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.
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.
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”
GREETINGS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Recorded by Christine Connally at our Cultural fair on April 9th at Glen Echo,Md
Earth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s natural environment.
Earth Day was born on April 22, 1970, in San Francisco, California. Every year, America and over 100 different countries join together in the celebration of Earth Day on April 22nd. Earth Day is the largest, most celebrated environmental event worldwide. On Earth Day, we remember to appreciate nature and learn ways to protect our environment. Find ways that you can help keep the planet clean and help protect our environment!
How can our cluster REUSE,REDUCE,RECYCLE ?
Use your AU PAIR IN AMERICA reusable bags to go to the gym,the class,the pool,the store!
Continue collecting gently used shoes,clothes,sheets and towels for ArtForHumanity.org and bring your items to our next cluster meeting !These items will be reused by less fortunate people and help them make a better living.
Walk or bike the many bike lanes in Arlington and Falls Church and leave your car at home!
Carpool to classes,events and cluster meetings!
For fun activities to do with your kids,go to:http://www.epa.gov/superfund/kids/index.htm
HAPPY EARTH DAY TO ALL OF YOU HERE and AROUND THE WORLD!
Over 1000 people came this past Saturday to Glen Echo Park to visit Au Pair In America’s Cultural Fair.More than 250 au pairs had set up tables in the Spanish Ballroom and proudly showcased their country.
Kids learned new words in many different languages,played games they never heard of before and watched dancers perform folkloric dances on the stage.
Everyone had a fabulous time!
Mardi Gras, French for “Fat Tuesday” marks the end of Carnival and the beginning of the Christian fasting of Lent. The biggest Mardi Gras celebration in the US is in New Orleans, Louisiana. Rio de Janeiro in Brazil also has a huge celebration. Find a Brazilian au pair in your cluster and ask her to tell you all about it.
In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Au Pair in America and the beginning of legal au pair programs in America, we will be hosting a Cultural Fair on April 9th, 2011 from 1:00 to 3:00 at Glen Echo Park in Maryland. All of the clusters in the DC/MD/VA area will be participating. We expect to have au pairs representing over 25 different countries.
This is a family event and open to the public. Anyone interested in learning about other cultures and the Au Pair in America program is invited.
This event will take place at the beautiful, historic Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park.
School is closed today! President’s Day is a Federal holiday created to commemorate
the births of former Presidents George Washington (Feb. 22) and Abraham Lincoln (Feb.
12). Throughout America, Presidents’ Day is observed by big sales in retail stores, closed
schools and no mail delivery.
Things to do with children: The United States has had more than 40 presidents. How
many can the children name? Who has been president during their lifetime? Take a look
at American coins and bills; who are the Presidents pictured on each coin and bill?
Valentine’s Day, celebrated on February 14, dates back to ancient Rome.
Sending a valentine in the United States is not a serious declaration of love as in some other countries. Children usually send valentines to the other children in their class and to the teacher. Friends and relatives exchange valentines. For that we can thank Esther Howland, a young woman from Massachusetts, who in 1848 started the first mass production of valentines.Now valentine cards and candy are a fun way of keeping in touch with those we care about.
ACTIVITIES:
Make your own valentines: Although many store-bough valentines are designed for children, come in large packs and are quite inexpensive, it is lots of fun to make your own. Pink, red and white paper, crayons or markers and a little bit of imagination are all you need. Dress up the cards with glitter, doilies ,laces ,stickers, or feather if you wish.
Valentine Collage(ages 18 months and older): Prepare hearts of different colors and sizes, ribbon, feathers, etc. Older children can use glue on paper. For younger children tape a piece of contact paper sticky side up securely onto a table. Paper shapes will stick easily to the contact paper.
Heart rubbings( ages 3 years and older):First cut hearts of different sizes from heavy paper. Place those hearts under a blank piece of paper and rub over the shapes using the side of a crayon. The hearts will magically appear.
Valentine’s day Post Office ( ages 5 years and up): Set up your own post office at home. Decorate mailboxes for every member of the family. Use a rubber stamp to show that the valentines have been properly mailed. Deliver to the boxes.
