Tag Archives: Minneapolis child care

Camp Au Pair – Dinosaur Week

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 dinosaurs. I think kids really like dinosaurs because it fascinating to think of such gigantic animals roaming the same places they do themselves. 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/apiaminnesota/camp-au-pair-dinosaur-week/

Some of the things you’ll see there:

Salt dough dinosaurs Make your own dinosaur eggs, fun preschool craft from Projects for Preschoolers

Dinosaur shape game Awesome Dinosaur themed snack

 

Have a roaring good time!

Camp Au Pair – Under the Sea

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 the ocean!  There are so many amazing things to study in the sea. 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/apiaminnesota/camp-au-pair-under-the-sea-week/

Some of the things you’ll see there:

Jellyfish craft Magnifying waterscope craft

Clever clothespin crafts - big fish little fish Bathtub Fishing- Make your own fishing game!

Camp Au Pair – Cooking with Kids

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 cooking with kids!  Kids love making something themselves that they get to eat. 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/apiaminnesota/camp-au-pair-cooking-with-kids/

Some of the things you’ll see there:

Recipes from Your Child's Favorite Books. "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs". Green Eggs & Ham pretzel snacks. A perfect snack to go with the Dr. Seuss book.

Tasty Science - Make your own solar oven to cook s'mores Make your own ice cream

Now get in the kitchen! Have a tasty week!

Camp Au Pair – Outer Space

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 outer space!  All kids like to learn about space, about the sun, moon, stars, etc. 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-outer-space/

A few samples:

If you really want to get creative... Make a Jet Pack (from 2 liter bottles) for your little astronaut.this would be a great craft for the kids to learn the moon phases Outer space snack ideas for kids channeling my inner space nerd and perfect since we live in Huntsville!

Have fun and happy exploring!

Au Pairs and American Diets

As we all know, American diets can be a big change for au pairs. Many au pairs are afraid they will gain weight while they are here. Here are some tips from a host mother, who runs the realfoodrn blog (https://realfoodrn.com/)

In order to maintain a healthy weight while in the United States:

– don’t eat the sugary foods we have here – there is hidden sugar in almost everything we eat. Read the nutrition label on the packaging of any food to see how many grams of sugar it contains.

– don’t eat late at night – try to keep from eating for a couple of hours before bedtime, to give your body time to use the energy in what you’ve already eaten.

– don’t eat fast food – McDonald’s or Burger King may be convenient, but they put all kinds of extra, unnecessary additives in the food. Plus, it’s largely empty calories and unhealthly fat. Look at the calorie counts posted on the menu before you order.

– drink tons of water – the more water you drink, the better you will feel. Water helps you flush unneeded things out of your system.

– remain active – even if it’s cold outside, find a way to get some exercise. The Mall of America is about half a mile around, so if you go two times around each level, you just walked 3 miles. Edinborough Park in Edina is an indoor park with a big playground for kids. There are lots of other choices. Plus when it’s nice out, you can easily rent a bike and ride around the chain of lakes in Minneapolis, or you can go swimming in one of the many lakes around here.

– whenever possible structure meals like this: healthy meat, lots of veggies, healthy fat, spices (no breads, sugars, sauces, rice, etc) – try to make your meals as healthful as you can.

And this is from Jennifer: don’t worry so much about your weight as about your health. If you eat healthy food and keep active, you will feel great!

American Thanksgiving

 

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?

The day after Thanksgiving is called “Black Friday.” Many stores have terrific deals, and some people camp outside of stores for hours and hours to be the first in line.

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!

Severe Weather Awareness Month

April is Sever Weather Awareness Month and it’s important to be ready. Late spring is when we see a large number of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes, so here’s how to handle that.

A severe thunderstorm is one which may include any or all of the following: frequent lightning strikes, which can be extremely dangerous, high winds, hail, and heavy rain with street flooding.

A tornado is a specific kind of storm where winds and air pressure combine to create a funnel cloud. This spins around in a circle and creates crazy wind speed. Depending on the severity, trees can be knocked into houses, houses can be blown down, windows can shatter and strew broken glass everywhere.

IF a severe thunderstorm watch or a tornado watch is announced, that means  that conditions are right for bad weather to develop. Mainly just be aware of what’s going on outside at this point – maybe don’t get too far from shelter. I would turn the TV on or listen to the radio to see if there is anything near me.

If a severe thunderstorm warning or a tornado warning are announced, that means they have identified an actual storm in your area. Sirens will go off and they will definitely break into programming to give you information. If the warning is for a thunderstorm, keep everyone inside and away from windows – sometimes hail can break a window, or lightning can strike right through it.

If the warning is for a tornado, DROP EVERYTHING, Grab the kids and go to a safe part of the basement – away from windows, and also in a sturdy place – under the staircase can be perfect. Stay there until you hear that things are all clear – sometimes tornadoes can come in waves, so just because one has gone by doesn’t mean the danger is over. Try to keep the kids calm by singing or reading to them.

Families probably want to have things like a battery-powered radio, flashlights, and maybe a blanket ready in the basement in case of severe weather.

 

Why should I get an au pair?

Well, not everyone should, to be honest. Families that need someone to care for their kids while they are out of town on business, for example, may not find an au pair the best solution. Families that live in smaller homes that don’t have an extra bedroom would not be suitable. But for many families, the flexibility and cultural exchange of an au pair can be ideal.

Having an au pair means expanding your family’s boundaries. You develop a close relationship with someone from Thailand, or Brazil, or South Africa. You also are exposing your children to cultural ideas in a way that no other experience does – by having someone from another part of the world in their home, caring for them, making cookies from her home country. It’s invaluable in today’s world for children to grow up comfortable with people who might look a little different, might dress a little different, or might have an accent.

It’s also wonderful from a childcare perspective. Au pairs are carefully screened and experienced childcare providers. They can enrich your children’s education by introducing them to a new language and by planning activities based on each child’s interests and abilities.

Finally, within the federal guidelines there is a lot of flexibility. Au pairs can work up to 45 hours a week, up to 10 hours a day, up to 5 1/2 days a week. If your child gets sick, the au pair is there and you don’t need to miss a day of work. If your schedule is subject to changes, au pairs can be flexible too.

As I said in the beginning, live-in childcare is not for every family. But for many families, having an au pair is an experience that can’t be beat!

For more information and for current discounts, go to our website www.aupairinamerica.com.

I love to read month

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, have a great website with all kinds of ideas of things to do to give your child a love of reading. Go to http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2013/02/celebrate-joy-reading-all-month-long for the list.

Spending time together reading a book is time well spent. It not only helps the child learn to read, it conveys to them that reading is important, and that they themselves are important, because you are doing it with them. You can’t really read a book to a kids while checking emails or reading the paper (or reading blogs, even ones as valuable as this.) It expands their imagination, and increases their attention span. It creates a bond between the two of you, and by sharing books from your own childhood, or from another culture, it opens windows on all kinds of wonderful things.

What are you waiting for?

Valentine's Day

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 little cards for each other, and they will be exchanged at a party toward the end of the day when most serious learning is done. Generally, children are expected to bring something for everyone if they bring anything, so no one gets hurt feelings. Even in preschools, this ritual is carried out.

You may have seen the boxes of Valentine’s cards in Target or Cub recently. They are inexpensive and easy, and they are what almost everyone will give out. Some of the kids will tape a mini-candy bar to the envelope to add that special touch. But if you have time, or if you don’t need 32 cards by Friday, think about handmade valentines. They can be so much more meaningful. If you feel like doing something personal but not for dozens of kids, think about making something special for the teacher.

Our Pinterest Valentine’s Day page http://www.pinterest.com/aupairinamerica/valentine-s-day/ has a TON of ideas on how to make this a truly special day.

Some background about Valentine’s Day: Valentine was a 3rd century Roman saint who died on February 14th. That is all that we know for sure. There have been many legends built up supporting him as the saint of courtly love, but none of them appear to be in any way factual. Feb. 14th is a feast day for Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, and Eastern Orthodox religions. However, in the US Valentine’s Day has very little to do with religion. It is a day for giving flowers and chocolate, and going out to a fancy dinner with the one you love. Lots of people get engaged on this day. But for kids, it’s usually about giving and getting cards and maybe some candy.

Try to inject the spirit of love and kindness into everything you do, every day, but particularly on Valentine’s Day!