This link is something I shared a year ago, but it’s so important I want to share it at least once a year. We think we know what it looks like when someone is drowning and we are WRONG. Please take the time to read this. It only takes a minute for a child to get in trouble in the water and this could literally help you save a life.
http://tinyurl.com/kd8mltf
Here’s a personal story. As the mother of three daughters, it has always been important to me that they see themselves as able to do whatever they want with their lives. One way I have done that is by choosing women professionals when reasonable. So naturally, they went to a female pediatrician. One day when my youngest was about 4, we came out of the pediatrician and she said, “I thought we were going to see the doctor.”
To which I responded, “We just did. What do you mean?”
And she said, “We saw a nurse. Doctors are men.”
I blame TV. But anyway, the point is that even when we are aware of sexist perceptions, they still creep in. So Women’s History Month is a great way to keep showing our kids that men and women both contribute to society.
I have been poking around and finding a few women that might interest kids. Kid Lit, http://kidlitwhm.blogspot.com/ has a list of books by female authors that can lead to a fun afternoon at the library or snuggling on the couch. National Geographic Kids, http://tinyurl.com/4kdml66 has a page highlighting three important woman pioneers which will interest kids with more of a scientific bent. And She Knows, http://tinyurl.com/lyneb7f has a page with profile of many women in American History who are some of my personal heroes.
Au pairs can share famous women from the history of their own country. Did you know the Presidents of Brazil and Germany are both women?
Boys and girls both can gain from a better understanding of women’s historical contributions!
Well, for the shortest month, February has a LOT of things going on for families., and I Love to Read Month is actually one of my favorites. There are few things I enjoy more than reading to kids and giving them some of my love for the written word.
Scholastic, the school book fair people, have a great website with all kinds of ideas of things to do to give your child a love of reading. Go to http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2013/02/celebrate-joy-reading-all-month-long for the list.
Spending time together reading a book is time well spent. It not only helps the child learn to read, it conveys to them that reading is important, and that they themselves are important, because you are doing it with them. You can’t really read a book to a kids while checking emails or reading the paper (or reading blogs, even ones as valuable as this.) It expands their imagination, and increases their attention span. It creates a bond between the two of you, and by sharing books from your own childhood, or from another culture, it opens windows on all kinds of wonderful things.
What are you waiting for?
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.
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. 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!
The Olympics are almost here! When they changed it so the Winter Olympics and Summer Olympics would be staggered, so there would be one every two years instead of both every four, I didn’t like it, but now I really do. And with so many Minnesotans participating in the Sochi Olympics, it’s going to more exciting than ever.
My au pairs always go to a Gopher Women’s Hockey game every year, so they should recognize some of the names.
My aupairs at a U of M hockey game
If you are looking for ways to make the Olympics more meaningful for your kids, Activity Village has some cool ideas: http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/winter-olympics
One of the reasons people get au pairs is to introduce their kids to other cultures, and this is a ready-made way to expand on that. Do they ice skate in Brazil? Ski in South Africa? Play hockey in Thailand? Now is the time to find out. You can have an atlas or a globe handy so you can show kids where the different countries are. You can devise your own ‘games’ and have each kid pick a country to represent (the au pair should probably represent her own country to avoid conflict.) Or you could explore Russian culture and cuisine, in keeping with the host country.
Whatever you do, you won’t be able to escape the Olympics this month, so you may as well enjoy it!
Welcome the 4711, the Year of the Horse! Chinese New Year, also called the Spring Festival, is an important celebration in many Asian cultures. Family members often travel great distances to be together over the 2 weeks of the festival. There are many amazing traditions associated with Chinese New Year, and they can be a great way to introduce children to some of the culture of the Far East. This year it runs from January 31st to February 15th, but it is slightly different every year.
The APIA Pinterest page, http://www.pinterest.com/aupairinamerica/ has all kinds of crafts, games and recipes to try. You can also go to http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/chinesenewyear/ for other ideas. One thing that I remember from when I was little myself, was learning what the animal was when I was born. There is a 12 year cycle, each represented by an animal that supposedly embodies traits people have who are born under that sign, similar to the zodiac many Westerners are familiar with. I am a Dragon, as is my husband, and my children are Dog, Tiger, and Dragon, so you can imagine the ruckus around here most of the time! Often, au pairs aren’t familiar with this concept, and it is as much fun for them to learn about as to teach to the kids! The Enchanted Learning page I linked to above has a chart with all the animals laid out.
A quart of fried rice and some fortune cookies from the nearest Chinese take-out can be served out while people are making dragon puppets or paper lanterns, making an evening out of it for everyone.
Gung Hay Fat Choy (“May you become prosperous”) is the traditional greeting.
Have fun!
February is a great month for kids in Minnesota. It’s Chinese New Year, Black History Month, I Love to Read Month, and of course the month that has Valentine’s Day. It’s also when we have the Olympics!
Our Pinterest page http://www.pinterest.com/aupairinamerica/ has pages that have many activities around these holidays and events. They do a great job of finding activities that suit all ages and interests. You don’t need to be a member of Pinterest to check out the page, so go for it!
When you’re sitting around, staring out the window at all that snow, try to find something for the kids that will engage them in learning about something new.
I will publish individual blogs about each of the February things as they come up, so keep reading!
A fun way to introduce kids to the idea of diverse holidays is to teach them about the solstice. The days have been getting shorter and shorter, and we all should celebrate having a little more sunshine soon.
There is a great website for kids and crafts, www.craftycrow.net, that has a bunch of great ideas for solstice crafts for all ages. Even the littlest kids can make a finger-painted sun, and bigger kids can make some spectacular snowflakes.
Even if you are just looking for something to do when it’s too cold out to go sledding, these are fun ways to enjoy the season indoors. Have fun crafting!
Well, the first snow is here, and yeah, sure, it’s pretty. But don’t forget how difficult it can be to get used to driving in snowy conditions. It takes longer to stop and start moving, but don’t just push harder on the brakes or the gas, because that can make you ‘fishtail’ out of control. Press on the brakes and the gas lighter than usual and the car will stay in control.
If you do start to skid, don’t panic! Keep steering your wheels in the way you want to go and try to gradually get control back.
Everyone needs to be safely buckled in, of course, as always. Keep extra gloves and blankets in the car in case you do get stuck and have to wait for help. If you’re going to be driving a longer distance, be sure you have an emergency kit that includes a can for melting snow to drink, flares to get attention, and other items. You can get a terrific checklist for what to include at http://www.co.carver.mn.us/departments/PH/docs/Car_Emergency_Kit_Checklist.pdf
Basically, when driving in the winter, give yourself extra time to start and to stop, and remember – the person in the other car is probably not paying attention to the road conditions, so be prepared for them to make a mistake.
Drive safely and enjoy that beautiful snow!
