and helped the host parents find each other and assure them the children were safe…She was, indeed, one of MANY Au Pair heroes!

Today we remember that tragic day with acts of kindness.  We hold each other closer, care more deeply and do for others.  Remember to live in the moment, care about your fellow human beings and give to each other!

AAA Winter Driving Class for Au Pairs

Over 70 Au Pairs filled a room at the Potomac Community Center on Thursday night to better their winter driving skills with a presentation by AAA MidAtlantic’s Joe Beddick. Joe showed the girls a film with lots of  vehicles slipping and sliding and also instructed the Au Pairs what to keep in their car: cat litter or ice melting salt, blanket, first aid kit. He alerted us all that there are some key things to pay attention to especially in winter: properly inflated tires, filling washer fluid, and more. Photos of what it means to clean off a car with snow i.e., no snow left on top and all windshields, lights and mirrors completely cleared off.

Each Au Pair departed with a AAA booklet on Winter Driving Safety and a custom-made Au Pair in America Ice Scraper to keep in her purse should she need to clear off a car.

I think we all learned a lot…and possibly just in time!  🙂

APDC0164 compressed

APDC0160 compressedAPDC0162

Au Pairs Learn About Fire Safety & Meeting Points

APDC0008 resizePotomac Shoreline Cluster Au Pairs (Bethesda, Cabin John, Glen Echo and Potomac) on September 20th visited the Cabin John Firehouse #10 on River Road for a lesson in fire safety including: when to phone 911, importance of a family having a meeting point outside the house in the event of a fire, locating 2 exits from the home, what to do in a power outage, what to do in the event of flooding roads etc.

After the girls asked questions and learned a lot of new and useful safety tips, several au pairs were selected to put on the fire gear in 1 minute or less. That gear is HEAVY!!

Then au pairs were invited to explore the fire trucks and to take photos. That was a lot of fun!

APDC0026 revisedAPDC0031 resizeAPDC0033 resizedAPDC0019 resized

Victoria Finishes Bike Ride in Utah & Raises $5600 for Leukemia

IMG_3046

Victoria trained from May to October to do her first-ever 100 mile bike ride in Moab Desert, Utah – the “Moab Century” on 9/17/11.

Moab Team full frame Color Caption She was raising money for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society via Team in Training Cycling in memory of her dad and aunt who both died young form Leukemia. Victoria exceeded her FundraiIMG_3088ning minimum of $3400 with donations from friends and family of $5600!!