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March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day

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St. Patrick is said to have given a sermon from a hilltop that drove all the snakes from Ireland.  St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated in the US since 1737.  Traditional icons of the day are the shamrock, leprechaun, the color green and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. In Chicago, they city celebrates with a parade and the Chicago River is dyed green.

Fun activities to do with children:

Torn Paper Shamrocks
Draw a shamrock shape on a piece of paper. Have the children tear pieces of green construction paper, and glue them inside the lines for the shamrock shape.

Creating The Color Green
Ask the children what colors you need to make green.  Then supply them with blue and yellow paint and white paper.  You should start with your yellow and add a little amount of blue. Ask the children to mix the colors to get their favorite shade of green.  Discuss  how all the colors of green are a little different.

Shamrock Search
Cut out many shamrock shapes and hide them around the room. Have the children search for them like an Easter Egg hunt.

Shamrock Sequencing
Cut out many different sizes of shamrocks. Four or five will be fine. Have your child arrange the shamrocks in order of size, largest to smallest, or smallest to largest.

Treasure Hunt 1
Draw a simple map of your house. Hide a “treasure” somewhere in your house, something like a snack, or maybe a treasured toy. Explain the map to your child. Tell them where each room is. Next say there is a hidden treasure in the house, and the map is going to help them find it. Draw an X on the map where you have hidden the treasure. Help your child look for the treasure

Don’t miss the St Patrick’s Day Parade in DC: http://dc.about.com/cs/familyactivities/a/StPatsParade.htm

Happy St Patrick’s Day!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL

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Thanksgiving, a uniquely American holiday, 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.

Here are some activities you can do with the children to celebrate Thanksgiving.  Click here to find crafts, coloring sheets, spelling worksheets, math puzzles,  nametags and more:-5

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/thanksgiving/

http://www.parenting.com/gallery/thanksgiving-crafts-ideas

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikespohr/23-clever-crafts-to-keep-the-kids-busy-on-thanksgiving

FALL ACTIVITIES

IMG_2345When 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!

HOST FAMILY DAY AT QUINCY PARK IN ARLINGTON,VA

Kids collecting flag stickers from each country for their passports

Kids collecting flag stickers from each country for their passports

This past Sunday,the Au pair In America clusters of Arlington and Falls Church had their annual picnic with host families and au pairs and what a blast it was.The weather was just perfect to host this event and the location was very central to all of our host families.Here are a few of the many pictures we have from this event.

Our terrific face painters

Our terrific face painters

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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)