Tag Archives: au pairs

Explaining Thanksgiving to our Au Pairs!

Thanksgiving is next Thursday, November 27th. So what’s it all about? Thanksgiving can be traced back to 1863 when Lincoln became the first president to proclaim Thanksgiving Day. The holiday has been a fixture of late November ever since. The Pilgrims who sailed to this country aboard the Mayflower were originally members of the English Separatist Church. They had earlier fled their home in England and sailed to Holland (The Netherlands) to escape religious persecution. Seeking a better life, the Separatists negotiated with a London stock company to finance a pilgrimage to America.

-1The Pilgrims set ground at Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620. Their first winter was devastating. They lost 46 of the original 102 who sailed on the Mayflower. But the harvest of 1621 was a bountiful one. And the remaining colonists decided to celebrate with a feast – including 91 native Americans who had helped the Pilgrims survive their first year. It is believed that the Pilgrims would not have made it through the year without the help of the native Americans. The feast was more of a traditional English harvest festival and lasted three days. -2It was Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor, whose efforts eventually led to what we recognize as Thanksgiving today. Hale wrote many editorials championing her cause in her Boston Ladies’ Magazine, and later, in Godey’s Lady’s Book. Finally, after a 40-year campaign of writing editorials and letters to governors and presidents, Hale’s obsession became a reality when, in 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving. -3

In 1941, Thanksgiving was finally sanctioned by Congress as a legal holiday, as the fourth Thursday in November.  

 

To Learn more about the history and traditions of this holiday go to:

http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/videos#history-of-the-thanksgiving-holiday

 

Find fun activities to do with the children here:

http://www.pinterest.com/aupairinamerica/fall-halloween-thanksgiving/

 

PLAYGROUND SAFETY

The basic rule of playground safety: watch the children at all times, particularly near swings.
Some playgrounds are on school grounds and should be avoided if the school children are outside playing.
Whenever you go out in warm weather, remember to bring along drinks.
It is important to apply sunscreen, even if it is hazy.
Safety around water is particularly important. A child can drown in just a few inches of water. Whenever you are near water you must never leave a child alone – if the phone rings, take them with you or let it ring! Always stay within arm’s reach when the children are in water.

JOIN US AT THE CULTURAL FAIR SATURDAY APRIL 5th FROM 1:00pm to 3:00pm

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Au Pair in America is hosting a DC Regional Cultural Fair

Au pairs representing over 35 different countries will provide: children’s activities, performances, visual displays, face painting and a cultural parade. This event is open to the public. Anyone interested in learning about other cultures and the Au Pair in America program are invited.

SBW03BruceDouglas

Saturday, April 5, 2014
1:00-3:00 PM
Spanish Ballroom
Glen Echo Park
7300 MacArthur Boulevard
Glen Echo, Maryland 20812


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!

AU PAIR WEBINARS

Lookout for the Au Pair Webinar Postcards coming your way…-3

Throughout this past week we have been sending out postcards to all of our au pairs. This postcard feature information about the webinars we are now offering our au pairs on a regular basis.  These webinars are organized and hosted by our Orientation Trainers. Please encourage your au pairs to participate in these helpful and informative online sessions! For topics, times and details, visit the au pair webinar site at www.aupairinamerica.com/apwebinars

This Week is International Education Week

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This week, November 11-15, marks the 14th annual International Education Week (IEW) – an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide.  This joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education is part of the U.S. Government’s effort to promote programs in the United States and overseas that prepare Americans for a global environment and that attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States.

The IEW Website

The IEW 2013 website includes promotional materials, suggestions and resources for activities to hold during the week and beyond, information on a free virtual college fair, and opportunities to post and view planned events celebrating international educational exchanges around the world.

Be Inspired and take a moment to watch this video clip!

IEW promotional video “International Education is for Everyone” shares  video messages from both Secretary Kerry and Secretary Duncan, will also be featured on the site!

We encourage the participation of all people and institutions interested in international education — schools, colleges and universities, embassies, international organizations, businesses, associations, and community organizations.  Please be sure to visit the IEW site and submit your events.

The latest Open Doors report reaffirms the United States as the destination of preference for international students and cites international student enrollments in U.S. higher education institutions are at the highest levels ever with 819,644 international students studying in the United States during the 2012-2013 academic year (Open Doors 2013). U.S. students who study abroad are choosing increasingly diverse locations overseas; 283,332 U.S. students studied abroad for academic credit during academic year 2011-2012 (Open Doors 2013).

Facebook

Help IEW with their goal of reaching 15,000 fans before the end of IEW by liking the Facebook page today!  You may also follow Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Ms. Evan Ryan on Twitter (@ECA_AS) and use hashtag #IEW2013 to join the discussion and receive updates on IEW.***

If you have questions or comments regarding IEW, contact feedback@state.gov or through our Facebook page.

Thank you for your support of International Education Week!

Regards,

The IEW Team

__________________________

International Education Week

Twitter: use #IEW2013

http://www.iew.state.gov
http://www.facebook.com/InternationalEdWeek
http://www.facebook.com/InternationalEducationWeek

Au Pairs from around the world will be participating this month in International Education Week!-1

IEW is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. A joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, the week is designed to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn and exchange experiences in the United States. Au Pair in America prides itself on advancing this mission with its’ unique cultural experience and is proud to participate in this very special week.

The community counselors for Au Pair In America in Arlington and Falls Church  will kick off this event by hosting an International Pre-Thanksgiving Potluck for their au pairs. These potlucks are always a nice way to share traditions and cultures with one another.

Next, au pairs will be organizing a county wide food drive for AFAC ( Arlington Food Assistance Center) as well as a county wide shoe drive for the non-profit organization Art For Humanity.This will expose them to the idea of volunteerism and community outreach (If you are  interested in donating items for the food drive or the shoe drive,please contact Dominique Ortiz at dominiqueortiz@gmail.com.)

They will also attend a presentation by the Georgetown University Academic Advisor for the Continuing Studies English,Ellen Hunt,and learn more about class opportunities available to them.

And last, a few au pairs volunteers will help out on November 24th at the Kinhaven 5K Race and Fun Run held at Bluemont Park (http://www.runkinhaven.com)

If you are interested in participating in International Education Week and would like your children to experience the world without leaving town,we also have a wonderful program in place called Global Awareness. This program is designed to foster a greater knowledge of diversity and bring multi-cultural understanding into the schools.

To set up a classroom visit during International Education Week

Please contact Community Counselors Kristina Jarosova (kristina.apia@gmail.com) or Dominique Ortiz (dominiqueaupair@gmail.com).

To learn more about International Education Week, visit http://iew.state.gov/.

Mother’s Day

happy_mothers_day-300x222Mother’s Day is being celebrated on May 12th all over the United States.

It is an annual holiday that recognizes mothers, motherhood and maternal bonds in general, as well the positive contributions that they make to society. In the United States it is celebrated on the second Sunday in May but in other parts of the world,Mother’s Day is celebrated at various dates.