Mother’s Day is Sunday May 11th. It is a day to celebrate and pamper Mom. Help the children make cards or gifts or plan a special meal or other surprise for Mom. Below is a link with ideas for you to do with your host kids. Don’t forget to call your own Mom too!
http://www.pinterest.com/aupairinamerica/mother-s-day/
Elena (Eli), a second year Au Pair from Macedonia, recently won third prize in the Au Pair in America Volunteer of the Year contest. Eli, who donated her time to a local nursery school, wrote a lovely essay about the experience and the contribution it has made to her time here in the US as part of the contest entry.Eli is pictured here at a recent cluster meeting, where her fellow Au Pairs celebrated the accomplishment with her!
At a recent gathering in Glen Ridge, Au Pair in America Au Pairs learned the role of volunteerism in American culture AND helped feed the homeless. Working together, these young visitors from around the world made over 225 brown bag lunches for the clients of St. John’s Soup Kitchen in Newark. The project enabled them to “give back” to the community they currently call home.
Today is Earth Day. The goal of the day is to “increase awareness, responsibility and action towards a clean, healthy future for all living things.” Take some time today to do your part to help the earth; go to a park or other public space with your host family and pick up trash, ensure your host children are recycling everything they can, or plant a tree.
Here are some activities you can do with your children: http://www.epa.gov/region5/publications/happy/happy.pdf
Au Pairs from West Orange, Glen Ridge and Montclair spent a recent afternoon bowling at Eagle Rock Lanes in West Orange. For some, it was the first time to try this favorite American pastime. For others, it was a chance to show off their skills. There were many new faces to meet at this cluster meeting as we were welcomed two 
new Au Pairs to the group this month. Everyone had a great time and a lot of laughs!
Born in 1848, Tiffany (whose father started the Tiffany jewelry store), was a very fine painter but is best known for his work in stained glass. You can see many examples of his work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art — why not make a trip to NYC to check them out? http://gonyc.about.com/od/photogalleries/ig/Metropolitan-Museum-of-Art/Autumn-Landscape.htm
In the mean time, you can make your own “stained glass” by following these easy instructions — and this is a perfect use for broken crayons. Spread out newspaper and make crayon shavings (a small pencil sharpener is perfect for this). Cover the ironing board with newspaper and sprinkle the crayon shavings on a square of wax paper. Cover with another square of wax paper and more newspaper. Press the paper with a warm iron until the wax of the crayons is melted. These look beautiful hung in the window or you can add a frame made out of construction paper.
Despite the cold weather, more than 45 au pairs made the trip to New York yesterday to see the current production of Cinderella. The visit to see the show was one of the monthly cluster meeting activities organized by Community Counselors Anne Alix and her counterpart from Montclair Lois Whipple. The show was a magical rendition of the famous Rogers and Hammerstein production. All of the au pairs enjoyed themselves, and for many, it was there first time seeing live theater in the USA. Bravo Broadway!
Last night, Au Pair in America Au Pairs from Glen Ridge, West Orange, Montclair and Verona gathered to celebrate the end of summer with a classic America treat – an ice cream sundae! Although the weather was not the best, the event was well attended by the au pairs, some of whom had just arrived and some who have been in the USA longer. The evening was a great success and provided these young women with the opportunity to socialize and share stories of their summer fun in New Jersey!
Au Pairs from the Montclair, Glen Ridge, Verona, and West Orange enjoyed a night out in Brookdale Park recently when they went to see Louis Prima, Jr in perform in concert. Although the weather was rainy at times, everyone enjoyed the big band sounds, and the companionship, of this outdoor concert!
Au Pairs and Host Families enjoyed an evening of minigolf in late June at the Safari miniGolf grounds at the Essex County Recreational Facility in West Orange. The gathering was a social event sponsored by Au Pair in America Community Counselors from around Essex County. Some participants showed the skills of professionals, while others enjoyed their first experience at the game. Nevertheless, everyone enjoyed the camaraderie and companionship of spending time sharing a little bit of American culture and fun!
