Tag Archives: childcare

New year, new childcare ideas!

Au pairs can be the perfect childcare solution: flexible, experienced, loving, and fun, and they also open a window to the world for your kids. Hosting an au pair means no scrambling for coverage for spring break or if someone gets sick, having another adult to drive to softball practice, and more love to go around! All this and more, and the cost is less than most other options!

Families in the Twin Cities are finding that having live-in care can answer many of their childcare needs. We have au pairs from all over the world. They come on a 12 month visa, live with host families, provide up to 45 of childcare each week. They can teach the children their own language, share international cuisine, add new customs to your holiday celebrations, and help with laundry and other child-related household chores.

For more information, just fill out the info form at Au Pair in America | World’s most trusted child care

Camp Au Pair – Backyard Safari

Next week’s Camp Au Pair theme is Backyard Safari  These activities focus on animals you might find in the a variety of environments: jungles, savannahs, safari parks and zoos.

Crafts, recipes, activities, and games can all be found here on the Camp Au Pair – Backyard Safari 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. 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:

  • Local Zoo
  • Animal Rescue Park
  • Drive Thru Safari

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

Books – Stop by your local library and look for books on animals you might find on a safari or in the zoo. You can also check YouTube for some books on this subject being read aloud.

Movies – There are lots of movies with animal themes.

  • Back to the Outback 
  • Madagascar 1, 2 & 3
  • The Jungle Book
  • The Lion King
  • The Wild
  • Zootopia

Videos – Look for fun videos about animals on YouTube. Here are some to get you started.

Image: Jumble Tree

Camp Au Pair: Art Experiences

This week’s Camp Au Pair theme is Art Experiences.

Crafts, recipes, activities, and games related to art can all be found here on the Camp Au Pair – Art Experiences pinboard.

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. Some museums are requiring advanced tickets or have reduced hours due to the pandemic.

Online Art Fun – Here is a great website with lots of art activities including ones for older kids.

Webcams – You can do a google search for art websites with webcams. Here are a few to get you started:

Videos – Look for fun videos on YouTube about drawing and all kinds of art.

Books – Stop by your local library and look for books on famous artists and art.

Check YouTube for books on art being read aloud:

Image: teachkidsart.com

Camp Au Pair: Backyard Safari

This week’s Camp Au Pair theme is Backyard Safari.

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

Field Trips can be a great way for kids to learn and have new experiences.

  • Local Zoo

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

Videos – Look for fun videos about African animals on YouTube.

Books – Stop by your local library and look for books on animals you might find on a safari or in the zoo. You can also check YouTube for some books on this subject being read aloud.

Image: Jumble Tree

Camp Au Pair – Dinosaurs

This week’s Camp Au Pair theme is Dinosaurs.

Crafts, recipes, activities, and games related to dinosaurs can all be found here on the Camp Au Pair – Dinosaurs pinboard.

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.

Here are a few places to go that fit this theme:

    • Children’s museum with dinosaur exhibit
    • Natural history museum
    • Nature center with fossils

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 – This NPS Paleontology Lab offers a webcam where you can watch paleontologists remove rock from around fossils. The cam is normally working 9 am-5 pm PST, so 12-8 pm our time.

Videos – Look for fun videos on YouTube about dinosaurs and fossils. Here are a few to get you started.

Movies – The Good Dinosaur, Land Before Time, and Ice Age are all great family movies that fit with this theme. For older kids, consider movies like Journey to the Center of the Earth and Jurassic Park (which is rated PG-13).

Books – Check your kids’ bookshelf for books on dinosaurs.

Photo: krojotak.com

Camp Au Pair – Art Experiences

Thanks to COVID19, a lot of kids are going to miss out on day camp this year. Our au pairs can run a weekly camp for the kids that will be even more fun, since it’s designed just for them! Plus they don’t have to spend all that time on the bus going back and forth. Every week I’ll post some ideas from the Au Pair in America Pinterest, Camp Au Pair boards. But feel free to browse them on your own.

This week we are going to focus on learning about art. The board has a ton of great ideas for kid-made art, and also some advice for taking kids to the museum. Here in Minneapolis, we have some amazing museums and when there’s a rainy day. it can be the perfect activity. MIA in particular is very family-friendly and free. Here’s a Pinterest board with a ton of ideas for kids of every age. Check it out and pick one or two for every day this week.

https://www.pinterest.com/aupairinamerica/camp-au-pair-art-experiences/

Here are just a few samples of the kind of thing you’ll find:

Rock Painting Ideas & Painted Rock Crafts! Learn how to paint rocks and explore the best rock painting ideas for kids with the easy ideas. Have you ever found a painted rock in nature? Come see what we found! | #RhythmsOfPlay #ArtOutside #Rocks #NaturalLe Learn how to make colorful suncatchers from leftover homemade slime.

Combine math and art for creative kids. { These totally make trips like this much more fun! } Great tips and fun games ot play at the art museum.

Now go be creative!

Three Ways for Au Pairs to Stay Red Cross Ready

Being knowledgeable in basic first aid and CPR is important for au pairs (and anyone else caring for children). Au Pair in America’s commitment to infant/child safety begins before au pairs arrive to the U.S., with pre-arrival training and continue throughout the au pair year.

#1 Training At Orientation

Our orientation includes seminars by American Red Cross instructors who provide hands-on demonstrations in infant/child CPR and safety. Printed materials are provided that reinforce the safety information and can be used to review from time to time.

#2 Enroll in a Red Cross Certification Class

After settling into their host community, all au pairs are encouraged to complete an Infant/Child CPR and First Aid certification program. Au Pair in America will pay for this training through the American Red Cross.

Classes are available through the Red Cross. Au Pair in America will pay for the cost of a class providing an au pair has at least six months left on her visa and is taking one of several approved childcare/child safety-related classes, such as Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED. Au pairs should check with their community counselor and host family before signing up. Au Pair in America will register the au pair directly.

To locate a class, visit www.redcross.org/takeaclass. For step-by-step instructions on how to locate a class and have Au Pair in America complete enrollment, click here.

#3 Stay Current on Safety Information

The Official American Red Cross First Aid app puts expert advice for everyday emergencies in your hand. Available for iPhone and Android devices, this app gives you instant access to the information you need to know to handle the most common first aid emergencies. With videos, interactive quizzes and simple step-by-step advice, it’s never been easier to know first aid. Download the app for free from the American Red Cross website or in your app store.

Photos: Robin Leon

Back to School Planning

Back to school time is here. This can mean changes to the au pair schedule and possibly to the duties.  It is very important to communicate these changes to avoid problems.

Here is a list of topics to consider discussing:

  • Au pair’s work schedule
  • The children’s school and activity schedules
  • Where the children get dropped off and picked up and who will be doing this
  • What to do if a child is staying home sick, late to school, does not get off the bus (if they are supposed to)
  • Driving laws regarding stopping for school buses
  • How to tell if school has been canceled or delayed for bad weather
  • Add the au pair to your list of people allowed to pick up the kids from school and explain the process
  • What to pack for lunch
  • The routine after school (do they have free time before starting homework, what to give for a snack, any chores, where do they put their backpacks & lunchboxes)
  • How to communicate about what’s going on at school. Your Kids in Care logbook from Au Pair in America can be a great two-way communication tool for keeping track of schedules, afterschool activities and day to day info that needs to be transferred between host parents and au pair.
  • If your au pair will be the one going through the children’s backpack and helping with homework, consider designating an area for putting things that need to be read and/or signed by parents.

Here are some Printable Fill-in-the-Blank School Notes for parents. You can print these out and have them ready for times when the kids are absent, late, have an early dismissal or you need to give permission for something.

Check out Au Pair in America’s Pinterest School Tips and Ideas pinboard for things like organization ideas, back to school traditions, printable lunch box notes, and fun lunch recipes.

 

May Day in Minneapolis

If it’s the first Sunday in May, it’s time to celebrate May Day at Powderhorn Park! This festival has been going on for 44 years. Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre and the communities around Powderhorn Park put on an amazing show to welcome the warm weather.

May Day this year will happen on Sunday, May 6th. The day starts with a parade, beginning at noon, down Bloomington Ave. from 25th Street to 34th Street, and then into the park.

Once the paraders have all gotten there, they have a ceremony to welcome the sun – the HOBT tree of lifemain stage is on the west side of the lake, and boats carry the grand finale across the lake. It ceremony includes puppets as big as 10 feet high!

There is music and dancing for everyone, and vendors selling all kind of foods. The ceremony is free and everyone is welcome.

This celebration is one of the unique things that make the Twin Cities, and Minneapolis in particular, so special.

Come on down to Powderhorn Park and welcome our wonderful summer!

http://hobt.org/mayday/

Au pairs and Minnesota winters

Almost all the families I interview express concerns about how au pairs will adapt to our lovely winters. I can honestly say that not one of the hundreds of au pairs I have worked with has left Minnesota because of the winter. In fact, I would say that the highest percentage of au pairs who choose to extend with their same family in my cluster is girls from warm places like Brazil and Thailand.

However, if your au pair will be sleeping in the basement, you might want to look at space heaters. The modern ones are extremely safe, and as long as you are very clear about safety with it (don’t drape your towel over it to dry it, for example) it might make your au pair feel more appreciated.

It is important to make our environment very clear when you are interviewing candidates. Just like everything else, early communication can really prevent issues later on. You don’t need to scare her – don’t mention the snow emergency we had last May, for example – but she should know that it will be cold and snowy for half the year.

Winter driving can also be a big challenge for anyone – even people who have grown up here can forget how to slow down early enough after it snows. The Minnesota Safety Council has a course entitled “Alive at 25” that au pairs can take to brush up on their skills. They also have fact sheets about winter driving that talk to specific issues they might need to know. The links are at the right.

We can all get through this together. We do it every year!