Tag Archives: childcare minneapolis

Camp Au Pair

APIA has Pinterest boards with many, many different ideas of things to do with kids. My favorites are the Camp Au Pair boards. These are themed activities, so kids can have a “Space” week or an “Under the Sea” week with their au pair. the activities include science, art, math, and cultural projects, with some for every age level.

Here’s a link to the “Under the Sea” week board: https://www.pinterest.com/aupairinamerica/camp-au-pair-under-the-sea/ and here’s one of the projects:

Fish Kids Craft out of Cupcake Liners #crafts #underthesea #kids

As you will see, these are great ideas for amusing kids during a hot Minnesota summer.

Winter Storm Warning and what to do

Now is the time of year when we hear about winter storm warnings, blizzard warnings, etc. What are you supposed to do about that?

A winter storm is a snowstorm that has a lot of snow and/or winds that blow the snow around so you can’t see. A winter storm watch means the conditions are right for a storm, and a winter storm warning means there is a storm on the way. A blizzard warning means that there will be a BAD winter storm. An ice warning means that there will be ice on the roads, on the cars, everywhere.

Many people try to stock up so they can just stay in the house for a few days – watch the weather reports and grab a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread before the storm is supposed to hit. People can get lost in falling, blowing snow. Even just going to the mailbox! The storms never last that long, so most likely you will be able to wait until it’s over before going outside.

Driving in the snow is a lot like any winter driving – take everything, every single thing, slower than normal. Start slower, give yourself more time to stop, slow way down before you turn. Don’t panic if you slide or even spin – try to steer where you want to go because eventually you will be able to control the car again. Watch out for other drivers! Even if your light has turned green, make sure the cross traffic is able to stop before you go out in front of them.

Carry things like gloves or mittens, blankets, ice scrapers, and windshield washer fluid in the car. I always stick a pair of those $1.00 stretchy gloves in the pocket of any coat I might want to wear in case I forget my real gloves – they are way better than nothing. (But try not to get them wet.)

Dress in layers and dress kids in several layers. That way if they get too warm, they can take off their hoodie and still wear their coat. Au pairs need to get instructions from host parents on exactly how to dress the kids for winter, and they need to follow those instructions!

Winter in Minnesota is something everyone here has to deal with. Most of the time it can be fun! But when there’s a storm coming, please take care of yourself and your kids.

 

APIA ongoing au pair training

Au Pair in America is committed to providing the best possible childcare to your family. Au pairs get ongoing training in childcare and related topics throughout their year, both at their monthly cluster meetings and in online webinars.

Webinars are scheduled roughly every week throughout the year. Recent topics have included things like:

  • Toilet Training 101
  • Activities to develop speech and language in young children
  • Managing play with more than one child

Recent cluster meeting child care focuses have included:

  • Severe weather safety
  • Swimming safety
  • Getting ready for back to school

Au Pair in America has a scholarship for any au pair who wishes to get certified in Infant and Child First Aid and CPR. This is in addition to a thorough training in first aid and CPR at our Orientation program, which is the gold standard in the industry.

 

Apply in April to save $600!

Apply between April 15 and 30 and save $250, plus no application fee, for a total savings of $600!

With no application fee, you can search through our database of excellent candidates and see who is available, without committing to anything. As soon as your application is received, you’ll be able to run different searches and compare au pairs. For example, you might search for candidates over 21 who like to cook, whose first language is Spanish. Or you could look for a French-speaker who has lived away from home before. Or a Thai who has driving experience and who likes to ski. The possibilities are endless!

See the details at http://www.aupairinamerica.com/fees/discounts.asp