Thanksgiving is this coming Thursday, November 28th.  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.

The 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.

It 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.

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

Find fun activities to do with the children here:

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

Here are some activities you can do with the children to celebrate Thanksgiving.  Click on the picture or any of the links below to find crafts, coloring sheets, spelling worksheets, math puzzles, name-tags and more:

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

Review together ahead of the holidays and discuss how to have a great season.

• Get off to a Good Start! Mid-November is a good time to start discussing the holidays. Will
  you be traveling? Is there something that you traditionally do or something new you want to
  experience — discuss together so everyone has the opportunity to share their holiday wish list
  and help each other achieve it!
• Don’t Guess! Share school/work plans early – so you each know what the schedule is prior
  to the holiday. Is there an early dismissal? Is school off completely? Will host parents’ work
  schedules be different these days or not? What will the childcare responsibilities be these days?
• The unwritten rules! Share details about holiday meal times or other celebrations – so
  everyone knows who is coming and what the plan is! Do you dress up or down? What time do
  the festivities begin? What can you do together? Are guests coming? Will you attend religious
  services as a family?
• Take Part! It is a lovely gesture to be a part of things – whether it is baking cookies, cooking
  family favorites (for the host family and the au pair), cleaning up, socializing – share this time
  together!
• Connect with your family and friends in your home country! Au pairs, if you want to be
  able to video chat with your family and friends at home during the holidays – let your host family
  know so they can help accommodate. Different parts of the world might celebrate the same
  holiday at different times and in different ways – your host family won’t know when you want to
  have time to connect with home unless you tell them.
• Ready….Set….Open! For the gift giving holidays — discuss ahead of time what the
  schedule is for gift opening or eating dinner or what to wear — so everyone is on the same page
  and doesn’t have to wonder! Every home might do it a little differently.
• Share Your Family Customs! Holidays are often about family customs – share each of
  yours with one another. Holiday foods, decorating, favorite activities like bedtime stories or
  movies – you are part of a cultural exchange program and the holiday season is a great time to
  share customs.
• Religious or Cultural Celebrations! Discuss attending religious services or holiday
  experiences, together, should they matter to you. Host families might include their au pair at
  their place of worship or might make a local suggestion for their au pair if they celebrate
  differently.
• Friends + Host Family = Holidays! Having time to celebrate with family and friends – at
  times they are celebrating – is another part of the holidays. Make sure you each know the
  schedule – so that it includes times where you can relax and enjoy this special holiday time, too.
• Let’s Go 2025! For many au pairs – there is much anticipation for New Year’s Eve and it will
  likely be the only one they spend in the US. There is no rule about having this night off or not
  but if a family is able to, au pairs appreciate being able to make plans. If a family needs
  childcare this evening, then remember that this is only one night and that there will be many
  more New Year’s Eves!
  
• Bonus Tip! If either of you know that you do not plan to spend the holidays, together –
  discuss it ahead of time (at the time of matching is the best time).

On November 18th, we commemorate the birth of that ever lovable mouse that was once a rabbit called Oswald. It was back in 1927 while under contract to Universal Studios that Walt Disney first sketched a floppy eared bunny that later became Mickey Mouse.

Mickey Mouseofficially debuted in the short film Steamboat Willie on November 18th 1928. The Steamboat Willie is one of the first sound cartoons.

Celebrate his birthday with Mickey Mouse pancakes: Follow the directions for mixing on the package. Heat a griddle or frying pan. For each pancake pour batter into pan in a large circle with two smaller circles at the top to make the ears. Cook until pancake is puffy and bubbles. Flip and cook the other side until golden brown. Use chocolate chips or blueberries to make the eyes.

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Dress in Layers – Consider buying sweaters, jackets and long underwear.  If you wear several layers, you can take off things to be comfortable. For example, when it might be too warm for a heavy jacket, but too cold for just a sweater, you can combine different pieces of clothing.

Set a Good Example – Host parents will expect you set the example for your kids by wearing a coat when it is cold outside. You should have a winter coat, hats, gloves, boots and scarves.  Your host kids will fight wearing a coat if you don’t wear one. Think of yourself as a celebrity and everyone wants to look like you — especially your kids.

Check the “Emergency Change of Clothes” – With young children, we often keep an emergency change of clothes in the car, diaper bag or at their school. If you haven’t already switched out the shorts and t-shirt for something warmer, now is the time to do it.

Buy Cold Weather Clothing Now – Many stores have sales this time of year. Ross, TJMAxx, Marshalls and Walmart have lots of outdoor gear in their stores. An even more affordable option would be to go to a Thrift Shop (Like Goodwill, 2nd Avenue, Salvation Army, Unique etc). There are many in the area and you can often find a very warm jacket for a small price compared to buying one new.

Monitor School Closings and Delays– Because Northern Virginia doesn’t get as much snow as the Swiss Alps, school is often canceled or delayed when it snows just a little. Au pairs from Germany, Poland, and other cold-weather countries will laugh at the DC area’s dysfunction in the winter ice and snow. Talk with your host family now, so you can all understand the plan for these inevitable schedule changes.

10. ADMIT IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND: Let your family know if language is a problem. Admit if you do not understand a word or a direction. Ask questions. Relax-your English will improve during the first few weeks. And after you become accustomed to the family’s routine, you will find that the number of questions will decline.

9. SHOWER OR BATHE REGULARLY: Most Americans value cleanliness as a virtue. Families expect that their AuPair will bathe or shower regularly, wash hair frequently and change to clean clothes daily. Remember to launder worn clothes.

8. BE A GOOD EXAMPLE: The children you care for look up to you. Do not do things in front of the children that parent’s wouldn’t want them doing.

7. BE CONSIDERATE OF YOUR HOST PARENTS: Keep them informed of where you are going. If you are planning on traveling, discuss the details with them and make sure your plans do not interfere with their schedule.

6. FOLLOW THE HOUSE RULES: The only way you will establish trust is by following rules-even the rule you may not agree with.

5. NEGOTIATE FOR CHANGE: If you have a problem, present it to your host family clearly and calmly. Suggest your solution to a situation. Listen to what they have to say and try to reach a compromise.

4. RESPECT THE PRIVACY OF OTHERS: Gossiping about other AuPairs and host families may be very harmful. If your friends confide in you, honor the confidence. Do not tell your host families what goes on in other families.

3. TAKE RESPONSIBILITIES FOR YOUR ACTIONS: No one is perfect. If you make a mistake, take responsibility and try to correct the situation. Do not blame others.

2. BE A GOOD BUDDY: Remember what it was like to be a new AuPair. Welcome new arrivals. Arrange to meet a new AuPair, take her out, or take her to the next meeting

1. STAY IN TOUCH WITH YOUR COMMUNITY COUNSELOR: Let me know if you can’t come to a meeting. Let me know if you’ll be out of town. Call when you have a problem and need advice. If I do not know you have an issue, I cannot help. Call just to say hi. I love hearing from you.