Monthly Archives: May 2011

0530Memorial Day

Memorial Day started in 1868 after the Civil War ended. Dead soldiers from both the north and the south were honored as a way to try to heal the nation. Now all past soldiers are honored. It is also a day that is considered to be the start of the summer season. Many people celebrate with a cook-out or even a trip to the beach. Check out some of those local activities worth doing over the course of the long week-end:

National Memorial Day Concert
Sunday, May 29, 2011, 8 p.m. Gates open at 5 p.m.
PBS sponsors a FREE concert on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. The concert features actors Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise, and other guest artists along with the National Symphony Orchestra.

Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Rally
Sunday, May 29, 2011. Departure from the Pentagon at 12 p.m. Speaker Program and Musical Tribute 1:30 p.m. at the Reflecting Pool across from The Lincoln Memorial. Thousands of motorcycles ride through Washington in an annual demonstration seeking to improve veteran benefits and resolve POW/MIA issues.

National Memorial Day Parade
Monday, May 30, 2011, beginning at 2 p.m.
The parade of Marching Bands and Veterans units from all 50 states steps off at the corner of Constitution Avenue and 7th Streets, NW and proceeds along Constitution Avenue, past the White House, ending at 17th Street. The National Memorial Day Parade is sponsored by the World War II Veterans Committee and includes patriotic floats and helium-filled balloons.

Wolf Trap Farm Park
Sunday, May 29, 2011, 8:00 p.m. Summer Blast Off! “The President’s Own”. The park for performing arts kicks off the summer season with a free performance by the U.S. Marine Band followed by fireworks. The Filene Center gates open at 6:30 p.m. Arrive early because the park closes once capacity is reached.

Falls Church Memorial Day Parade
Monday May 30, 2011, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The City of Falls Church, Virginia celebrates Memorial Day with a festival featuring pony rides, arts and crafts booths, live entertainment, food and a community parade.

Shoe And Clothes Drive was successful

Our au pairs actively collected clothes and gently used shoes over the past couple of months and brought lots and lots of bags at our last cluster meeting.

We were able to make 2 deliveries to the organization ArtForHumanity,located in South Arlington.All the donations will go to Honduras to help promote small business development and education.

Thank you to all of our APIA host families and au pairs for your participation.

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May Flowers

May is the perfect time to plant flowers.This is a great activity to do with your kids!

Start your own flowers indoors. Marigolds and Morning Glories grow quickly from seed and can be planted outdoors in the garden after they are a few inches tall. Use a flower pot or even an old yogurt container. Follow the directions on the seed packet, and don’t forget to water the pot! Read the fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk to find out what happened when Jack planted his seeds.

Teacher’s Appreciation Day-May 3rd

teacherday

Today is a day to honor teachers – if your child is in school he or she might want to make a card for the teacher and /or a craft.

Preschool age children 3-5 love playing school.  Let the child be the teacher and read you a story or give you homework.  You might want to invite some dolls or stuffed animals into the classroom as well.

For craft idea,check out “seasonal crafts”