Yearly Archives: 2016

Severe Weather Awareness Month

April is Sever Weather Awareness Month and it’s important to be ready. Late spring is when we see a large number of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes, so here’s how to handle that.

A severe thunderstorm is one which may include any or all of the following: frequent lightning strikes, which can be extremely dangerous, high winds, hail, and heavy rain with street flooding.

A tornado is a specific kind of storm where winds and air pressure combine to create a funnel cloud. This spins around in a circle and creates crazy wind speed. Depending on the severity, trees can be knocked into houses, houses can be blown down, windows can shatter and strew broken glass everywhere.

IF a severe thunderstorm watch or a tornado watch is announced, that means  that conditions are right for bad weather to develop. Mainly just be aware of what’s going on outside at this point – maybe don’t get too far from shelter. I would turn the TV on or listen to the radio to see if there is anything near me.

If a severe thunderstorm warning or a tornado warning are announced, that means they have identified an actual storm in your area. Sirens will go off and they will definitely break into programming to give you information. If the warning is for a thunderstorm, keep everyone inside and away from windows – sometimes hail can break a window, or lightning can strike right through it.

If the warning is for a tornado, DROP EVERYTHING, Grab the kids and go to a safe part of the basement – away from windows, and also in a sturdy place – under the staircase can be perfect. Stay there until you hear that things are all clear – sometimes tornadoes can come in waves, so just because one has gone by doesn’t mean the danger is over. Try to keep the kids calm by singing or reading to them.

Families probably want to have things like a battery-powered radio, flashlights, and maybe a blanket ready in the basement in case of severe weather.

 

Why should I get an au pair?

Well, not everyone should, to be honest. Families that need someone to care for their kids while they are out of town on business, for example, may not find an au pair the best solution. Families that live in smaller homes that don’t have an extra bedroom would not be suitable. But for many families, the flexibility and cultural exchange of an au pair can be ideal.

Having an au pair means expanding your family’s boundaries. You develop a close relationship with someone from Thailand, or Brazil, or South Africa. You also are exposing your children to cultural ideas in a way that no other experience does – by having someone from another part of the world in their home, caring for them, making cookies from her home country. It’s invaluable in today’s world for children to grow up comfortable with people who might look a little different, might dress a little different, or might have an accent.

It’s also wonderful from a childcare perspective. Au pairs are carefully screened and experienced childcare providers. They can enrich your children’s education by introducing them to a new language and by planning activities based on each child’s interests and abilities.

Finally, within the federal guidelines there is a lot of flexibility. Au pairs can work up to 45 hours a week, up to 10 hours a day, up to 5 1/2 days a week. If your child gets sick, the au pair is there and you don’t need to miss a day of work. If your schedule is subject to changes, au pairs can be flexible too.

As I said in the beginning, live-in childcare is not for every family. But for many families, having an au pair is an experience that can’t be beat!

For more information and for current discounts, go to our website www.aupairinamerica.com.

St. Patrick’s Day in the US

St. Patrick’s Day is a pretty popular holiday here in the US. It’s not much like St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland, which I understand is a pretty typical religious minor holiday. Here, it’s mainly an excuse to have fun.

Many Americans wear green on March 17th, and at some schools the other kids will pinch you if you don’t. There will be parades and parties, where people eat corned beef and cabbage and soda bread. In Chicago they dye the river green.  Here in the Twin Cities, we kind of go nuts. I’ve been told that more people claim to be Irish in St. Paul than in Ireland, although I don’t know if that’s true. Both Minneapolis and St. Paul have parades.

Kids enjoy the fun too, learning about leprechauns and four leafed clovers and that kind of thing. You can also plan an Irish lunch or dinner for the whole family. Here’s a link to a page with craft ideas and recipes: http://spoonful.com/st-patricks-day.

St. Patrick’s Day celebrations are much more American than Irish, so don’t expect too much green food if you ever do spend it on the Emerald Isle. Just sayin’….

St. Valentine’s Day

Hey – Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! Are you ready?

In the United States, kids almost always celebrate some form of Valentine’s Day. At my school, we are calling it Friendship Day, but it will be otherwise the same as it was waaaaay back when I was in elementary school: kids will bring little cards for each other, and they will be exchanged at a party toward the end of the day when most serious learning is done. Generally, children are expected to bring something for everyone if they bring anything, so no one gets hurt feelings. Even in preschools, this ritual is carried out.

You may have seen the boxes of Valentine’s cards in Target or Cub recently. They are inexpensive and easy, and they are what almost everyone will give out. Some of the kids will tape a mini-candy bar to the envelope to add that special touch. But if you have time, or if you don’t need 32 cards by Friday, think about handmade valentines. They can be so much more meaningful. You could work with your kids to make a card that represents your own culture. If you feel like doing something personal but not for dozens of kids, think about making something special for the teacher.

Our Pinterest Valentine’s Day page http://www.pinterest.com/aupairinamerica/valentine-s-day/ has a TON of ideas on how to make this a truly special day.

Some background about Valentine’s Day: Valentine was a 3rd century Roman saint who died on February 14th. That is all that we know for sure. There have been many legends built up supporting him as the saint of courtly love, but none of them appear to be in any way factual. Feb. 14th is a feast day for Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, and Eastern Orthodox religions. However, in the US Valentine’s Day has very little to do with religion. It is a day for giving flowers and chocolate, and going out to a fancy dinner with the one you love. Lots of people get engaged on this day. But for kids, it’s usually about giving and getting cards and maybe some candy.

Try to inject the spirit of love and kindness into everything you do, every day, but particularly on Valentine’s Day!

February is Black History Month

February has been known as Black History Month in the US since 1976, when it was recognized nationally for the first time as part of the US Bicentennial. The contributions of African-Americans are often left out of history books, and this is one way to focus more attention on them.

Children can learn about Black History Month at their own level. Little kids might just want to color a picture of Harriet Tubman or Frederick Douglass, or listen to someone read The Sneeches by Dr. Seuss, while older ones would gain a lot by learning about Jackie Robinson or the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s. There have been movies made about certain aspects that would be great for the right ages, including 42, the Jackie Robinson Story (it does have some swearing in it,) or The Help. Even Hairspray can be educational for older kids.

The great website Family Education, http://tinyurl.com/2s5eu4, has a page with all kinds of activities for families to do together to learn more about Black Americans and Black History Month.

Au Pairs – Myth versus Reality!

There are a bunch of misconceptions about au pairs, so I thought I would try to put together one document that clears up the ones I personally hear most often.

First, having an au pair is affordable. An au pair costs about $370 per family per week (plus room and board.) The average cost of care for an infant at a center in the Twin Cities metro area, according to mnchildcare.org, is $321, and $179 at an in-home daycare. This is per CHILD, not per family. So for one child, ihaving an au pair is slightly more expensive but significantly more flexible. For more than one child, it’s actually less expensive!

Second, au pairs do not come here to get married. They come to do child care, to improve their English, to share their culture and learn about ours, to take classes – many reasons. While some of them do end up falling in love and marrying, the vast majority stay for the duration of their visa and then go back home. The State Department is constantly reviewing all au pair programs to ensure this is the case.

Third, au pairs are experienced, caring child care providers who love children. We exhaustively check childcare and personal references and provide transcripts to prospective host families. We give them personality tests and physical exams, and we are careful to select only candidates we feel will be successful with our host families.

Fourth, au pairs are good drivers. They all come with either an International Drivers License, or their home country’s license if they aren’t able to get an IDL where they live. So they all have passed at least one driving test. It is true that some of them have difficulty transitioning to our roads. We offer a course at our orientation that helps with that transition.

If you have questions about au pairs, please let me know! I’m happy to answer anything!

Winter Safety – Sledding!

Tubing au pairs

Kind of a theme – winter safety!

SLEDDING SAFETY TIPS from the Minnesota Safety Council
CHOOSING A SLED
Look for solid construction – avoid homemade sleds, inflatable sleds that could be punctured, and equipment with sharp edges. Energy-absorbing seat pads will help cushion jolts to the spine.
Examine sleds to be sure handholds are secure and steering works easily.

FINDING A SAFE SLEDDING LOCATION
Look for an area that has been designated as a safe place to sled. Injuries are most likely to occur on poorly lit, unsupervised hills with obstacles such as rocks, tree trunks, etc. Check for signs posted by local police or parks and recreation departments.
Check that the sledding area has adequate space at the bottom to allow the sled to come to a complete stop. It should be far from traffic and water, and free of obstacles such as rocks and trees.
Be alert to hidden hazards under mounds of snow.
Don’t let children sled on ice.

Provide adult supervision as appropriate for children’s age and abilities.
Before sledding, remind children of the basics: Encourage them to sit up with feet forward (lying flat on the sled increases the chance of head and abdominal injuries), and to roll off the sled if they’re about to collide with a tree or other large or hard object.

Dress children appropriately for the temperature and in multiple layers. Outerwear should be water- and wind-resistant and free of drawstrings, which could pose a strangulation hazard.

It is recommended that kids wear helmets when they sled. Although a helmet has not yet been designed specifically for sledding, until such a helmet exists, wearing a bicycle, skateboard or ski helmet may be preferable to wearing no helmet at all.
Source: Safe Kids Worldwide