Monthly Archives: November 2013

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

November 25, 2013 – 8:50 pm

THANKSGIVING falls on the fourth Thursday of November. It is as a legal holiday in the United States and commemorates the feast held at Plymouth in 1621 by the Pilgrim colonists and members of the Wampanoag people. The feast was held to honor God and give him thanks for harvest and health.

Thanksgiving has religious and cultural origins but is also celebrated in a secular fashion.

The most common dishes on a Thanksgiving table are: TURKEY, sweet potato casserole, collard greens, squash, cornbread stuffing, cranberry sauce and in New Orleans – shrimp and grits.

During a traditional ceremony at the White House, the president of the United States “pardons the turkey” which means the bird can spend the rest of its days back on the farm rather than on a Thanksgiving table.

The day after Thanksgiving, on BLACK FRIDAY people rush to the stores to buy highly discounted merchandise. Black Friday is considered the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.

Thanksgiving Fun For Kids

Here are some activities you can do with the children to celebrate Thanksgiving. Click here to find crafts, coloring sheets, spelling worksheets, math puzzles, nametags and more.

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

APIA Webinars for Au Pairs

November 14, 2013 – 10:15 pm

Au Pair in America is very proud of the ongoing training we offer our au pairs which provides further education on a wide range of topics. Our orientation trainers take great care to research and prepare the topics presented and we get great feedback from au pairs who attend.

Au pairs are sent emails monthly with the webinar details and reminders on the day of training and can register through the webinar link in the email.

The webinars are scheduled during the hours children are at school or late in the evening when kids are in bed.

International Education Week

November 13, 2013 – 9:32 pm

NOLflags This week, November 11-15, marks the 14^th annual International Education Week (IEW) – an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. This joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education is part of the U.S. Government’s effort to promote programs in the United States and overseas that prepare Americans for a global environment and that attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States.

The IEW Website

The IEW 2013 website includes promotional materials, suggestions and resources for activities to hold during the week and beyond, information on a free virtual college fair, and opportunities to post and view planned events celebrating international educational exchanges around the world.

Be Inspired and take a moment to watch this video clip

IEW promotional video “International Education is for Everyone” shares video messages from both Secretary Kerry and Secretary Duncan, will also be featured on the site!

We encourage the participation of all people and institutions interested in international education — schools, colleges and universities, embassies, international organizations, businesses, associations, and community organizations. Please be sure to visit the IEW site and submit your events.

The latest Open Doors report reaffirms the United States as the destination of preference for international students and cites international student enrollments in U.S. higher education institutions are at the highest levels ever with 819,644 international students studying in the United States during the 2012-2013 academic year (Open Doors 2013). U.S. students who study abroad are choosing increasingly diverse locations overseas; 283,332 U.S. students studied abroad for academic credit during academic year 2011-2012 (Open Doors 2013).

Facebook

Help IEW with their goal of reaching 15,000 fans before the end of IEW by liking the Facebook page today! You may also follow Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Ms. Evan Ryan on Twitter (@ECA_AS) and use hashtag #IEW2013 to join the discussion and receive updates on IEW.***

Thank you for your support of International Education Week!

Veterans Day

November 9, 2013 – 10:04 pm

NOLvetspic

Veterans Day is an official holiday which honors people who have served in the U.S. military.

It is observed on November 11th, on the anniversary of November 11, 1918 when the armistice signed by the Allies and Germany officially ended the World War I.

Although originally dedicated to honoring the World War I veterans, the holiday now celebrates all military veterans.
To show appreciation and gratitude for their service to the country the public will honor veterans at many official ceremonies, salutes, concerts, and parades across the country.

The New Orleans World War I Museum will have a full day of programs, including Honoring Our Heroes – A Veterans Day Concert Event http://www.nationalww2museum.org/

A Day at the Audubon Zoo

November 4, 2013 – 2:44 pm

Last Sunday visit to the Audubon Zoo was both enjoyable and educational. Au pairs got to pet a tiny, three-week old alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) and learned, among other things, that “Komodo dragons are voracious eaters. A komodo dragon can eat as much as 80% of its body weight during a single feeding.”

Although au pairs agreed they could not eat anywhere close to their body weight at one sitting (a sigh of relief from host parents!), they were sure they could out-talk any species on earth, including African Grey Parrots.

NOLDayatZoo NOLZooalligator NOLZoomeet

Creative Outdoor Play

November 1, 2013 – 11:49 pm

Outdoor play is more than merely supervising children – it is an interactive learning experience with endless possibilities, and is essential to a child’s development.

Researchers have found movement to be crucial to children’s development and are concerned with the amount of inactive time children spend watching television, playing video games or working with computers. An excellent resource on this topic is Jane Healy’s book Endangered Minds. It is shown that children need to have large amounts of unstructured playtime in order to develop well- rounded personalities, to build self-esteem and self-confidence, develop healthy social skills by participating in group activities, and to stimulate their intellectual development.

Playing outdoors allows children the physical freedom that is not always possible indoors. The more children move, the more they learn, and children can play outdoors year-round with appropriate clothing.

Children of all ages need to explore the outdoor environment and learn from their experiences. Children are able to learn about the four basic elements of nature — air, fire, earth and water. They can find places to pretend they are whoever they want to be, such as a firefighter a super-hero or an animal. There are places for creativity, such as drawing on the sidewalk with chalk or painting the driveway with water. Children can look for something heavy or light, something smooth or rough, something bright or dark, something man-made or natural, something huge or tiny, the possibilities are endless.

Creative outdoor play takes what is already on this earth and uses it in a way which is unique to a child: digging in the dirt or sand, making ditches and rivers where toy boats can float, or creating roads for toy trucks and cars. It means giving children the freedom for exploration and discovery. Children grow by daring, risking, failing, redoing and succeeding. Help children grow mentally and physically by playing outdoors whenever possible, giving them the opportunity to learn from the world around them.