Au pairs from over 10 counties ferried over from Seattle to Bainbridge Island this month to participate in a photo scavenger hunt. We ended with a taste of the world famous Mora ice cream. 
Tag Archives: Child Care
Celebrating Exchange Day with Private Pool Parties – July 2022
Check out the pictures from our community gathering of over 60 au pairs in our multi-cluster event. It was a special night with a pool just for us! Celebrating J-Day, the community brought shoes to donate – over 100 pairs! Click here to see more about Exchange Day: https://www.alliance-exchange.org/events/celebrate-exchange-day/.
We played just a few ice breakers before deciding to simply have a dance party with the top US summer hits in the pool with no agenda. And some high diving for fearless women was had!
Camp Au Pair – Dinosaurs
This week’s Camp Au Pair theme is Dinosaurs.
Crafts, recipes, activities, and games related to dinosaurs can all be found here on the Camp Au Pair – Dinosaurs pinboard.
Field Trips can be a great way for kids to learn and have new experiences. Get permission from your host parents before any outings and be sure to take all social distancing precautions.
Local Field Trips:
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- Fossil Parks
- Science Center
- Science & Natural History Museums
Virtual Field Trips:
Toys – Many kids have dinosaur toys already. See what your kids have and think of fun, new ways you can play with these toys with them. Imagine taking a plastic dinosaur and making footprints in play dough to form your own fossils.
Webcam – This NPS Paleontology Lab offers a webcam where you can watch paleontologists remove rock from around fossils. The cam is normally working 9 am-5 pm PST, so 12-8 pm our time.
Videos – Look for fun videos on YouTube about dinosaurs and fossils. Here are a few to get you started.
Movies – The Good Dinosaur, Land Before Time, and Ice Age are all great family movies that fit with this theme. For older kids, consider movies like Journey to the Center of the Earth and Jurassic Park (which is rated PG-13).
Books – Check your kids’ bookshelf for books on dinosaurs.
Photo: krojotak.com
Play Ball! – June 2022
Well, we are sure playing ball now, metaphorically speaking. Watching a Mariners v Red Sox baseball game with over 110 APIA au pairs was a great kick-off to our first multi-cluster event in over 2 years. We are coming back stronger than ever in our community of interculturalist community counselors, globally-minded host families and adventurous au pairs. We had a seventh-inning stretch with a childcare safety quiz tossed in the mix, since we know full well how to play hard and work hard. A lovely day at the ball park had by all
Here’s to summer and more fun in person together! Go APIA!
Strong in our Diversity and Strong in our Selves – May 2022
What a day! Sunshine in our hearts and in the sky. Au pairs from Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Germany, South Africa, China, Panama, Poland, Peru, Mexico, Argentina, and Costa Rica shared their culture and themselves. German chocolate, Colombian coffee, Costa Rican pura vida, Brazilian sweets, South African handmade shoes, the love of futball, the love of family and the love of self were just a few of the shares. So proud of this group for living their truths! They were vulnerable and they were brave and we admire them for it all! We are the APIA family. We are diverse and the whole world is stronger for it.
Cougar Mountain Hike – April 2022
Au pairs talked about anxiety with their “counselor” who has a MA, not in counseling, but in International Relations. New friends were made from South Africa, Peru, Colombia, Germany, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Brazil and forest bathing happened. Casual and calm on a Saturday as we get back to in-person community bonding. 
Sculpture Park Strolling and IWM Celebrating – March 2022
Au pairs met up for a conversation about child safety, a get to know you, a conversation about what it means to be a woman across cultures for International Women’s Month and a stroll through the sculpture park in downtown Seattle. 
Self Love, Dating and Missing That Special Someone While on Exchange – Feb 2022
Given the surge of omicron, au pairs headed back to zoom. We met twice last month – early and later on a Thursday night to talk aboutself-care, dating safety, and loving from afar (missing that important person from back home.). Below was the self-care piece shared if any are needing this about now:
Next month, we hope to head outside together!…
What Made You a Better Person in 2021? & APIA Tops the Charts – January 2022
Au pairs were asked this and many more questions in our zoom reflections of the year. Here were some highlights of what was shared:
What were your good moments and gratitudes? travel, northern lights, snowfall, culture sharing with my host family, learning English…
What did you do right or how did you grow as a person? learned to say goodbye, improved communication, got the courage to speak up and talk about tough moments…
What are your 2022 plans or mottos for the new year? “ask myself, ‘why not?'” “stay safe, live more,” make more friends, say yes not no, volunteer, exercise, use social media less, be more generous,…
And speaking of 2022, we are thrilled to report that APIA again has been named the top au pair agency from VeryWell Family. Proud of our state, regional and national team of dedicated employees!
A Night of Light and Gifts – December 2021
We were beyond thrilled to be together again in person and are finding our groove with joining clusters again. The au pairs of the Eastside, Tacoma and Seattle areas gathered together to see the gorgeous lights on display at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens. Before heading out, au pairs shared customs from their countries and traditional songs, recipes, weather, and the meaning for them behind the season. After our eyes danced with the garden displays, we exchanged secret santa gifts and many headed down the hill for the Snowflake Lane parade in Bellevue. ’tis the season for sharing and here is more about how to best do that!
10 Tips for Sharing Global Holiday Traditions (and Making New Ones)