Author Archives: Dominique Ortiz

MOTHER’S DAY CELEBRATION

May 6, 2010 – 4:16 pm

Mother’s Day

Many countries celebrate a special day for mothers. In the U.S, it started as a day of peace; now it is more a day to celebrate and pamper Mom. Help the children make cards or gifts or plan a special meal or other surprise for Mom. Read picture books to young children about mothers such as Are You My Mother by PD Eastman, Little Bear (an I Can Read Book) by Else Holmelund Minarik, or Just Me and My Mom by Mercer Mayer. You’ll find many other choices in your local library. For ideas of activities and surprises, visit www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/mom/.

Pasta Heart Plate for Mom

Even little ones can make one of these fun plates of love for Mom! All you will need is some glue, a plate, and some noodles.

Mother’s Day is the perfect opportunity to create beautiful crafts and homemade cards just for Mom! Treat her to special recipes and bond with printable activities as well.

What you’ll need:

Colorful disposable plate
White craft glue
Dried macaroni noodles
Yellow and green split peas

How to make it:

Use white craft glue to draw a heart shape on the plate. (See photo.)
Place macaroni shapes onto the white craft glue heart. (See photo.)
Use white craft glue to write “mom” in the center of the heart. Place flat side of split peas onto the craft glue, using yellow peas for both letter “m’s” and green for the “o.” (See photo.)
Let dry completely.

Tips:

For younger children, use dried beans instead of peas, as they are larger and easier to grasp.
Check the party aisle of your grocer or discount department store for colorful disposable plates.
You can paint a plain paper plate instead of using a coated plate.

Flower Card for Mom

A pretty flower takes center stage in this adorable Mother’s Day card that Mom is sure to love receiving.

Mother’s Day is the perfect opportunity to create beautiful crafts and homemade cards just for Mom! Treat her to special recipes and bond with printable activities as well.

What you’ll need:

1 sheet of card stock
Patterned paper
Orange construction paper
Glue stick
Pencil
Scissors
White craft glue
½” wide ribbon in two complementary colors
Pattern

How to make it:

Fold card stock in half to create the greeting card. (See photo.)
Print and cut out flower pattern. Trace pattern onto the back of the patterned paper. Cut the flower shape out of the patterned paper, but do not cut the center circle. (See photo.)
Trace the center circle onto orange construction paper. (See photo.)
Cut out construction paper circle and glue it to the center of the patterned paper flower. (See photo.)
Glue the paper flower onto the center of the card.
Cut ribbon into pieces to create the letter “M”. Use white craft glue to “write” the letter “M” onto the card, and then place the ribbon onto the glue. Use glue to tack the ends that overlap. (See photo.)

Tips:

Look for pretty ribbons to go on sale, usually immediately following a holiday.
Your favorite craft supply store often includes coupons on your local newspaper, or you can sign up to receive them online.
Card stock is much sturdier, but construction paper is a suitable and less expensive option.

Cinco de Mayo

May 5, 2010 – 6:00 am

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the May 5, 1862, Battle of Puebla (Batalla de Puebla) in which Mexican troops defeated Napoleon’s French forces. Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more in the United States than in Mexico. Look for the book Cinco de Mayo by Janet Riehecky or visit www.elbalero.gob.mx/index_kids.html for information and activities from Mexico.

Mexican food is a huge part of celebrating Cinco de Mayo. To celebrate this fun holiday and all the tasty meals that go with it, try making these adorable foam tacos and tostadas.

FOAM TACOS AND TOSTADAS:

What you’ll need:

Tan craft foam, cut into a 3-4″ circle
Brown, yellow, green and red craft foam, cut into strips
White craft glue
Hot glue gun

How to make it:

To make the taco, glue brown foam strips to the circle. Be sure they are hanging over the edge so they will be sticking out when you fold the taco.
Repeat Step 1 with each color until you’ve worked your way around the circle. Fold the circle in half as you go to make sure it looks right. Use green for lettuce, yellow for cheese, and red for tomato salsa.
Fold the circle in half and hot glue in place to hold it closed.
For the tostada, smear the circle with white craft glue. Cover with brown foam strips.
Dot white glue on top of the brown strips and add a layer of yellow and orange foam strips for the look of cheese.
Dot white glue on top of the “cheese” and add the “lettuce” by gluing on green strips.
Lastly, cut a few red strips into squares and glue the “tomatoes” on top.

Tips:

You can purchase craft foam in individual sheets in many colors, or you can purchase packages of various shapes, sizes and colors. Either option will work since they can easily be cut down to strips.
You can add a magnet to the back of your taco and hang it on the fridge!
Felt can be substituted for foam in this craft.

MARACAS:

Make your own shakable maracas to celebrate Cinco de Mayo! Use your imagination to create colorful and festive maracas to enjoy with your friends.

What you’ll need:

2 Styrofoam or paper cups
Tan, red and white acrylic paint
Decorative accents such as pom-poms and buttons
Hot glue gun
Dried beans

How to make it:

Paint cups with tan paint and let dry.
Decorate cups by painting on swirling or curvy lines. We used red paint for ours. You can also paint zig-zags. We used white for ours. Paint the bottom of each cup red.
Place a handful of dried beans into one of the cups.
Put a layer of hot glue onto the rim of the cup with the beans in it before quickly placing the other cup on top of it, lining up the rims of both cups. Allow to dry completely.
Finish any decorating you would like, such as adding pom-poms around the center (to hide the glue line). We also used mini pom-poms to dot the peaks of the zig-zags.
Once your glue is completely dry, shake your maraca!

Tips:

Smaller children may enjoy using stickers instead of trying to manipulate pom-poms and buttons. Older kids may like to get even more intricate by painting on more detailed and thinner lines.
If you don’t have any dried beans, use a few pennies instead.
Our color suggestions are just that, suggestions. Use whatever colors you like to make this project your own!

MAY IS NATIONAL GOOD CAR CARE MONTH

May 3, 2010 – 3:21 pm

National Good Car Care Month

Take this opportunity to clean out the inside of the car. If it’s a nice day, the school-age children might enjoy helping to wash the outside! Or get a large cardboard box and make a pretend car for younger children to play in. Cut out doors and windows and put chairs inside. Think of all the places you can travel to in your imagination. Mr. Gumpy’s Motor Car by John Burningham is a favorite book for preschoolers about a car ride.

Earth Day

April 16, 2010 – 8:00 am

Earth Day

Earth day is celebrated on April 22nd and was organized first by environmentalists in 1970.It has become more and more popular each year.

The goal of the day is to “increase awareness, responsibility and action toward a clean, healthy future for all living things.”

Here’s a fun paper-making activity in the spirit of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. This activity is appropriate for children ages 5 and up with adult supervision. It requires some advance planning to gather all the materials and will take several hours to complete and clean up.

Paper-Making Recipe
This paper-making recipe will help you recycle some of that wasted paper around your house, such as newsprint, envelopes, writing paper, left over gift wrap, or other types of paper. Note: Sort the paper by color, because it will come out that tone.

Materials

a large bowl
waste paper (about 5 sheets)
water
a mixer or food processor
two wooden frames 8″-12″ (you can buy a standard frame or make one)
a screen (nylon works well)
a stapler
a large basin (dishpan for instance)
optional: dryer lint, thread, glitter, flowers, thin leaves, pine needles, potato or carrot peel…be creative here

1. Soak It: To begin, shred the paper into small squares about 1×1 inch and put them into the bowl with hot water. Let soak for half an hour.

2. Make a Mold: While the paper is soaking, make the mold by attaching the screen to each frame using staples.

3. Turn it into Pulp: Place the soaked paper in the mixer bowl or food processor half filled with water. Mix at half speed until smooth. At this point, you can also add small quantities of vegetables or plants to the pulp. In this case, mix until the mixture is uniform. (Only a small amount should be used or you will end up with mush.) To add color to the paper, add nontoxic fabric dye or food coloring to the mixture.

4. Swish it in a Basin: Pour warm water into the basin until it is half full. Then, pour the pulp into the basin until the mixture resembles thick soup. The thicker the mixture, the thicker your paper will be. Working in the basin, place the pulp on the screen in the frame and shake it from side to side to distribute the pulp evenly until it makes a sheet of paper.

5. Drain: Take the paper pulp and frame out of the basin. Place the other framed screen on top. Hold both frames and turn them over so that the pulp is on the dry frame.

6. Let It Dry: Place the frame flat and let it drip dry.

7. Leftovers: When you are done, you can throw away the screened pulp or keep the drained, leftover pulp in the freezer, in a plastic bag, for later use. NOTE: Do not pour the pulp into the sink or toilet because the pulp could block the drain.

Remember use your imagination!
Activity from www.planetpal.com

Kids and Food!

April 12, 2010 – 8:21 am

Cooking with my kids is one of my favorite things to do! Every member of our family enjoys food and trying new recipe is not only fun but a good way to eat a variety of things.

Encouraging kids to participate in the search and preparation will also help them try new food.Take them to a farmer’s market or simply to your grocery store and have them buy the ingredients for a yummy recipe.Below are some facts,ideas and recipes to use and get started:

According to the American Dietetic Association children should eat 6-11 servings of grains (bread, pasta,rice, cereal), 3-5 servings of vegetables (about 1/2 cup is a serving for a child), 2-4 servings of fruit (again,about 1/2 cup), 2-3 servings of meat, poultry, fish or dried beans, and 2-3 dairy servings every day.However, experts agree that children will eat when they are hungry and shouldn’t be forced to eat. Give children small portions which won’t overwhelm them, and remind them that they can always have more.

Snacks between meals should be nutritious (fruits, vegetables, cheese, bread, crackers, yogurt, or juice).Keep fruits and vegetables at children’s eye level in the refrigerator or in a bowl on the table so they will be able to take them easily when they are hungry. Blend juice, chopped fruit and yogurt in the blender for a quick and delicious fruit smoothie. Add a touch of honey to sweeten.

Involving children in meal planning, grocery shopping and food preparation can help them to become more interested in what they eat. Have them cut out pictures from grocery store flyers to make a picture shopping list, and then they can help find the items in the store. Help them to choose foods in each of the five food groups listed above. Serve food in a pretend restaurant with homemade placemats and menus, or create your own grocery store with empty boxes or cans (if you plan on using cans, open from the bottom and then check for sharp edges).

Many children need to eat more often than three times per day. If a child becomes cranky or irritable, it may be time for a snack. Sugary foods make many children excitable.

Food safety:
• to avoid choking, never offer food unless the child is sitting upright.
• toddlers are just learning to chew – celery, carrots, grapes, apples, and hot dogs must all be cut up,peanut butter should be spread thinly on bread or a cracker, and children under four should not eat
raisins, hard candy, nuts or popcorn, as they are all easy to choke on.
• food storage customs in the United States may be different from those in other countries. Generally,eggs, dairy products and all meats should never be left at room temperature. If meat is frozen, it should be defrosted in the refrigerator or in the microwave, not on the counter. All cutting boards and knives should be well washed after preparing chicken. Fruit will ripen at room temperature, but if it is already ripe, it will keep better in the refrigerator. The one exception is bananas – the refrigerator will turn them black.
• before opening a can, rinse the lid so the dirt from the outside of the can doesn’t get into the food.

Remember, adults should set a good example with the food they eat, and where and how they eat it.

Here are a few snack recipes to try with your kids:

Banana,berry and buttermilk popsicles (from the Natural Pantry at Wholeliving.com)

Puree 1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk, 1 banana, 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen berries, and 1/4 cup honey or agave syrup in a blender until smooth. Pour mixture into Popsicle molds and freeze. Makes 10 pops ( 75 calories each).

Hummus(my daughter’s favorite recipe ,easy to make from the William Sonoma Kid’s cookbook)

Hummus is a dip that is made from chickpeas, which are also known as garbanzo beans.

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove
1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas (garbanzo beans),
rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
2 rounds pita bread
1/2 pound baby carrots

Directions:

Slice the garlic
Be sure an adult is nearby to help.

Put the garlic clove on a cutting board. Place a metal spatula over the garlic clove and press down hard with the heel of your palm to loosen the papery skin. Peel off the skin and throw it away. Use a sharp knife to cut the garlic into 4 or 5 slices.

Blend the ingredients
Put the garlic, chickpeas, salt and water in a blender container. Blend for 1 minute. Turn off the blender and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. Replace the lid and blend again until the mixture is smooth, about 1 minute. Add the tahini, olive oil and lemon juice and blend for another minute to mix.

Scrape into a bowl
Using the rubber spatula, scrape the hummus into a serving bowl. If you are not serving it immediately, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it.

Serve the dip
Place the pita bread rounds on the cutting board and use a serrated knife to cut each round into 8 triangles.

Trim the stringy ends from the carrots. You can leave on the green tops, if you want, because they make a good handle.

Put the bowl of hummus on a large plate. Surround it with the pita triangles and baby carrots for dipping. Serves 4 to 6.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Fun Food, by Stephanie Rosenbaum (Simon & Schuster, 2006).

More kid and family healthy – friendly recipe at :

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/kids/

http://www.wholeliving.com/

BON APPETIT!

Count your SENSES!

April 5, 2010 – 3:30 pm

SPRING is a wonderful time to talk about SENSES to your Host Children and do some fun activities around it!

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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.

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.

APRIL FOOL’S DAY

April 1, 2010 – 10:05 am

April Fools’ Day or All Fools’ Day is a day celebrated in various countries on April 1. People will play practical jokes on each other,so watch out and don’t be too gullible.

In some countries, such as the UK, Australia, and South Africa the jokes only last until noon, and someone who plays a trick after noon is called an “April Fool”.

Elsewhere, such as in France, Ireland, Italy, South Korea, Japan, Russia, The Netherlands, Brazil, Canada, and the U.S., the jokes last all day.

Ideas for April Fool’s Day:

FAKE CAKE: http://crafts.kaboose.com/fake-cake.html

PRANK GIFT BOX:http://crafts.kaboose.com/prank-gift-box.html

Have fun making those activities with your host children and don’t be fooled yourself!

HAPPY PASSOVER AND HAPPY EASTER TO THE AU PAIR IN AMERICA COMMUNITY!

March 30, 2010 – 5:09 pm

Passover is a Jewish and Samaritan holy day and festival commemorating the biblical event of Hebrews’ escape from enslavement in Egypt. Passover is one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays and is commemorated as a time to contemplate the endurance of the Jewish people throughout history. Passover begins on the 15th day of the month of Nisan (equivalent to March and April in Gregorian calendar).
In the narrative of the Exodus, the Bible tells that God inflicted ten plagues upon the Egyptians before Pharaoh would release his Hebrew slaves, with the tenth plague being the killing of all of the firstborn, from the Pharaoh’s son to the firstborn of the dungeon captive, to the firstborn of cattle. The Hebrews were instructed to mark the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a spring lamb and, upon seeing this, the spirit of the Lord passed over these homes, hence the term “passover”. When Pharaoh freed the Hebrews, it is said that they left in such a hurry that they could not wait for bread to rise. In commemoration, for the duration of Passover, no leavened bread is eaten, for which reason it is called “The Festival of the Unleavened Bread.” Matza (flat unleavened bread) is the primary symbol of the holiday.
Passover is one of the three pilgrimage festivals during which the entire Jewish populace historically made a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem.

Good Friday, also called Holy Friday, Black Friday, or Great Friday, observed primarily by Christians commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The holiday is observed during Holy Week on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday and often coincides with the Jewish observance of Passover.

Cherry Blossom Festival and Kite Festival

March 26, 2010 – 8:33 am

Cherry Blossom Festival

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is an annual two-week event that celebrates springtime in Washington, DC as well as the 1912 gift of the cherry blossom trees and the enduring friendship between the people of the United States and Japan.

Here are some of the highlights:
Family Day & Opening Ceremony – Saturday, March 27, 2010
National Building Museum
401 F Street, NW
Metro Judiciary Square, Red Line
Family Day – 10am-3:30 pm
Opening Ceremony – 4-5:30pm

Smithsonian Kite Festival

Smithsonian Kite Festival – Saturday, March 27, 2010
Washington Monument Grounds
10 am-4 pm
Kite Festival Official Website

Fireworks Display – Saturday, April 3, 2010
Southwest Waterfront
Music and activities begin at 5 pm
Fireworks at 8:30 pm

Cherry Blossom Parade – Saturday, April 10, 2010
Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th Streets, NW
10 am- 12 noon

Helpful links:
Cherry Blossom Festival Website
National Park Service Bloom Watch
Metro Website (use the trip planner feature on this website to find the metro options, taking metro is much better than driving for the festival events)

Northern Virginia Cultural Fair

March 23, 2010 – 12:35 pm

This past Sunday,the Northern Virginia clusters came together and hosted a Cultural fair for their families,friends and au pairs .The guests had a chance to travel the world while checking out the beautiful displays and tasting the food prepared by our wonderful and dedicated au pairs.

Despite having a beautiful day outside,hundred of people came through and enjoyed the Cultural Fair!

The Fair was held at the Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale,VA.

Here are a few glimpses of what our au pairs had to share :

Au pairs from South Africa,New Zealand and Australia enjoying each other's company!

Au pairs from Mexico showing their colorful display!

Two Bolivian au pairs in their folkloric dance costumes

Brazilian au pairs taking a break !They both worked hard preparing food and arts and crafts activities for the kids.