Tag Archives: APIA

Snacks for D.C Central Kitchen

November 16, 2010 – 8:06 am

On November 12, our cluster of Arlington and Falls Church got together in the parish hall of the Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran Church to prepare snacks for D.C Central Kitchen.

For a couple of hours,we mixed up a whole bunch of cherios,pretzels,M&Ms,chocolate chips,raisins ,marshmallows and peanuts and ended up with 512 individual servings of snack mix.We stopped as we run out of cherios and pretzels,so I bought a few more boxes and finished everything on Monday with the help of Fernanda, au pair from Chile,Amanda and Lilian ,aupairs from Brazil!

Everyone participating enjoyed the interaction and felt good about being able to GIVE!

A big thank you to our host families,host children,au pairs for participating and to Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran Church for providing us with the space.

Here are a few pictures:

HAPPY NEW YEAR

September 9, 2010 – 2:26 pm

Today,many families accross the globe celebrate Rosh Hashannah!

Rosh Hashanah is a Jewish Holiday commonly referred to as the Jewish New Year. It is observed on the first day of Tishrei, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. Rosh Hashanah is the first of the high Holidays specifically set aside to focus on repentance that concludes with the holiday of Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah is the start of the civil year in the Hebrew calendar. It is the New Year for people, animals, and legal contracts. Jewish people believe Rosh Hashanah represents either analogically or literally the creation of the World, or Universe.

On Rosh Hashanah, Jewish people all over the world gather in synagogues to celebrate the day. The holiday is celebrated with sweet foods, like apples dipped in honey and honey cake and round Challot made with honey and raisins as a wish for a sweet year.

Rosh Hashanah is observed today and tomorrow. We wish all of our Jewish host families, au pairs and friends a very Happy Holiday.

What to do when it is so hot outside?

July 15, 2010 – 8:26 am

The APIA au pairs from Northern Virginia and their counselors enjoyed a lovely day on the Shenandoah River !

We rented canoes and kayaks and spent as much as 4 hours paddling down the river and swimming.

What a great way to stay cool:

Another fun way to spend a hot summer day is at the movies:

Take your kids to a free or almost free movie.There are a few theaters in the area offering free or $1 kid’s movies during the Summer.Check them out and make it a field trip for you and your host children. Check these websites to see if they are offered in your area:

CELEBRATE FLAG DAY

June 12, 2010 – 8:15 am

Flag Day

Flying the American flag is more popular than ever. It is a symbol of the country’s values and traditions. The design has particular significance. 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 printout of the American flag and flags of many other countries in the Kids Culture Corner: www.aupairinamerica.com/resources/kids/culture_corner/.

MEMORIAL DAY WEEK-END CELEBRATION!

May 22, 2010 – 8:24 am

Background

Memorial Day started as an event to honor Union soldiers, who had died during the American Civil War. It was inspired by the way people in the Southern states honored their dead. After World War I, it was extended to include all men and women, who died in any war or military action.

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day. The current name for this day did not come into use until after World War II. Decoration Day and then Memorial Day used to be held on May 30, regardless of the day of the week, on which it fell. In 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed as part of a move to use federal holidays to create three-day weekends. This meant that that, from 1971, Memorial Day holiday has been officially observed on the last Monday in May. However, it took a longer period for all American states to recognize the new date.

What do people do?

It is traditional to fly the flag of the United States at half mast from dawn until noon. Many people visit cemeteries and memorials to honor everyone, who has died, and those, who have died in military service, in particular. In National Cemeteries, volunteers place an American flag on each grave.

Memorial Day has become less of an occasion of remembrance. Many people choose to hold picnics, sports events and family gatherings on this weekend. This day is traditionally seen as the start of the summer season for cultural events. For the fashion conscious, it is seen as acceptable to wear white clothing, particularly shoes from Memorial Day until Labor Day. However, fewer and fewer people follow this rule and many wear white clothing throughout the year.

Public life

Memorial Day is a federal holiday. All non-essential Government offices are closed, as are schools, businesses and other organizations. Most public transit systems do not run on their regular schedule. Many people see Memorial Day weekend as an opportunity to go on a short vacation or visit family or friends. This can cause some congestion on highways and at airports.

However you choose to observe this holiday, make it a special day to enjoy family and friends.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN OUR AREA:

Pools will officially open for the Season!Au pairs, please read Safety tips found under “Child Care” in this Blog.

IN WASHINGTON DC:

PBS’ National Memorial Day Concert
Sunday, May 30, 2010, 8 p.m. Gates open at 5 p.m.
PBS sponsors a FREE concert on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. The concert features actors Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise, and other guest artists along with the National Symphony Orchestra. See Photos of the performers in the 2010 concert.

National Memorial Day Parade
Monday, May 31, 2010, beginning at 2 p.m.
The parade of Marching Bands and Veterans units from all 50 states steps off at the corner of Constitution Avenue and 7th Streets, NW and proceeds along Constitution Avenue, past the White House, ending at 17th Street. The National Memorial Day Parade is sponsored by the World War II Veterans Committee and includes patriotic floats and helium-filled balloons. See Photos of the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, DC.

Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Rally
Sunday, May 30, 2010. Departure from the Pentagon at 12 p.m. Speaker Program and Musical Tribute 1:30 p.m. at the Reflecting Pool across from The Lincoln Memorial. Thousands of motorcycles ride through Washington in an annual demonstration seeking to improve veteran benefits and resolve POW/MIA issues. See Photos of Rolling Thunder

GI Film Festival
May 12-16, 2010. The festival is held annually just before Memorial Day weekend. See classic and premier films celebrating the heroic stories of the American Armed Forces including a variety of films presented by award-winning Hollywood actors and directors. Participate in panel discussions with soldiers, journalists, authors, and filmmakers.

Arlington National Cemetery
Monday, May 31, 2010, 11 a.m. A wreath-laying ceremony and concert will be held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in honor of Memorial Day.See Photos of Arlington National Cemetery.

Navy Memorial
Saturday, May 29, 2010, 11 a.m. Rolling Thunder visits the Navy Memorial and holds a wreath-laying ceremony featuring special guests and live performances.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Monday, May 31, 2010, 1 p.m.
This year’s annual Memorial Day ceremony includes Presentation of the Colors, remarks by a special guest and wreath-laying service.

World War II Memorial
Monday, May 31, 2010, 9 a.m. The National Park Service and the Friends of the National World War II Memorial will sponsor a wreath-laying ceremony in honor of our veterans. Guest speakers will give remarks. The theme for the commemoration is “Honoring our Fallen Warriors.” Many surviving WWII veterans will be in attendance.

Air Force Memorial
Monday, May 31, 2010, 9 a.m. wreath laying ceremony is open to the public.

IN VIRGINIA:

Falls Church Memorial Day Parade
Monday May 31, 2010, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The City of Falls Church, Virginia celebrates Memorial Day with a festival featuring pony rides, arts and crafts booths, live entertainment, food and a community parade.
Wolf Trap Farm Park
Sunday, May 30, 2010, 8:00 p.m. The park for performing arts kicks off the summer season with a free performance by the U.S. Marine Band followed by fireworks. The Filene Center gates open at 6:30 p.m. Arrive early because the park closes once capacity is reached.

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!

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

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!