Category Archives: Blog

Camp Au Pair – World Cup 2026

The World Cup is a major Soccer (or Football, as the rest of the world calls it) tournament held once every 4 years. The men’s world cup is taking place in North America this summer, which is a great reason to have a week where kids and au pairs can focus on soccer – skills and games, crafts, recipes, field trips, and watch parties. We have several local teams where kids can watch real games.

My Pinterest board for this week has a TON of fun things to do with your kids this week.

In Minneapolis, the official hub for tournament watch parties is the massive Minnesota United Soccer Celebration at Peavey Plaza and Nicollet Mall. Running from June 11 to June 27, this family-friendly event features jumbo outdoor screens, local food trucks, live DJs, and special guest appearances. Go to https://www.mnufc.com/soccercelebration/ to get free tickets (which are required for admission.)

There are also going to be watch parties at the North Loop Green. These are outdoors and no tickets are required. Go to https://northloopgreen.com/events/soccer-gameday-at-the-green-2026/ for info about events there.

MN Aurora is a professional women’s soccer team which plays in Eagan.

Minneapolis City SC is a minor league soccer club that plays at Augsburg College in Minneapolis.

Minnesota United FC is our professional major league soccer team.

Many parks have soccer leagues where you can go to watch people play soccer. Call your local park to see if they have any games coming up.

Soccer Story Read-Alouds

It’s an exciting summer to be a soccer fan in the US! Enjoy this week’s Camp theme and teach your host kids about soccer!

Camp Au Pair – Nature Exploration

This week’s Camp Au Pair theme is Nature Exploration.

For our first Camp Au Pair of 2026, we are doing Nature Exploration. Get the kids out into the fresh air and set the tone for the whole summer! We are so lucky to live in the Twin Cities with so much beautiful nature right around the corner.

Crafts, recipes, activities, and games can all be found here on the Camp Au Pair – Nature Exploration pinboard.

Field Trips can be a great way for kids to learn and have new experiences. You can start observing nature at any local park or in your own backyard. If you want to take it a step further, below is a list of other local places to go explore nature. Get permission from your host parents before any outings and check websites before you go for hours and information.

Information about all of the local field trip suggestions can be found in the Local Field Trip section of the Pinterest board.

Safety note: When coming inside after you have been outside exploring nature, it’s always a good idea to check the children and yourself for ticks. For more information, take a look at this post.

  • Aviaries such as the one near the Rose Garden in Minneapolis
  • Farms – try Gibbs Farm, Brooklyn Center Historic Farm, or Lyndale Farmstead
  • Nature Preserves like the Arboretum in Chaska or Woodlake in Richfield
  • Parks – there are so many parks around and they have so many opportunities! Three Rivers Park board, Minneapolis Park and Rec, etc.

Virtual Field Trips:

Webcams – You can do a Google search for websites with webcams that allow you to observe nature.

Videos – Look for fun videos on YouTube about nature.

Books – Check your bookshelves and/or stop by your local library and look for books on nature.  You can also find many read aloud book videos on YouTube. Here are a few to get you started.

Image: toddleratplay.com

Camp Au Pair!

Each week this summer we will share a different Camp Au Pair theme. We have a series of Pinteret boards with activities that follow a weekly theme. These boards 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 for kids of all ages. 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:

  • Nature Exploration
  • World Cup Fun!
  • Art Experiences
  • Under the Sea
  • Science (STEM)
  • Bugs & Butterflies
  • Cars and Trucks
  • Backyard Safari
  • Dinosaurs
  • Explore the World
  • Outer Space
  • Cooking with Kids
  • Pirate Adventures
  • Renaissance Festival

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 community counselor. We love to share your accomplishments and inspire other au pairs!

Let’s make this an amazing summer!

#au pair #au pair in America #summer #summer activities #kids at play

Camp Au Pair – Cooking with Kids

This week’s theme for Camp Au Pair is Cooking with Kids. Even the littlest kids can help shake up a bag of ice cream! And with the heat coming our way, you might be happy to have ideas planned that you can do in the air conditioning. The ideas on the Pinterest board include homemade butter, fun healthy snacks, science-y ideas like the ice cream in a bag, and entire meals kids can make for their families (with a little help from you!)

Nutrition and healthy eating are important for many families. The Pinterest board includes age-appropriate activities to help kids understand how the food they eat affects how they grow and feel.

Field trip ideas include Mill City Museum, where kids can learn about the flour milling industry in Minnesota (the most EXPLOSIVE museum in the world – iykyk,) and a site where you can find farmer’s markets near you. Kids will love being able to choose the vegetables they get for lunch – plus you can always grab a few honey sticks, for kids over 12 months. The big Minneapolis farmers market by the Basilica has music and samples. My kids love it!

Here’s the link to the Pinterest board:

https://www.pinterest.com/?boardId=95279417055562239

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:

  • Nature Exploration
  • Art Experiences
  • Under the Sea
  • Science (STEM)
  • Bugs & Butterflies
  • Cars and Trucks
  • Backyard Safari
  • Dinosaurs
  • Explore the World
  • Outer Space
  • Pirate Adventures
  • Princesses & Knights

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 community counselor. We love to share your accomplishments and inspire other au pairs!

Let’s make this an amazing summer!