Swedish au pair Julia has been enjoying her match with local host family for more than five month now. To find out more about childcare in the area, and in the States in general, she volunteered to participate in the Baby and Child Expo at the Lakeside Shopping Mall. After talking to several interested families, she was delighted to note that both she and the families learned a lot from each other. She was also impressed by the great variety and high quality of services offered to families with young children.
Yearly Archives: 2016
Happy Fourth of July
Known as the Fourth of July and Independence Day, July 4th has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941, but the tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to the 18th century and the American Revolution (1775-83).
In June 1776, representatives of the 13 colonies then fighting in the revolutionary struggle weighed a resolution that would declare their independence from Great Britain.
On July 2nd, the Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later its delegates adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson.
From 1776 until the present day, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth of American independence, with festivities ranging from fireworks, parades, family gatherings and barbecues.
Have fun with the children too – visit the link below for fun coloring pages, craft ideas, puzzles and games to celebrate the 4th of July holiday
APIA at Baby and Child Expo 2016
Looking forward to seeing you at the Baby and Child Expo Saturday, July 9, 2016
Please stop by our table where we’ll have information about Au Pair in America – the most experienced (30 years and going strong!) live in childcare program in the nation.
Visitors will be eligible for 2 raffle baskets, each including $850 certificate off of program fees. Kids will get coloring pages, bookmarks, frisbees for summer fun and other gifts.
Lakeside Mall – Center Court
3301 Veterans Memorial Blvd
Metairie, La 70002
Summer Safety Tips
During the summer months, we need to take some added precautions to keep children safe in the sun and by the water. We recommend you review these safety tips together as a family to make sure everyone understands how important they are. Have a wonderful and safe summer!
- Avoid long periods of sun exposure, especially between 10:00am and 4:00pm.
- Apply sunscreen of at least 15 SPF that protects against both UVA and UVB rays (should be worn on sunny and cloudy days).
- Infants should be dressed in lightweight clothing covering as much skin as possible and brimmed hats to shade the face.
- Stay hydrated; drink water throughout the day.
- Intense activities and sports should be reduced whenever high heat and humidity reach very high levels.
- Actively supervise children in and around the water, giving them your undivided attention. Appoint a designated “water watcher,” taking turns with other adults.
- When in the water, there should be at least an adult at arm’s length from young children at all times.
- Children who cannot swim or who are not strong swimmers should wear water wings or life jackets when in or near the water.
- Never leave children or animals in a car alone even for one minute.
Creole Tomato Fest
Any excuse is good to visit the famous French Market in the French Quarter, but Creole Tomato Festival is an especially good occasion. Au pairs enjoyed browsing through the many stalls and admiring both produce and products … while New Orleans summer storm thundered in the distance.
President’s Day
Presidents’ Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, it is still officially called “Washington’s Birthday” by the federal government. Traditionally celebrated on February 22 ~ Washington’s actual day of birth ~ the holiday became popularly known as Presidents’ Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for American workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents’ Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present.
To see a listing of all U.S. presidents go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents. Click on each president to find out who they were and what they achieved during their presidency. Most American school children have to learn their presidents, this is a great site to go through with them and test their knowledge
Happy Mardi Gras
As always and forever au pairs enjoyed celebrating Mardi Gras with their host families and friends. Many things delighted them – festive crowds, music, dancing, pageantry, King Cakes slathered in thick, gooey but oh so delicious icing … and the fun of making and parading in their very own carnival costumes!!
Nadine from Germany put her inner costume designer in overdrive and came up not with just one but four different carnival outfits!!
Valentine’s Day in the USA!
Valentine’s day is celebrated in the United States every year on February 14th. There are many stories and legends behind who the real St. Valentine was, but most scholars agree that he was a martyr who was killed by Roman soldiers because he was marrying people in secret at a time when marriage was outlawed. Later in the Middle Ages, a great writer named Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a poem as a present to King Richard II, who was going to be married soon. In it, he mentioned St. Valentine, and over time, the idea of Valentine’s Day became associated with the idea of love.During the Victorian times (in the 1800s), Valentine’s Day became extremely popular! Men and women spent a lot of time making beautiful Valentine’s cards with ribbon, fancy paper and even lace. In those days, people were very reserved and they did not often say what they were feeling. Valentine’s day gave them a way to express their feelings to someone they were in love with anonymously. The sender would remain a mystery until they could speak more freely.
In the last few decades, Valentine’s day has changed a lot! Today we still exchange cards, but many people buy ready-made cards instead. We also give flowers or chocolates as a gift to remind people of our friendship and love for them. Most Valentine’s gifts and cards make use of the colors red and pink, and are decorated with images of hearts or roses. Another common symbol of love on this day is Cupid, the Roman god of love. He is usually shown as a little angel with a bow and arrow. According to legend, anyone who is struck by his arrows will fall in love.
Here are some links with ideas about how you can celebrate and have fun with your host children.
Click here for Valentine’s Day Cards, coloring pages, recipes, crafts, games and puzzles: http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/
Check out our Au Pair in America Pinterest page for Valentine’s Day for more ideas: https://www.pinterest.com/aupairinamerica/valentines-day/
Volunteering Options in New Orleans
Below is the partial list of volunteering options in New Orleans. There are quite a few more opportunities where you can show your volunteering spirit but this list should be sufficient to get you started.
Why volunteer? Because volunteering is a very important part of American culture that you’ll only appreciate if you give it a try. It also helps you “broaden your horizons”, both physically and mentally, and allows you to make friends that you’d never meet otherwise.
Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans
http://www.voagno.org/about-us
Hands on New Orleans
http://www.handsonneworleans.org/
Beacon of Hope Resource Center
www.beaconofhopenola.org
Camp Restore
www.camprestore.org
Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans
www.ccano.org
Common Ground Relief
www.commongroundrelief.org
Grow Dat Youth Farm
www.growdatyouthfarm.org
Habitat for Humanity
www.habitat-nola.org
Hike for KaTREEna
www.hikeforkatreena.org
Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans
www.jagno.org
KidSmart
www.kidsmart.org
Projects with Purpose
www.projectswithpurpose.org
Rebuilding Together New Orleans
www.rtno.org
Second Harvest Food Bank
www.no-hunger.org
Jewish Community Center
www.nojcc.org
Youth Rebuilding New Orleans
yrno.com
New Orleans City Park Volunteer
http://neworleanscitypark.com/info/volunteer
Audubon Institute (Zoo, Aquarium, Insectarium)
http://www.auduboninstitute.org/volunteers
Uptown Shepherds Center
http://uptownshepherdcenter.wix.com/uptownshepherdcenter
Louisiana’s Children’s Museum
http://lcm.org/volunteer-internships
New Orleans Museum of Art
https://noma.org/support/volunteer/
Longue Vue House and Gardens
https://longuevue.com/give/volunteer/
Contemporary Arts Center
http://www.contemporaryartscenter.org/support-us/volunteer
Touro Hospital
http://www.touro.com/content/careers/volunteer.htm
Tulane Medical Center
http://tulanehealthcare.com/about/volunteer.dot
Children’s Hospital
http://www.chnola.org/Volunteer
East Jefferson General Hospital
http://ejgh1.tru-m.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27&Itemid=71
New Orleans Public Library
Anyone interested in volunteering may contact Human Resources at 504 596-2607
Jazz Fest
http://www.jazzandheritage.org/get-involved
French Quarter Festivals
http://fqfi.org/pages/detail/118/Volunteers
Mahalia Jackson Theatre
http://mahaliajacksontheater.com/general-info/volunteer
Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre
http://summerlyric.tulane.edu/audition.cfm
Jefferson Performing Arts Society
http://www.jpas.org/support-us/volunteer-with-jpas/
SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)
http://www.la-spca.org/donate/volunteer/opportunities
Crescent City Classic (racing)
http://www.ccc10k.com/volunteers
Susan G. Komen New Orleans (cure for breast cancer)
http://komenneworleans.org/get-involved/volunteer/
Rock & Roll Marathon Series
http://www.runrocknroll.com/new-orleans/the-weekend/volunteer/
A Docent Tour at New Orleans Museum of Art
New Orleans Museum of Art is the perfect destination for both passionate art lovers and casual amusement seekers. On a recent early afternoon Sunday au pairs joined a docent-led tour to explore the highlights of the collection. Everybody picked their favorites, be it a grand portrait of Queen Marie Antoinette in her finery, an Andy Warhol likeness of intense Mick Jagger, or a Flemish still life showing a table laden with all manner of consumables.
A bite of king cake after the tour completed a fun and interesting outing.