Tag Archives: activities

GROW A PIZZA GARDEN AND BUILD A SCARECROW

Grow a pizza garden: Kids can grow the fresh ingredients for pizza sauce – a couple of tomato plants, one each of basil, rosemary and oregano, plus half a dozen onions (use onion sets, which are small onion bulbs) and one green and one red pepper plant. Buy plants in spring, but don’t transplant into garden until all danger of frost is past. Help kids prepare the soil. For fun, make the bed round or wedge shaped, and edge it with orange or yellow marigolds to resemble crust. At harvest time, buy plain pizza crust or pizza dough, and help kids cook up a sauce using garden fresh ingredients. Top the pizza crust with sauce, diced peppers and the usual pepperoni and cheese. How proud they will be to have grown their own pizza sauce!

Build a scarecrow: Collect adult-sized old clothing – an old plaid shirt, a vest or jacket, a pair of jeans, old gloves (for the hands), and boots or socks (for the feet). Use straw, leaves or rags as stuffing. For a frame, use two pieces of wood, one stake tall enough for the height of clothing with 1 ½ feet extra to pound into ground. Cut the shorter stake the length of the shirt with arms stretched out. Nail the boards in a cross-like form. Stuff pillowcase for the head first and tie up the round part with string, then pull the open-ended pillow fabric over the vertical stake and secure string. For facial features, kids can use waterproof markers, or help them sew on buttons for eyes and nose. Fasten a straw hat with safety pins. Put the shirt onto the frame, do up the buttons and add the stuffing, tying the shirt’s waist so stuffing stays in place. Pin or tie ends of pants and stuff. Use a belt through the loops to attach jeans to the stake and shirt. Use safety pins if necessary. Prop leg ends into boots or stuffed socks, and pin stuffed gloves to ends of the shirt arms. Presto, you have a fun scarecrow decoration for the kids’ garden.

Teacher Appreciation Day

May 7th is a day to honor teachers – if your child is in school he or she might want to make
a card for the teacher. 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.images1-150x150

CINCO DE MAYO

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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:

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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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Fold the circle in half and hot glue in place to hold it closed.
  4. For the tostada, smear the circle with white craft glue. Cover with brown foam strips.
  5. Dot white glue on top of the brown strips and add a layer of yellow and orange foam strips for the look of cheese.
  6. Dot white glue on top of the “cheese” and add the “lettuce” by gluing on green strips.
  7. 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.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

imagesJanuary 1~New Year’s Day –

The first day of the New Year is a federal holiday. For
many people, January first also means making a New Year’s resolution. The most
common being to lose weight/get in shape, stop smoking and get organized. Think about yours and how  you plan to achieve it!
In some communities families visit each other for New Year’s Day brunch and lots
of watching football bowl games. There are five “bowl” games today, including
the Outback Bowl in Tampa Florida, The Rose Bowl in Pasadena California and
the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana.

To learn about football visit http://aupairinamerica.com/resources/life_in_the_us/football.asp

Learn to say Happy New year in these languages heard in our clusters

* Chinese (Cantonese) – Sun nien fai lok
* Chinese (Mandarin) – Xin nian yu kuai
* Danish – Godt Nytår
* Dutch – Gelukkig nieuwjaar
* French – Bonne année
* Gaelic – Aith-bhliain Fe Nhaise Dhuit
* German – Gutes Neues Jahr
* Hebrew – Shanah tovah
* Italian – Buon Capo d’Anno
* Norwegian – Godt Nyttår
* Polish – Szczesliwego Nowego roku
* Portuguese – Feliz ano novo
* Romanian – La Multi Ani
* Russian – S Novym Godom
* Spanish – Feliz Año Nuevo
* Swedish – Gott Nytt År
* Turkish – Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
* Welsh – Blwyddyn Newydd Dda

Rainy days activities

The forecast for our area this week is mainly rain,but this will not stop our au pairs from having fun with their kids.

Here are some fun ideas to try out and make the best out of a rainy day:

Listen to Music and Dance Day
Don’t let the rain or snow stop you from being active. Put on a lively tape and dance
around the house today. Show the children some traditional dance moves from your
country!

Tea Party Day
Mix up some warm cocoa or milk and invite the dolls or stuffed animals for a tea party

Art Day
Make today an art day – try drawing, painting, creating with glue or clay.

Make a necklace today– use a licorice “shoelace” (the really long thin ones) and cereal
for young children and then they can eat the whole thing. For something less sticky, use
string instead of the licorice.

Puzzle Day
Do a puzzle or make one of your own. Find a fun picture in a magazine and glue it to
lightweight cardboard. Cut into shapes.

Make a Pie
Pies are popular every day and are easy to make if you buy a prepared crust in the freezer
or dairy section of the grocery store. Try this easy recipe;
Chocolate Pie
Purchase pre-made pie shell and Jell-O instant chocolate pudding. Prepare pie shell per
directions. Let cool. Prepare pudding, pour into pie shell, let set for an hour and voila!
Dessert is served!

Pet Rocks
Make an imaginative pet using a smooth stone. Draw a face with marker or paint.
Decorate with feathers, sequins, yarn, buttons, or whatever else you can find.

Have a pretend day at the beach
Put on swimsuits and relax on beach towels. Pretend you can hear the ocean!

Stamping
Rubber stamps and stamp pads are fun, but for a change try sponge and some kitchen
utensils or cut shapes into a potato, apple, or orange. You could even let the child dip his
or her hand into some water-based paint to make great pictures.

Indoor Gardening
Children love to watch things grow! Take a root vegetable (potato, carrot, turnip or
beet) and cut off the top 1-2 centimeters. Hollow out the inside. Tie a string around the
vegetable and fill it with water. Hang it in a window and watch what happens! Don’t
forget to add water as needed.

Make your own snowstorm
Find a clear glass jar, any size, with a tight fitting lid and no label. Cut a piece of
aluminum foil into teeny, tiny pieces. The easiest way is to first cut strips then cut across
the strips into little pieces. The smaller the pieces, the more it will look like real snow. It
takes a lot of flakes (and patience) to make a good snowfall.
Don’t stop until you have enough to at least completely cover the bottom of the jar. Cut a
small evergreen branch for your tree. Fill the jar with water, add the tree and one drop of
dishwashing liquid and put the lid on. Turn the jar over, give it a shake and put it down
right side up. Watch the snow fall!

Treasure Hunt!
Pretend you are all on a desert island looking for treasure. Make a map or place clues
around the house leading the children through the hunt. This can be done with pictures
for non-readers – draw a picture of the television, then at the television place a picture of
the stove. At the stove place a picture of a bed, and so on to the end. The “treasure” can
be a treat to eat, or a new game to play. Read books about pirates to add to the fun.

Build a playhouse today
Find a box from a large appliance and turn it into a playhouse to use indoors. Cut
windows and a door. Furnish it and decorate it as you wish.

Make a fort today
Use blankets and couch cushions to make a fort and play inside. Don’t forge to put
everything away!

Make a picture frame
Glue 4 Popsicle sticks (available in craft departments) in a square to make a frame.
Decorate the frame with glitter, lace, yarn, feathers, stickers, confetti or whatever you
have on hand. Mount a picture from the back and be sure to date it! You can also
glue a magnet on from the back so that the picture can hang on the refrigerator. (This
activity is suitable for children 3 and older)

The Story of Hanukkah

First of all, we want to wish all who celebrate this holiday a very happy Hanukkah!
Hanukkah started on Saturday evening and will end on Sunday, December 16th.
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It is a Jewish holiday celebrated for eight days and nights. It starts on the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev, which coincides with late November-late December on the secular calendar. In Hebrew, the word “hanukkah” means “dedication.” The name reminds us that this holiday commemorates the re-dedication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem following the Jewish victory over the Syrian-Greeks in 165 B.C.E. Here is some information to share with your au pairs.

The Hanukkah Story

In 168 B.C. the Jewish Temple was seized by Syrian-Greek soldiers and dedicated to the worship of the god Zeus. This upset the Jewish people, but many were afraid to fight back for fear of reprisals. The Syrian-Greek emperor Antiochus then made the observance of Judaism an offense punishable by death. He also ordered all Jews to worship Greek gods.

Jewish resistance began in the village of Modiin, near Jerusalem. Greek soldiers gathered the Jewish villages and told them to bow down to an idol, then eat the flesh of a pig – both practices that are forbidden to Jews. A Greek officer ordered Mattathias, a High Priest, to follow their demands, but Mattathias refused. When another villager stepped forward and offered to cooperate on Mattathias’ behalf, the High Priest became outraged. He drew his sword and killed the villager, then turned on the Greek officer and killed him too. His five sons and the other villagers then attacked the remaining soldiers, killing all of them. Mattathias and his family went into hiding in the mountains, where other Jews wishing to fight against the Greeks joined them. Eventually they succeeded in retaking their land from the Greeks. These rebels became known as the Maccabees, or Hasmoneans.

Once the Maccabees had regained control they returned to the Temple in Jerusalem. By this time it had been spiritually defiled by being used for the worship of foreign gods and also by practices such as sacrificing swine. Jewish troops were determined to purify the Temple by burning ritual oil in the Temple’s menorah for eight days. But to their dismay, they discovered that there was only one day’s worth of oil left in the Temple. They lit the menorah anyway and to their surprise the small amount of oil lasted the full eight days. The holiday is observed by the kindling of the lights of a unique candelabrum, the nine-branched Menorah, one additional light on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night. The typical Menorah consists of eight branches with an additional raised branch. The extra light is called a shamash and is given a distinct location, usually above or below the rest. The purpose of the shamash is to have a light available for use, as using the Hanukkah lights themselves is forbidden.

For fun and educational activities for children go to http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/hanukkah/

Directions to play the Dreidel game. Play for Hershey kisses, a great way to have fun with the kids when they are home from school! http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/hanukkah/dreidel-game.html

Happy Hanukkah!

FALL IS HERE….

imagesFun things to do with your kids during this season……

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!

July 1-U.S Postage Stamp Day!

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Can you believe Cats were used to deliver the mail! Hundreds of years ago, Belgium employed cats to carry bundles of letters to villages. This service didn’t last long as cats proved to be unreliable.

Summer would be a good time to start your own stamp collection and visit the National Postal Museum in DC (http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/)

Have fun!

FLAG DAY

June 14 is FLAG DAY!images-2

Flying the American flag is more popular than ever. It is a symbol of the country’s values and traditions. Do you know what the stars and stripes mean?   Its 13 red and white stripes represent the original colonies and the 50 stars stand for the states. You might also want to use this day to teach the children about your own flag.  You can find a print out of the American flag and flags of many other countries in the Kids Culture Corner http://aupairinamerica.com/resources/kids/culture_corner/

In honor of Flag Day, Global Awareness sponsored a Flag Day Contest in which au pairs were asked to submit their creative interpretations of their flags.  The photos and descriptions are posted on the GA website www.globalawareness.com Please take a peek-you’ll see cultural exchange in action and, I’m sure, feel a special pride in working with these young women.

EASTER AND PASSOVER CELEBRATIONS

Wishing all of you who celebrate Easter and/or Passover a very happy holiday!  Some lucky people get to enjoy double the festivities!

Celebrating Easter

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Easter is one of the most awaited Christian festivals. It is celebrated throughout the world by the followers of Christian community. It is considered to be very auspicious as it is believed that this was the day when Christ resurrected after crucifixion. This day is of immense religious as well as social significance amongst the Christian community.

Church services and festive celebrations blend together during the Easter weekend. On Easter Sunday in New York and other cities, large Easter parades are held.  Easter in USA is also very much commercialized. Easter symbols like bunnies, Easter tree, Easter Eggs and Easter lamb are found in different forms during the Easter festivities throughout the market. The popular trend of Easter symbols such as the Easter bunny and egg tree were introduced to the American folklore by the German settlers who arrived in the Pennsylvania Dutch country during the 1700s. Gradually American people took to crafts such as egg and Easter tree decoration. Easter in US is also a time to enjoy special Easter foods such as baked ham, potatoes and vegetables. Several special recipes are made at each home. Easter parties are also organized where traditional Easter delicacies are served and people enjoy wonderful get together along with Easter games and music.

For children’s Easter games and activities go to:  http://www.thekidzpage.com/easter_games/index.html

Observing Passover

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Passover is an eight day celebration observed each year by the Jewish religion. It commemorates the freedom of Jewish slaves from Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Ramses II.   Families celebrate Passover by having a seder. With special foods, songs, and customs, the Seder is the focal point of the Passover celebration. Seder means order, and the Passover story is read in order from a book called a haggadah.

Fearing that Jews were becoming too strong, a Pharaoh decreed that all male Jewish babies were to be killed. Jocheved and Amran, a Jewish couple, wanted to save their infant son – so they put him in a basket that floated him down the river. The infant was rescued by the Pharaoh’s daughter and she raised him as her own son. She named the baby Moses, which means “take from the water.”

When Moses grew up, he empathized with the Jewish slaves and tried to get the Pharaoh to free them. The Pharaoh refused – so there were 10 plagues sent down to Egypt: Blood, Frogs, Lice, Beasts, Cattle Disease, Boils, Hail, Locusts, Darkness, and Slaying of the Firstborn. The name Passover comes from the Plague of Slaying the Firstborn. The Angel of Death passed over the homes of the Jews who had put lambs blood on their doors.

After the 10th plague, Pharaoh agreed to let the Jewish slaves go. They gathered up their belongings quickly, and didn’t have time for their bread to rise, so they had to bake it and take it the way it was. This is why the Jewish people eat matzah during Passover.   As the Jews were fleeing, Pharaoh changed his mind, and sent his army after the people to bring them back. Moses parted the Red Sea for the Jews to cross, and as soon as they were safely to the other side, the waters closed on the soldiers, drowning them all. The Jewish people were free.

For children’s activities go to:  http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/passover/