Yearly Archives: 2015

DECEMBER HOLIDAYS


Hanukkah (December 6 at sundown to December 14) ,Christmas (December 25) and Kwanza (December 26 TO January 1) are the major Holidays this month!

These holidays are a time of celebrating,giving and sharing. Our Arlington/Falls Church cluster is going to celebrate these holidays by attending a performance of the Nutcracker at the Warner Theatre and sharing some  Holiday Cheers at their community counselor’s home .

If you are looking to get into the holiday spirit,here are some crafts ideas,no matter what holiday you celebrate,but you can find more under seasonal crafts or under the seasonal calendar on the au pair resources site.

Pencil Can Gift For Mom Or Dad. Wash out a soup can or a juice can. Children can decorate can with paint, glue and noodles, buttons, yarn, etc. Let dry and wrap as a gift.

Make Wrapping Paper: Need plain brown wrapping paper or white tissue paper, paint, pan, and cookie cutters, apples or potatoes. Pour paint into pan. Dip cookie cutter shapes (or apples cut in half, or potatoes cut in half with a design cut into them) into paint and make prints on the paper.

Traditions: Tell the children how you celebrate special holidays in your country.

Holiday Cards: Need construction paper, markers, stickers, glitter, crayons, paint. Fold construction paper in half to create a card. Decorate. Help children write a message inside.

Chanukah

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Chanukah (also spelled Hanukkah), a Jewish holiday, is known as the Festival of Lights. It is a celebration of religious freedom based on historical events that occurred more than 2100 years ago. It commemorates rebellion against oppression, the first serious attempt in history for a nation to accept religious and cultural diversity.

Chanukah is celebrated for 8 days during the winter with the lighting of candles in a special lamp called a menorah or hanukiah. It is also traditional to exchange gifts or gelt (Yiddish for money), in the form of real coins or chocolate wrapped in gold foil, and to play a game of put-and-take with a four-sided top called a dreidel. The Hebrew letters on the sides of the top stand for words which mean a great miracle happened there.

The traditional legend of the miracle of Chanukah is that a single day’s supply of oil burned for eight days in the Temple in Jerusalem. Because of this Jews eat foods fried in oil on Chanukah, most often fried potato pancakes, known at latkes, and doughnuts, called sufganiyot in Hebrew.

As the essence of Chanukah is about the acceptance of cultural diversity, it is particularly appropriate for au pairs to join in the celebration. Helping children make simple gifts for each other and for their parents, or making Chanukah decorations for the house can add to everyone’s enjoyment of the holiday.

Christmas :

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Christmas or Christmas Day is a holiday observed generally on December 25 to commemorate the birth of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity. The date is not known to be the actual birthday of Jesus, and may have initially been chosen to correspond with either the day exactly nine months after some early Christians believed Jesus had been conceived, the date of the winter solstice on the ancient Roman calendar, or one of various ancient winter festivals. Christmas is central to the Christmas and holiday season, and in Christianity marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days.

Although nominally a Christian holiday, Christmas is also widely celebrated by many non-Christians, and many of its popular celebratory customs have pre-Christian or secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, music, an exchange of greeting cards, church celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various decorations; including Christmas trees, lights, garlands, mistletoe, nativity scenes, and holly. In addition, several similar mythological figures, known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas and Santa Claus among other names, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season.

Kwanzaa:images


Kwanzaa, or “First Fruits of the Harvest,” is an African-American and Pan-African holiday which celebrates and strengthens community, family and culture over a period of seven days. Kwanzaa begins December 26th. Each day, a principle of Kwanzaa is celebrated.

In order to appropriately cite these principles, the officialkwanzaawebsite.org describes these 7 Kwanzaa Principles, authored by Maulana Karenga, in this way:

Umoja or Unity: To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.

Kujichagulia or Self-Determination: To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.

Ujima or Collective Work and Responsibility: To build and maintain our community together and make our brother’s and sister’s problems our problems and to solve them together.

Ujamaa or Cooperative Economics: To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.

Nia or Purpose: To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

Kuumba or Creativity: To do always as much as we can, in any way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

Imani or Faith: To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness will victory of our struggle.

Note that the 7 Principles incorporate the words first in Swahili and then English.

DRIVING TIPS

Weather is Unpredictable, Just Like the Accidents It Can Cause.

Weather and other conditions don’t have to be a factor in accidents. Keep these tips in mind when you’re driving in any weather condition, anywhere, anytime.

  • Rainy

    • Turn on your headlamps to help other drivers see you
    • Slow down and leave room for stopping
    • Avoid slamming on your brakes to help prevent skids
    • Don’t drive through standing water or flooded roads

  • Foggy

    • Use low-beam headlamps to see and help others see you
    • Give yourself plenty of time to react when it’s hard to see
    • Avoid sudden stops in case there are vehicles behind you
    • If visibility is really low, use the road edge or painted road markings as a guide

  • Sunny

    • Use your visor to help block out the sun
    • Make sure your windshield is clean inside and out
    • Use your headlamps to help other drivers see you coming
    • Use lane markings as a guide when it’s too bright to see

  • Snowy

    • Accelerate slowly to avoid spinning on snow
    • Take your time and leave room for stopping
    • Make sure your windshield wipers work and you have washer fluid
    • Don’t drive if you don’t have to

    • Icy

      • Accelerate slowly to help keep your tires from spinning on ice
      • Take your time and leave plenty of room for stopping
      • Make sure your windshield wipers work and you have washer fluid
      • Don’t drive if you don’t have to

    • Night

      • Make sure your windshield is clean inside and out to reduce glare from other vehicles
      • Check your head- and tail-lamps to make sure they are all working
      • Pay attention to signs to help anticipate turns, stops and winding roadways
      • Give yourself plenty of time to react when it’s dark and hard to see

      TIPS SPONSORED BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY

THANKSGIVING

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This year,Thanksgiving will be celebrated on Thursday,November 26!

A uniquely American holiday, Thanksgiving dates back to the first European settlers in North America.
After much hardship, illness and hard work, the Pilgrims were finally able to celebrate a successful harvest which they shared with their Native American friends who had helped them through their difficult beginning in America.
Today this day is set aside to feast and to give thanks-something we can all share, as we too celebrate our cross-cultural friendships.

Some activities to share with the children :

Maple-Nut-Berry Popcorn Balls ( for children ages 3 and older): Add some chopped walnuts and raspberries, blueberries or blackberries. Add enough melted butter to lightly coat popcorn. Stir. Pour maple syrup over the warm popcorn and stir until all the corn, nuts and berries are covered. Shape the sticky corn into balls and place on a plate to refrigerate until the syrup hardens.

Thanksgiving cards and place cards: Fold a piece of paper in half, place a leaf on the inside and close the card. Use a crayon to rub lightly across the front of the card in the area where the leaf is. The shape of the leaf will appear on the outside. Remove the leaf. Write a name on the front for a place card, or a message inside for a Thanksgiving card. Older children might want to make more sophisticated designs using more than one leaf.

Make a chain of paper doll (adults should do the cutting): Fold a piece of paper back and forth over and over again with a width between folds of 2-3 inches. With the paper folded cut out a shape of a person, make sure that the hands and feet touch the fold, but don’t cut through the fold. When you unfold the paper there will be a line of people holding hands. Children ages 3-10 can color the figures to look like Pilgrims(men wore big white collars, belts with buckles, and buckles on their shoes, pants to their knees; women wore white hats and aprons over solid color dresses) or Native Americans (draw feather headdresses and brightly colored geometric patterns on their clothes).

Tree of Thanks: This Thanksgiving tree is bound to become a new holiday tradition.
Trace leaves onto autumn colored craft’s paper and cut out. Punch a hole into the stem of each paper leaf. Measure and cut a 2” length of wire or twine for each leaf. Thread it through the hole and bend the ends to make a hook for hanging. Place the tree branches in a pot or vase. Let the children or/and guests choose a leaf or two and ask them to jot down things that they are thankful for.

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HOMEWORK

 

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Au Pairs will often help their host children with homework. Here are some important hints to help make it a great experience for all!

#1In order to do your job successfully, you must know the host parent’s rules and expectations. Ask the following questions:
When is homework to be completed?
Where is homework to be done?
What supplies are available for the student?
Where shall I be when the student is doing homework?
What about music? Is that allowed while doing homework?
How much time is expected?
What about breaks?
Who will review the homework?
What if a child does not cooperate?

#2 Sharing the rules…ask for a meeting with host parents, you and children to review rules and expectations with everyone listening.

#3 Reviewing the situation…Remember to keep your host parents informed about homework issues.What is going well and what needs to be improved

GETTING STARTED EACH DAY:

#1.Take care of the basic needs: does your child need a snack or a rest? does he/she needs to touch base with mom or dad?
#2.Help your child prioritize the day’s assignments
#3.develop a schedule for the day
#4.Have the child identify what he/she can do alone, what he/she needs help with.

GUIDING THE PROCESS…Doing the homework is your child’s job. Helping if your child is having problems is your job.
Give specific praise-“that’s a great first draft”
Give constructive criticism-“your teacher will understand your ideas better if you use your best handwriting”
Be available to answer questions, read over directions together,help your child divide a challenging task into smaller pieces,be the audience as your child practices spelling or reading.

IS FALL HERE ALREADY?

Fall is here and with this season,so many fun things are happening all over Virginia.

From farmer’s markets and Fall festivals to pumpkin patches and apple orchards, there is something to do for everyone.

Click HERE  and explore the many options available!

Also,for some fun kids activities,see below:

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When a crisp fall air invites you outside for a walk, gather some brightly colored leaves. Press them in sheets of newspaper under heavy books for a few weeks. When they have dried they will still have their bright colors and can be glued onto paper.

Make leaf prints by painting one side of a leaf with tempera paint and then pressing it down gently into paper to form the leaf pattern. Make designs for fun, or use large sheets of paper (like tissue paper, brown paper or even newspaper) and save the painted paper to use as gift-wrap.

Place some leaves between pieces of wax paper and iron. This will keep them from crumbling and give the leaves a glossy sheen. You can then glue them onto paper- try adding bits of bark or seeds too.

Try putting leaves between pieces of clear contact paper. You can hang them in the window or use them as place mats.

Fall is apple season. Apples come in many varieties, colors, shapes and sizes. Some are wonderful to munch on, others best when cooked. Regardless of the variety, apple-picking is a fun activity. Please check your local newspaper, especially the Week-end section, to find out about local farms that offer apple-picking and hay rides.

Recipe for applesauce:

Remove the core and quarter the apples. If you leave the peel on during cooking it will give the applesauce a pink color. When the apples are very soft, remove any peel that is left, mash the pulp or put it through a sieve. Add sugar if needed.

Recipe for dried apple rings:  

Peel, core and slice as many apples as you like into 1/8 inch rings; Macintosh or golden delicious apples work best. Dip each ring into a mixture of lemon juice and water to help the apples keep their color. Pull a piece of string through the center of each ring and hang in a dry, warm place. They take 1-2 weeks to dry and become chewy.

This makes an easy and nutritious snack!

WHAT ARE THE 5 SENSES

5 senses

Children learn through their senses. Smelling, seeing, touching, hearing, tasting are all ways children take in information about the world around them.

Here is a list of suggestions of fun activities you can do with the children you care for.You can also stop at your local library and check out some books on Senses.Also,  some fun word games can be found at http://www.k-3teacherresources.com/5-senses.html.

SMELL: Smell flowers, name different things that have odors, make smell jars…Place one each of several fruits and vegetables in small cups. Cover cups with aluminum foil. Punch a small hole in the aluminum foil. Have the children smell the cups and identify the fruits and vegetables. Can also use coffee beans, spices, soap, lemon juice, chocolate, or whatever else you think of.

SIGHT: Make an indoor rainbow : fill a clear glass jar with water and set on a window sill in the bright sunlight. Place white paper on the floor to capture the rainbow.

Paint rainbow with watercolors.

Go for a nature walk. See how many things the children can see, hear, smell or touch.

Make binoculars for the nature walk: decorate two toilet paper tubes. Glue together to make binoculars. Place holes on one end of the rolls and attach yarn or string so children can wear the binoculars around their necks.

TOUCH: Make a Feely box: cut a hole in one end of a shoebox so children can slide their hand into the box. Fill the inside of the box with different items-spoons, small car, cotton ball, ball, pencil, etc… Have children slide their hand inside, fell an object and tell you what it feels like and what they think the items are without looking.

Have the children fingerpaint

Play in the sandbox

Make  texture rubbings: place ea piece of paper over different textures-sandpaper, sidewalk, coins, etc…. and have them use a crayon to rub across the paper.

Make a texture collage: finds items of different textures-cotton ball, noodle, ribbon, small sticks, grass, whatever you choose and have the children glue on paper or a paper plate

HEAR: Make sound jars: need small containers such as film canisters, covered baby food jars, or small Pringle Chips cans. Fill two containers with rice, two with beans, two with rocks, two with water, two with pennies, etc… Place lids on containers. Have children shake cans, guess the sound in one of the remaining canisters.

Listen to wind chimes or music.

Listen to a tape of sounds and guess the sounds

Make shakers: take two paper plates and decorate them with crayons, markers or paint. Place dried beans between the two plates. Staple them together and shake.

TASTE: Apple tasting: cut up different varieties of apples to taste

Make a “tasting tray            “with foods that taste sweet, sour, salty, spicy or bitter.               Bake something from your home country and have the children taste. See whether or not it tastes different.

MEMORIAL DAY

Memorial Day was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states then others followed. It is now celebrated nationwide each year on the last Monday in May.  On Memorial Day weekend people visit cemeteries to honor those who have died in military service, placing flowers and American flags on graves and in parks.

This holiday weekend is also known for family gatherings, trips to the beach and participation in parades. For many Americans memorial Day also marks the beginning of summer.  Families enjoy picnics or barbecues and open the swimming pool for the summer season.  Typical Memorial Day food includes hamburgers, fried chicken, potato salad, baked beans, grilled meats and all sorts of pies.

Children can be a part of Memorial Day too.  Here are some links to children’s activities:

http://sunniebunniezz.com/puzzles/memdykws.htm

http://sunniebunniezz.com/puzzles/memdymcr.htm

http://www.usmemorialday.org/activities/flag/index.htm

“How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!”  ~Maya Angelou

SAFETY TIPS FOR AU PAIRS

 

A few tips to review with your host families to ensure your safety and others too!

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  • Make sure you have a clear understanding of the car use rules with your host family, if not talk to them about it or call me
  • Ask permission if you need the car to go somewhere other than where you would normally go
  • Do not take the car to areas that may not be considered safe, especially in and around cities, ask your host family if you are not sure
  • Be careful at night, park in well lit safe places, avoid empty looking car parks and indoor garages
  • Do not use your phone or any electronic devices while driving
  • Let your host family and I know immediately if you get into an accident so they can help you

Alcohol Laws in the United StatesF7471

 

  • It is illegal for anyone under 21 to drink alcohol in the United States.  If you are over 21 please be mindful if you are with other au pairs who are under 21 and the risk they take if they break the law.
  • Using a fake id’s is illegal.  You can be arrested for using a fake ID.
  • Drinking and driving is illegal and is extremely dangerous. It puts lives at risk.  You should never drink and drive.  If you are arrested for drinking and driving there are very serious consequences in this country including jail time.   Also, be a good friend and don’t let your friends drink and driver.   Make safe choices and don’t take unnecessary risks.
  • Do not risk your year and participation on the program by drinking underage, it is not worth it!

 

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  • If your host parents are going away overnight and leaving you at home,  talk about the house rules ahead of time and respect them
  • Talk to your host parents about having friends over when they are away including friends staying overnight and male guests too
  • If you are under 21 years old do not offer alcohol and/or drink alcohol in your host parents home or offer alcohol to other au pairs in their home
  • If you are over 21 talk to your host family about their house rules regarding alcohol use.  Do not offer alcohol or buy alcohol for anyone who is under 21.


SPRING IS HERE

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The days are starting to grow longer and warmer. Children are able to spend more time outdoors, go out and help them discover the wonders of spring.

Put some string or yarn outside. Watch to see if it gets carried away to become part of a bird’s nest.

Watch for sprouts of early bulbs and look for buds on trees and bushes that are starting to swell. Cut small branches and put them in a vase of water in the house. Watch as the flowers or leaves start to unfold.

If you live near a pond, look for frogs’ eggs-or go to a nature center that has a pond. You can bring some home by putting pond water and a small clump of frog eggs in a container. Take some weeds from the pond too. About a week after they hatch, feed them fish food. When their back legs have grown, put them back in the pond.

Take advantage of the spring breezes and blow bubbles, fly a kite or make a homemade pinwheel. Draw an X  on a square piece of paper from corner to corner. Cut halfway along each line and fold alternate corners into the center. Overlap the points and connect it to a stick with a pin.. A bead behind the head of the pin may help it to spin better.

Collect early spring flowers and press them between sheets of newspaper weighted down with heavy books for a week or two. Once dry, arrange them on paper and glue them down –make greeting cards, book marks, or a picture.

SAFETY TIPS:

Children are in danger of being hit by a car if they dart out into the street while playing. Children should be supervised at all time when playing, especially in public places.

Children of all ages like to climb. They fall off play equipment and bicycles, down stairs and off furniture. Lock doors to dangerous places such as basement stairs, use gates on stairways  and window guards above the first floor.

What’s going on in town:

This month,don’t miss the Cherry blossoms (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dre/local/2015-cherry-blossoms-dc-blooms)

and in May,don’t miss the International Passport DC , a month-long journey around the world with embassy tours and all kind of festivities (http://www.culturaltourismdc.org/portal/passport-dc1)

Let’s celebrate St Patrick’s Day!

March 17 is St Patrick’s Day!images

The person who was to become St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was born in Wales about AD 385. He died on March 17 in AD 461. That day has been commemorated as St. Patrick’s Day ever since. St. Patrick is said to have given a sermon from a hilltop that drove all the snakes from Ireland. Of course, no snakes were ever native to Ireland. Though originally a Catholic holy day, St. Patrick’s Day has evolved into more of a secular holiday. It has been celebrated in the US since 1737. One traditional icon of the day is the shamrock. And this stems from a more bona fide Irish tale that tells how Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Trinity. He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity. His followers adopted the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day.

For fun ideas for celebrating with children ,go to:

https://www.pinterest.com/aupairinamerica/st-patrick-s-day-shenanigans/