Category Archives: Kids

Winter Olympics

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

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!

Chinese New Year

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

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!

Winter solstice

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!

Thanksgiving craft ideas!

Thanksgiving is an American holiday (as well as other countries) where we, naturally, give thanks for our family, friends, etc. It is always on the fourth Thursday in November. It originally celebrated a good harvest, which explains why it is in the end of fall. Now it also signifies the beginning of the ‘holiday season’, which includes Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s, and probably a whole bunch I can’t think of.

Most Americans that celebrate Thanksgiving have a roast turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green beans with fried onions, pumpkin pie – my mouth is watering just thinking about it! It’s my favorite holiday, mainly because I’m a big foodie, but also because it seems to be the most easy-going holiday, where families spend most of the time hanging out with each other talking – and cooking, and watching football games. What more could you want?

Here are some links to websites with great ideas for crafts you can do with your kids with a Thanksgiving theme:

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/thanksgiving/
http://www.parenting.com/gallery/thanksgiving-crafts-ideas
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikespohr/23-clever-crafts-to-keep-the-kids-busy-on-thanksgiving

Happy Turkey Day!

Camp Au Pair

We have a great set of ideas for au pair ‘day camp’ suitable for all ages. They are organized around various themes, such as “Under the Sea,” “Cars and Trucks,” and “Dinosaurs.” The most current one is “London Olympics,” which is a great way for families to use the cultural exchange aspect of the au pair program to see the Olympics in a whole new way. Go to http://pinterest.com/aupairinamerica to see all of the great ideas! You don’t need to be a member of Pinterest to use this link.

Summer Safety Tips – Car Safety/Child Car Seat Info

More safety tips from Walgreens’ website.

CAR SAFETY

  • Always wear a seat belt.
  • Obey traffic laws and drive defensively.
  • Do not drink alcohol and drive.
  • While driving, try to avoid any distractions from others in your car.
  • Keep your vehicle properly serviced, especially before going on a long trip. Keep an emergency kit in your car.
  • Take the weather into account before venturing out on the roads.

INFANT AND CHILD CAR SEATS

  • Car seats are required by law for children under 40 pounds.
  • The safest position for an infant car seat is rear facing in the back seat.
  • In most models, the infant seat is used AT LEAST until the child reaches 20 pounds and 1 year of age. (Some experts recommend rear-facing child seats until the child is 30 pounds; check the weight restrictions on your specific seat.) At that point, a forward-facing seat can be used. This may require a new car seat — it depends on the model.
  • Booster seats should be used for children 40 to 80 pounds. Some states have passed laws requiring that children up to 8 years old or 80 pounds be put in booster seats.
  • Read the car owner’s manual to determine the safest place to fasten a car seat in YOUR car.
  • Know how your car seat is designed to be used. Read the instructions carefully.
  • Adapters may be needed for certain types of cars or certain seat belt types.
  • For more information call your car seat manufacturer, car manufacturer, or the State Highway Safety Office.

Summer Safety Tips – Sun and Bicycle Safety

This is from Walgreens’ site, and contains a lot of excellent information. I’ll probably post a few of these.

SUN PROTECTION

  • When outside on a warm, sunny day, protect yourself from the sun by wearing a hat, a water-proof sunscreen, and loose-fitting, light-colored clothing.
  • Sun protection is especially important between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
  • Drink plenty of water, but avoid drinking alcohol on hot, humid days when you are outside. Alcohol can cause dehydration.
  • If you become overheated, sit in the shade, drink plenty of water, and try to keep your skin cool and moist.
  • Keep very young children’s skin from being exposed to the sun.
  • Never leave children or pets unattended in a car in the sun — even for a few minutes.
  • Wear appropriate sunscreens — a sunscreen rating of 15 should give adequate protection for most people.
  • Remember, there is no such thing as a healthy suntan.

BICYCLE SAFETY

  • Wear a bike helmet.
  • Make sure bikes are the right size. A child should be able to straddle a bike with both feet on the ground.
  • Young children should use bikes with coaster brakes — the kind that brake when you pedal backwards. With hand brakes, a child’s hands should be large enough and strong enough to use the levers.
  • Avoid riding at night if at all possible. Make sure your bike has reflectors.
  • Stop at stop signs, check for traffic before turning, and never ride out into a street without stopping first.
  • Ride on the same side of the road as the cars.
  • Be predictable and ride defensively. Ride where drivers of cars can see you. Bicycles are frequently hit by cars because the driver did not even know the bike was there. Many accidents have been avoided because the biker was watching out for cars.
  • Wear brightly colored clothing so that motorists can easily see you.

Halloween

Halloween is a great time to share the United States culture with your au pair. Even preschoolers can paint a pumpkin (use washable tempera paint and clean up quickly) and older kids can carve pumpkins with guidance. Costumes provide lots of topics or conversation. And of course Trick-or-Treating is fun for everyone! Talk to your au pair about similar customs in her home country. She may have some great ideas – Mexican au pairs can share traditions around the Dia de los Muertos, for example.

What to do when your kids say "I'm bored"

Sometimes, especially with younger children, cries of boredom are really calls for companionship and attention—their friends may be away on vacation and without the structure of school they may find it difficult to keep occupied during long summer days. Prolonged intervals where the kids have nothing to do can be stressful . When bored, children often become whiny, cranky and demanding. Calendar-of-the-season-300×216

Here are a few easy tips to help au pairs and host parents combat summer boredom and help kids develop the internal resources that are important for developing creative, resource and time management skills:

Put a weekly calendar together so as not to overwhelm yourself with planning entertainment for an entire summer, just take it one week at a time—day trips, arts and craft activities, play-dates, reading time, nature hikes, picnics, bike rides, a trip to the movie theatre etc. This way kids will have something to look forward to during down time. A calendar also helps with getting kids prepared for what comes next.
Ask: “If you could do anything, what would you like to do?” Try and encourage your children to generate their own ideas for activities—they are more apt to have fun when they thought it up on their own! Reinforcing that children use their imaginations will also help them develop a sense of resourcefulness and get them in the habit of making their own choices about how they will spend their time.
Keep an “art box” handy full of supplies: scissors, fabric, felt, glue, paints and brushes, stickers, paper, markers, canvass, needle and thread, beads, yarn, picture magazines etc. Rummaging through a box of art supplies can ignite the imagination and occupy children for long periods of time. They could even begin an entrepreneurial enterprise and sell their wares at the end of the summer.
Inspire them to play with water. Water is very calming and soothing for children and they can while away many hours playing and keeping cool. Get them to wash the car, hose off the deck, or run through a sprinkler. Spend time together at the beach or pool

(Thanks to Jan Peedin, Annapolis Community Counselor, for the great posting!)