Category Archives: Au Pair Tips

Happy Fourth of July

NOLFlagKnown  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

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/fourth-of-july/

APIA at Baby and Child Expo 2016

NOLBabyExpo2016Looking 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

NOLSummerSafety2016During 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.

President’s Day

NOLPresiden'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

Valentine’s Day in the USA!

NOLValentine'sValentine’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

volunteer

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/

 

Holiday Tips for Au Pairs and Host Families

FLEXIBILITY

Holidays are a lot of fun but they also require much planning, communicating, visiting, and accommodating other family members’ schedules, all of which may cause quite a bit of stress for your host parents. Try to be as helpful and flexible as possible to help your host family have a truly enjoyable time.

 

Childcare

More childcare duties will be required when children are out of school. Have a plan for the time when they put aside their Xmas toys and look for other amusement. Check out APIA website http://www.aupairinamerica.com/resources/activities/index.asp to get ideas on how to keep your host kids happily occupied.

 

Driving

Traffic tends to be heavier around the holidays.  My best advice is to leave earlier than normal and take your time.  Be the “bigger person” and allow that one last car to slip in ahead of you.  It may avoid an accident.  Remember au pairs can be asked to pay up to $500 of the deductible for an accident.

 

Healthy eating

Is your house filled with treats, and goodies that are tempting you? It is the season, and you are here for a cultural exchange, so try some of the traditional sweets your host family is offering, but it is a good idea to downsize your portions – how much you eat is as important as what you eat.

 

 

Tips for Host Families

 

Scheduling

Letting your au pair know her schedule in advance is important at any time but especially during holidays. For most au pairs these will be the only Xmas & New Year holidays in the States. Host families are asked to make an effort to follow the spirit of APIA program, which is cultural exchange, and both include AP in their celebrations and also give AP some time to experience and enjoy them with her friends.

 

Childcare

Please let your au pair know exactly what your expectations are regarding childcare. Is she supposed to let the kids be so they can enjoy unstructured time with visiting family members? Or is she supposed to keep them occupied so you can enjoy a quiet conversation with your brother and sister-in-law? Will grandparents take an active role in caring for the kids or should au pair get them ready for bedtime and read them a good night story?

 

Safety

If there is an alarm system for the house, be sure that the au pair is listed with the alarm company as a legitimate user of the alarm. Also, the au pair must know the appropriate security code in case of a false alarm.

 

TLC

If holidays can be stressful for host families, they can be doubly so for au pairs. Please keep in mind that your au pair is in a foreign country, away from her family, friends, and familiar circumstances at the time when we all celebrate family and togetherness! Please make sure to give your au pair some Tender Loving Care that you’d like your daughter to receive were she to be an au pair far away from home.

 

 

Easy Craft Ideas for Children

NOLkidcraftDoing crafts with host children is one of the most fun things that au pair’s job entails. Here are a few ideas that will help children develop their creativity.
Play dough
Combine 2 cups of flour and 1 cup of salt. Add 1 cup of water and 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil. Mix and knead well. If too stiff, add more water, if too sticky add more flour. For colored play dough, add food coloring to the water before combining it with the other ingredients. STORE IN AN AIR TIGHT CONTAINER. If left out in the air the dough will harden.

Texture Coloring
Put different textures under drawing paper (scrap paper or the back of junk mail works just fine, you don’t need fancy drawing paper) and then color with a crayon. Try a comb, corrugated cardboard (that’s the bumpy cardboard from heavy boxes), sandpaper or different kinds of fabric. Or cut shapes out of light weight cardboard (old cereal or cracker boxes), put them under the drawing paper and rub the crayon over the top to make designs.
 
Crayon Etching
Completely cover the paper with heavy crayon markings of different colors. Then color over all the colors with one other color (black works best). Make a picture or a design with a toothpick or other pointed but not sharp object, it will scrape away the top color to show the colors underneath.
 
Paper bag masks
Use a large brown paper grocery bag for a mask by cutting out holes for the eyes (try it on the child to get them in the right place) and then coloring the face in fun ways with crayons. You can make different characters – a monster, a king or queen, animals etc. Cutting holes for the shoulders can also be helpful.
 
Space helmet
Cut an empty plastic gallon milk container into a helmet shape. Pretend you are on a trip into space.

Halloween Safety Tips for Au Pairs

NOLSafetyHalloween

Adult supervision is essential. Always accompany the children if they are going door to door to trick or treat

Try tick-or-treat-friendly homes. Ensure the children only visit houses with lights on. And, you might also suggest the houses they visit have some sort of Halloween decoration on the porch.

Stay outside. Make sure the children don’t go inside someone’s house. They can trick or treat on the porch.

Remain visible. Dress the children in bright costumes or have them wear reflective strips or carry a glow stick or flashlight.

Quality-check treats. Check the candy before they eat it. Throw out any candy that is not in its original wrapper or looks like it has been tampered with.

Say “no” to strangers. Remind the children to never accept a ride or go anywhere with a stranger.

Have a great time! Finally, make sure your kids have tons of fun and enjoy the night.

 

Happy Halloween

NOLHappyHalloweenHello dear au pairs,

I hope the pumpkins are carved, the costumes are ready and you’re looking forward to going trick and treating with your host children.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween, what is it all about?

Halloween is celebrated across the United States on October 31st.  Not all,  but most families will participate in some aspect of the Halloween holiday traditions.  This may be a new experience for you so It is a good idea to talk to your host family ahead of time and find out how they celebrate. 

Like many other holidays, Halloween has changed throughout history. Over 2,000 years ago people called the Celts lived in what is now Ireland, the UK, and parts of Northern France. November 1 was their New Year’s Day. They believed that the night before the New Year (October 31) was a time when the living and the dead came together.

More than a thousand years ago the Christian church named November 1st All Saints Day.  This was a special holy day to honor the saints and other people who died for their religion. The night before All Hallows was called Hallows Eve. Later the name was changed to Halloween.

Like the Celts, the Europeans of that time also believed that the spirits of the dead would visit the earth on Halloween. They worried that evil spirits would cause problems or hurt them. So on that night people wore costumes that looked like ghosts or other evil creatures. They thought if they dressed like that, the spirits would think they were also dead and not harm them.

The tradition of Halloween was carried to America by the immigrating Europeans. Some of the traditions changed a little, though. For example, on Halloween in Europe some people would carry lanterns made from turnips. In America, pumpkins were more common. So people began putting candles inside them and using them as lanterns. That is why you see Jack ‘o lanterns today.

These days Halloween is not usually considered a religious holiday. It is primarily a fun day for children. Children dress up in costumes like people did a thousand years ago. But instead of worrying about evil spirits, they go from house to house. They knock on doors and say “trick or treat.” The owner of each house gives candy or something special to each trick or treater.