Now that the school year is well under way, your host children may have more homework than before. Tips to help everyone get homework done can be found here http://aupairinamerica.com/resources/activities/homework_support.asp
Category Archives: Au Pair Tips
Tips for the Holidays for Au Pairs and Host Families
From Christine Connally, Community Counselor in MD:
Childcare focus – Check with your host parents before you buy a child a toy that requires close supervision – electrically operated toys, shooting toys and games, chemistry sets, and the like. Remember, too, that younger children may have access to toys intended for older children once the toy has been brought into the home.
Driving – Traffic tends to be heavier around the Holidays. My best advice is to leave earlier than normal and take your time. Be the “bigger person” and allow that one last car to slip in ahead of you. It may avoid an accident. Remember au pairs can be asked to pay up to $500 of the deductible for an accident.
Healthy eating – is your house filled with treats, and goodies that are tempting you? It is the season, and you are here for a cultural exchange, so try some of the traditional sweets your host family is offering, but it is a good idea to downsize your portions – how much you eat is as important as what you eat.
Hints for success – If there is an alarm system for the house, be sure that the au pair is listed with the alarm company as a legitimate user of the alarm. Also, the au pair must know the appropriate security code in case of a false alarm.
Photo: Benjamin Chun
Happy Halloween!!!
Halloween can be a lot of fun but it is also a time when safety should come first. Here are some tips for tonight.
- Adult supervision is essential. Always accompany the children if they are going door to door to trick or treat
- Try tick-or-treat-friendly homes. Ensure the children only visit houses with lights on. And, you might also suggest the houses they visit have some sort of Halloween decoration on the porch.
- Stay outside. Make sure the children don’t go inside someone’s house. They can trick or treat on the porch.
- Remain visible. Dress the children in bright costumes or have them wear reflective strips or carry a glow stick or flashlight.
- Quality-check treats. Check the candy before they eat it. Throw out any candy that is not in its original wrapper or looks like it has been tampered with.
- Say “no” to strangers. Remind the children to never accept a ride or go anywhere with a stranger.
Most of all…have fun!
Halloween Health and Safety Tips
From cdc.gov
Photo: Steven Depolo
For many people, autumn events like Halloween and Harvest Day are fun times to dress up in costumes, go trick-or-treating, attend parties, and eat yummy treats. These events are also opportunities to provide nutritious snacks, get physical activity, and focus on safety.
Below are tips to help make the festivities fun and safe for trick-or-treaters and party guests.
Going trick-or-treating?
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Swords, knives, and similar costume accessories should be short, soft, and flexible. | |||
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Avoid trick-or-treating alone. Walk in groups or with a trusted adult. | |||
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Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags to help drivers see you. | |||
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Examine all treats for choking hazards and tampering before eating them. Limit the amount of treats you eat. | |||
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Hold a flashlight while trick-or-treating to help you see and others see you. Always WALK and don’t run from house to house. | |||
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Always test make-up in a small area first. Remove it before bedtime to prevent possible skin and eye irritation. | |||
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Look both ways before crossing the street. Use established crosswalks wherever possible. | |||
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Lower your risk for serious eye injury by not wearing decorative contact lenses. | |||
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Only walk on sidewalks whenever possible, or on the far edge of the road facing traffic to stay safe. | |||
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Wear well-fitting masks, costumes, and shoes to avoid blocked vision, trips, and falls. | |||
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Eat only factory-wrapped treats. Avoid eating homemade treats made by strangers. | |||
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Enter homes only if you’re with a trusted adult. | |||
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Never walk near lit candles or luminaries. Be sure to wear flame-resistant costumes. |
Spider Web Snacks
Here is a fun Halloween treat of the season. Who knew eating spider webs could be so yummy?! These are easy, inexpensive, and cute!
Ingredients:
– pretzel sticks
– white chocolate/bark candy coating
– chocolate (baker’s, candy coating, or chips would probably all work)
– raisins
– baggie or pastry bag
– wax paper
Directions:
Lay out your pretzels on the wax paper in “starburst” arrangements of 6 or 8 pretzels (it’s a good idea to put it on a cookie sheet for transport stability).
After melting your white chocolate/bark coating, place in a baggie and cut the corner off (or use a pastry bag). Start piping your chocolate in the middle of the pretzel arrangement, making sure to coat all the pretzels.
Continue piping outward around the pretzels, until you have a web. Then, place two raisins in the middle for the body of the spider.
Melt your regular chocolate and pipe over the raisins. I found that the spiders turned out better when I piped the legs of the spider first and then did the body. Place in the fridge for a few minutes until the chocolate is hard. Then, gently peel back the wax paper.…and eat!
By Sara @MomEndeavors
Arts and Crafts for Fall, Halloween & Thanksgiving
Please click here to view arts and crafts ideas for fall, Halloween, and Thanksgiving with kids
Some fun craft ideas for the season!
APIA Fall, Halloween & Thanksgiving pinboard with lots of great activity ideas. Visit. http://www.pinterest.com/aupairinamerica/fall-halloween-thanksgiving/
October is National Pizza Month
Click here to find fun pizza recipes like these “pizza pops” on kidspot.com
Pizza is easy and fun to make and can be a nutritious meal for the children and is easy to make at home.
You will need a ready-made pizza dough or a ready-made crust, shredded mozzarella cheese and a jar of pizza sauce. First the dough or crust goes on a cookie sheet or pizza pan. Then spread the sauce, add the other toppings, and last of all, sprinkle the cheese. Bake as directed for the crust. Be careful, and keep the children away from the oven as the oven must be very hot to make a nice crusty pizza.
If you want to get a little fancier and try these pizza pops. Click on photo for recipes.
Click here for a coloring page where kids can draw in toppings and make their own pizza.
More kid friendly recipes here
Cookie Month
Cookies are popular every day, but since this is Cookie month you might want to bake your own with children ages 4 and up, or buy large plain sugar cookies at the store and have fun decorating them with store-bought icing, chocolate chips, sprinkles and other toppings.
Click here for some fun cookie recipes to try with your kids
Childproofing
With shorter days and colder weather, you and the children are probably spending more time inside the house. Please be sure that the house is “childproof” with these simple tips:
- Children are curious; many small children put everything into their mouths. Be sure no small objects are within the child’s reach.
- Plastic bags, long cords and very soft pillows can be dangerous to children.
- If a toy gets broken and has sharp edges, keep it away from children!
- Be sure that laundry soap and other cleaners are out of reach of the children.
- Don’t leave any medicines in reach of children, not even vitamins.
- Keep scissors and knives out of reach.
- Store the toys that belong to older children out of reach of babies and toddlers.
- Many cosmetic items and toiletries, such as mouthwash, perfume, nail polish, and hair spray, are poisonous. Keep them out of children’s reach.
Photo: audi_insperation
Hints for Success – Overcoming Homesickness
Almost everyone experiences homesickness and culture shock to some degree, when they come to live in a completely new environment. So much is different and it takes time to adjust.
It is normal to miss your own family, at home. Try to remember that they support you and want you to make the most of this experience. They will enjoy learning more about the U.S., through your eyes, as you share your adventures with them.
Top 5 Tips for Dealing with Homesickness
1. Make Friends – Don’t wait for other au pairs to reach out to you, reach out to them. There are other lots of new au pairs who are feeling the same way you are right now. Set a goal to reach out to a few of them each day. Some will respond and some will not. Don’t let that discourage you. No one will ever be mad at you for sending them a message to say hello or ask if they want to do something together. Make friends from various countries and you will also get a chance to practice your English skills together.
2. Stay in touch with your home country, but not too much. Skyping or talking on the phone every day with your family and/or friends back home normally makes homesickness worse. Try emailing instead and reduce the Skype and phone calls to once a week, until you feel stronger. It’s much harder seeing the faces and hearing the voices of those you miss.
3. Get out of the house (or your room specifically) – Go to cluster meetings, have coffee or movies with other au pairs, join a gym, go to the library, go for a walk, visit the mall, get a manicure, visit a museum. If someone invites you out, say “yes.” Also, don’t be afraid to do the inviting. If your host family invites you to do things with them, say “yes.” This will help you get to know each other and contribute to your overall happiness.
4. Realize that it definitely gets better – All au pairs experience homesickness and the vast majority of them get through it, stay and have a successful year (some even extend for a second year!) So, it must get better, right? Once you get past the initial homesickness, most au pairs report how quickly the year goes by.
5. Make Plans – Create your own Au Pair Bucket List (places you want to go, new foods to try, new things to experience during your year in the U.S.) and start doing them now. Post on our cluster Facebook group to find others who may want to join you on your adventures.
Photo by: Shimelle Laine (Flickr)