This week we are exploring the world! The nice things about this is that most things can be done indoors, where it’s air conditioned.
Kids are naturally curious about how people live around the world. Here are dozens of ideas to teach them about cultures.
Field trips include lovely, climate-controlled places like Asia Mall, MIA, Midtown Clobal Marketplace, the Swedish Institute, the German-American Institute, etc. Recipes include things like Agua Fresca and Brigadeiros. Activities have kids pretending to be African animals doing yoga, or making a Carnivale mask. Tons of fun and no sunscreen involved (well, maybe a little.)
Share some pictures of you and your host kids learning about other countries!
Crafts, recipes, activities, and games related to dinosaurs can all be found here on the Camp Au Pair – Dinosaurspinboard.
Field Trips can be a great way for kids to learn and have new experiences. Get permission from your host parents before any outings and be sure to take all social distancing precautions.
Toys – Many kids have dinosaur toys already. See what your kids have and think of fun, new ways you can play with these toys with them. Imagine taking a plastic dinosaur and making footprints in play dough to form your own fossils.
Webcam – The Calvert Marine Museum in Maryland offers a webcam where you can watch paleontologists remove rock from around fossils.
Videos – Look for fun videos on YouTube about dinosaurs and fossils. Here are a few to get you started.
Movies – Here are some movies that fit the dinosaur theme.
Dinosaur
Dinosaur Island
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Land Before Time
Lego Jurassic World
The Good Dinosaur
Walking with Dinosaurs
We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story
For older kids:
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Jurassic Park (which is rated PG-13)
Books – Check your kids’ bookshelf for books on dinosaurs. You can also find many read aloud book videos on YouTube.
Art Experiences can mean a lot of different things, from quietly sketching in museums to running from sculpture to sculpture in a big outdoor garden, to making messy art with rubber bands, to painting bread with stripes before eating the whole creation. Our Pinterest board has all of these ideas and a ton more, as well as local art Field Trips.
Local art field trips include Walker Art Center and Sculpture Garden, MIA, the Weisman Museum on the U Of M campus, the museum of Russian Art, Caponi Art Park in Eagan, Western Art Park in St. Paul, Franconia Art Park near Taylor’s Falls, Harrison Scultpure Garden in Chaska, and more. While you’re there, spend just enough time talking about what they see without overwhelming them with fancy details. You can bring a sketchbook and pencils to most museums so kids can make a lasting record of the visit.
If you’re not sure your kiddos are ready for a visit to a real museum, you can do a virtual visit to any museum in the world – are there any you visit in your hometown?
But remember, parents love to have some kid art for the fridge, or for the office, or to wear as jewelry. No matter how old your kids are, you can create truly meaningful memories just splashing paint around on a piece of poster board in the back yard. Have fun! (and try to control the mess!)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
As summer winds down, we’re going to spend a week enjoying Pirate Adventures! Kids are always fascinated by pirates: the sea, the sun, the parrots, the treasure! Here is our Pinterest board with a lot of great Pirate-themed ideas, including field trips where they can practice their Pirate lingo:
Next week’s Camp Au Pair theme will beCars & Trucks.
Crafts, recipes, activities, and games related to all kinds of vehicles can all be found here on the Camp Au Pair – Cars & Trucks pinboard.
Field Trips can be an excellent way for kids to learn and have new experiences. Get permission from your host parents before any outings. Here are a few field trips that go with this theme:
Go kart track (even if they aren’t old enough to drive, watching the cars is fun.)
Look for construction areas where the kids can observe big machines in action. Kids should observe from the car or a safe area.
Keep an eye out for the trash truck and let them watch the truck in action.
Go to a drive-through car wash and/or let the kids make their own car wash at home.
Virtual Field Trips
Watch vehicles being assembled with virtual auto plant tours from Toyota & BMW.
Videos – Mighty Machines & Amazing Big Trucks are kid-friendly video channels showing machinery and big trucks in action. Look for fun videos on YouTube about cars and trucks.
Movies – Here are some movies that fit the cars and trucks theme.
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!
Field Trips can be a great way for kids to learn and have new experiences. Get permission from your host parents before any outings. Check the websites before you go to be sure you understand the hours, costs, and whether advance tickets/reservations are required. Search online to see if your area has any of the following:
Pet or outdoor store (Bass Pro Shop) with fish tanks
Webcams – You can do a google search for aquariums and zoos across the country (and the world) with webcams that allow you to observe sea creatures. Here are a few to get you started.
Videos – Look for fun videos on YouTube about sea creatures. There’s more to see than Baby Shark. Movies like Finding Nemo, Dolphin Tale, and The Little Mermaid also go well with this theme.
If your kids are a little older, check out 10 Crazy Facts About Sea Turtles (below).
Books – Stop by your local library and look for books on sea creatures. The Rainbow Fish is a classic children’s book, your kids may already own. If not, you can find videos like this of it being read aloud.
Movies – There are lots of movies with under the sea themes.
A Dolphin Tale
Finding Dory
Finding Nemo
Little Mermaid
Moana
Moana 2
Shark Tale
Song of the Sea
Television – There are some episodes of children’s television shows that talk about life under the sea.
The Magic School Bus is a television series that follows Ms. Frizzle and her class as they set off on field trips. Most episodes can be found on YouTube. Here are some episodes that fit this week’s theme.
Bill Nye the Science Guy has episodes on Fish, Marine Animals and more on YouTube.
The Discovery Channel has an annual Shark Week coming up on July 20. Check out 15 JAW-some Activities for Shark Week with lots of fun ideas for kids in grades 5 and up, but a few for younger kids too.
