Yearly Archives: 2016

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a public holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November every year in johnny-flickrthe United States. It started as a harvest festival and has been celebrated nationally on and off since 1789. The most important part of Thanksgiving for American families is to spend family time together. Here are some fun facts about this special holiday:

· The first Thanksgiving was held in the autumn of 1621 and included 50 Pilgrims and 90 Wampanoag Indians and lasted three days.

· The first Thanksgiving was eaten with spoons and knives — but no forks! Forks weren’t even introduced to the Pilgrims until 10 years later and weren’t a popular utensil until the 18th century

· Thanksgiving is the reason for TV dinners! In 1953, Swanson had so much extra turkey (260 tons) that a salesman told them they should package it onto aluminum trays with other sides like sweet potatoes — and the first TV dinner was invented

· Presidential pardon of a turkey: Each year, the president pardons a turkey and spares it from being eaten for Thanksgiving dinner. The first turkey pardon ceremony started with President Truman in 1947. President Obama pardoned a 45-pound turkey named Courage, who has flown to Disneyland and served as Grand Marshal of the park’s Thanksgiving Day parade!

· Why is Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November? President Abe Lincoln said Thanksgiving would be the fourth Thursday in November, but in 1939 President Roosevelt moved it up a week hoping it would help the shopping season during the Depression era. It never caught on and it was changed back two years later

· How did the tradition of watching football on Thanksgiving start? The NFL started the Thanksgiving Classic games in 1920 and since then the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys have hosted games on Turkey Day. In 2006, a third game was added with different teams hosting

· About 90 % of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day

· The ‘wishbone’ of the turkey is used in a good luck ritual on Thanksgiving Day.

Photo by: Johnny – Flickr

Carving Pumpkins!!

Here is a video explaining how to carve a pumpkin (as well as some non-carving alternatives.) If you get a pumpkin at a pumpkin patch, I don’t recommend carving it until the week of Halloween, so it will stay looking fresh for big day. Follow the tips towards the end of the video to extend the life of your pumpkin! The carving fun starts at the 1:27 mark!

Find more fun on the APIA Fall Holidays Pinterest board.

Halloween Safety Tips

halloween-costume-candy-cynthia-chanHalloween can be a lot of fun but it is also a time when safety should come first.

Here are some tips for you:

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

· Try trick-or-treat-friendly homes. Ensure the children only visit houses with lights on. Houses with lights off are not participating. Remember, look for houses to visit that have some sort of Halloween decoration on the porch or in the yard.  Remind the children to say Thank you!

· Stay outside. Make sure the children don’t go inside someone’s house. They can trick or treat on the porch. Some families set up at the end of their driveway near the street.

· Remain visible. Dress the children in bright costumes or have them wear reflective strips or carry a glow stick or flashlight. Make sure you carry one too.

· 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.

Managing Homesickness

It is completely normal to feel homesick sometimes when we are far from home.  Homesickness comes from feeling disconnected from familiar people, places and routines.  It is an emotion you have to learn how to cope with while you are here. It is an emotion that passes with time.  Here are some tips to help you when you feel homesick:

  • Be a tourist, get to know where you live, visit the local sights and explore just as you would if on vacation.  Start a list of favorite places. Ask other au pairs and your host family for their favorites too!
  • Try new foods, even if they don’t look good, finding new favorite nibbles is a great way to  enjoy a new country. You might squirm at the thought of trying a Maryland crab, but you might find that you love it!
  • Take a break from skype.  If you are skyping for hours every day, it is not helping you.  Find a balance between ties at home and building new relationships here. Try keeping connected via email or whatsapp and skype just once or twice a week.
  • Focus on your new social media networking with other au pairs and American friends.  You don’t need to know what everyone is doing at home every minute. Be part of the experience here!
  • Plan a trip with a friend, a day trip or a weekend, get excited about doing something new with a new friend and before you know it you will be excited and chatting about the trip instead of talking about what you are missing at home.
  • Go to the cluster meetings, This will definitely help you. You’ll meet others au pairs, try new things, eat good food,
  • Send some small gifts back home.  Sending gifts gives you something to do, makes you go out, and is a way of sharing your experience, it makes you feel good. Don’t feel like you need to find those gifts right away! Sometimes the fun is in the searching!
  • Make a Bucket List.  This is  a list of what you hope to do and see during  your year as an au pair.  Places you want to visit, foods you’d like to try, things you’d like to do! Keep it on the wall and you will enjoying checking off each thing on the list as you do it.
  • Not everything has to change.  If you loved jogging at home, do it here.  There are some habits you love that you can keep. Ask your host family or me for ideas of places you can enjoy things you loved to do at home!
  • Create a routine.  Having a routine will help you feel at home and settle into life here. Get up in the morning, even on your days off! Set a regular bedtime, too. You need your rest also!
  • Do not stay home.  Have a plan to go out and about! Join a gym, go to the movies every Tuesday night, take a dance class.  Go to the gym, the park, a coffee shop, a walk, volunteer somewhere! Staying home alone will not help homesickness, it makes the isolation worse. I do not want you to be unhappy. Don’t have a buddy for the weekend yet? Post to the group, text another au pair. Reach out an invite someone!
  • Ask me for help in finding au pair friends who have been there! I can connect you with other au pairs who was also homesick, there’s nothing better than talking to someone who has been in your shoes.
  • Create a blog or album on Facebook of your adventures! It will give you something to work on when you have quiet time alone and as your year progresses you will be able to see what an amazing experience you are having.  You’ll have a collection of memories to review! Remember not to share personal info about the host family or any pictures of them (this includes those adorable kids). You can set the album and blog to private if you don’t want to share it with others.
  • Most importantly, talk to someone, if you feel sad or homesick, talk to your host family, call me, or a friend.  Sharing helps you. Being part of a cluster enables us to help and support each other.

A little inspiration from a former au pair… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3IBmRWGnwA

Have a great year, this is your dream, make the most of it!

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Camp Au Pair – Summer Olympics

The Olympics are in full swing!! We have put together some great ideas to correlate with the Summer Games! How about creating your own Olympic Rings Ball Toss or Olympic pictographs? Learn about the culture of Rio or do an Olympic word search! Make a pom pom soccer field, a laurel wreath or your own gold medal! When it’s snack time, learn how to make grapes in a canoe, ring cupcakes or an edible Olympic torch! You can also learn how to chart the medals won by your country and the US! Whatever activities you chose to do, there will be lots of fun going on! Check out all of these ideas and more here!

Vincent Angler - Flickr

Photo credit: Vincent Angler – Flickr

Camp Au Pair – Nature Exploration

Now for some fun in nature!!! Get out and explore a bit, collect some treasures along the way! Most of these activities are easily created using items likely already around the house, but you may need to plan ahead a bit to have supplies on hand! Check with your host family about getting supplies to use!

How about leaf bowls using air dry clay? Leaves transformed into a faces?  Create a birdfeeder or make a suncatcher? So many great ideas! Check them out on the Au Pair in America Pinterest boards here!

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