Posts Tagged ‘au pair’

Drowning signs – what to look for

June 9th, 2014

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 […]

Father's Day!

June 9th, 2014

Father’s Day is this coming Sunday. It is unfortunate that it falls after school gets out, because most schools help kids (at least little kids) come up with a nice gift for Mother’s Day but Father’s Day is pretty much left for the kids to do on their own. Father’s Day is important, though, and […]

Raising Children with Values

June 9th, 2014

Having an au pair is one way families put their values into practice, teaching their children about the value of diversity and acceptance, about how to relate to different cultures in their futures, and about how the meaning of the word ‘family’ can include people who live far away. There is an organization in the […]

I love to read month

February 16th, 2014

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, […]

Black History Month

February 10th, 2014

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 […]

Valentine's Day

February 7th, 2014

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 […]

Winter Olympics

February 5th, 2014

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 […]

Chinese New Year

February 4th, 2014

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 […]

February

February 3rd, 2014

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 […]

Winter solstice

December 16th, 2013

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 […]