Category Archives: Uncategorized

Camp Au Pair – Under the Sea

Next week’s Camp Au Pair theme is Under the Sea.

Crafts, recipes, activities, and games related to creatures who live under the sea can all be found here on the Camp Au Pair – Under the Sea pinboard.

Field Trips can be a great way for kids to learn and have new experiences. Get permission from your host parents before any outings. Check the websites before you go to be sure you understand the hours, costs, and whether advance tickets/reservations are required. Search online to see if your area has any of the following:

  • Pet or outdoor store (Bass Pro Shop) with fish tanks
  • Aquarium
  • Zoo
  • Nature Center

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – NOAA has a lot of fun, interactive and educational activities on their website. They focus on whales, sharks, sea turtles, sea lions and more.

  • Virtual Underwater Dive
  • Online Games
  • Puzzle, Activity & Coloring Sheets

Webcams – You can do a google search for aquariums and zoos across the country (and the world) with webcams that allow you to observe sea creatures. Here are a few to get you started.

Videos – Look for fun videos on YouTube about sea creatures. There’s more to see than Baby Shark. Movies like Finding Nemo, Dolphin Tale, and The Little Mermaid also go well with this theme.

Books – Stop by your local library and look for books on sea creatures. The Rainbow Fish is a classic children’s book, your kids may already own. If not, you can find videos like this of it being read aloud.

Movies – There are lots of movies with under the sea themes.

  • A Dolphin Tale 
  • Finding Dory
  • Finding Nemo
  • Little Mermaid
  • Moana
  • Moana 2
  • Shark Tale 
  • Song of the Sea

Television – There are some episodes of children’s television shows that talk about life under the sea.

The Magic School Bus is a television series that follows Ms. Frizzle and her class as they set off on field trips. Most episodes can be found on YouTube. Here are some episodes that fit this week’s theme.

Bill Nye the Science Guy has episodes on Fish, Marine Animals and more on YouTube.

The Discovery Channel has an annual Shark Week coming up on July 20. Check out 15 JAW-some Activities for Shark Week with lots of fun ideas for kids in grades 5 and up, but a few for younger kids too.

Photo: mimisdollhouse.com

Welcome to Camp Au Pair in America!

When kids are out of school for the summer, it doesn’t take long for them to become bored and sometimes that leads to sibling squabbles and mischief. Even though they don’t realize it, they are usually missing routine and predictability in their daily schedule. One solution is to make fun plans to keep them busy!

Each week this summer we will share a different Camp Au Pair theme. These weekly themes are designed to give you ideas to keep your host kids occupied and engaged all summer long. They will also be learning. (But shhhh, don’t tell them that part.) Check back each Friday, for the next week’s theme. This gives you a chance to make plans and gather materials for the next week. For each theme there will be crafts, games, snacks and activities. You can just use these ideas or add your own and customize the themes to fit the ages and interests of your host children.

Here are the themes you can look forward to:

  • Under the Sea
  • Outer Space
  • Nature Exploration
  • Dinosaurs
  • Cars and Trucks
  • Bugs & Butterflies
  • Science (STEM)
  • Backyard Safari
  • Art Experiences

Check out Summer Fun & Summer Holidays pin boards for even more ideas.

If you get some great pictures doing these activities with your host kids, please send those to your community counselor. We love to share your accomplishments and inspire other au pairs!

Let’s make this an amazing summer!

Welcome to Camp Au Pair in America!

When kids are out of school for the summer, it doesn’t take long for them to become bored and sometimes that leads to sibling squabbles and mischief. Even though they don’t realize it, they are usually missing routine and predictability in their daily schedule. One solution is to make fun plans to keep them busy! 

Each week this summer we will share a different Camp Au Pair theme. These weekly themes are designed to give you ideas to keep your host kids occupied and engaged all summer long. They will also be learning. (But shhhh, don’t tell them that part.) Check back each Friday, for the next week’s theme. This gives you a chance to make plans and gather materials for the next week. For each theme there will be crafts, games, snacks and activities. You can just use these ideas or add your own and customize the themes to fit the ages and interests of your host children.

Here are the themes you can look forward to:

  • Nature Exploration
  • Art Experiences
  • Under the Sea
  • Science (STEM)
  • Bugs & Butterflies
  • Cars and Trucks
  • Backyard Safari
  • Dinosaurs
  • Explore the World
  • Outer Space
  • Pirate Adventures
  • Princesses & Knights

Check out Summer Fun & Summer Holidays pin boards for even more ideas.

If you get some great pictures doing these activities with your host kids, please send those to your community counselor. We love to share your accomplishments and inspire other au pairs!

Let’s make this an amazing summer!

Smithsonian Folklife Festival

The Folklife Festival will take place June 27-July 1 and July 4-8. 

The annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival is an international exhibition of living cultural heritage. Attracting more than one million visitors yearly, the two-week long celebration is the largest annual cultural event in the United States.

The Festival is held outdoors on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., between the Smithsonian museums. There is no admission charge. Visitors should dress for hot and humid weather. Parking around the Mall is extremely limited, so visitors are advised to use public transportation. L’Enfant Plaza is the closest Metro station to the Festival site. National Archives, Smithsonian, and Federal Center stations are within a half-mile. For assistance planning how to get around, visit www.goDCgo.com. For general Smithsonian visitor information, http://www.si.edu/Visit or call 202.633.1000 (voice).

Festival hours are 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., with special events taking place most evenings beginning at 6:30 p.m. View the schedule here.

I highly recommend that you visit their website to plan your visit http://www.festival.si.edu/

APIA Cultural Fair Proves a Success

On Sunday, May 1, friends and neighbors of APIA joined with our aupairs for a travel around the world adventure. Our aupairs sang, danced, cooked, baked, played instruments, face painted, and did everything else they could to put the cultures of their home countries on display for many visitors at Nationals Field in downtown DC, all to celebrate the 30th anniversary of APIA’s programs.

A truly magical time was had by all!

Join AuPair in America for a trip around the world!

On Sunday, May 1, 2016 from 1pm to 4pm at Nationals Parks, Norfolk Southern Club, 1500 South Capitol St, SE, Washington, Dc

 

Help us celebrate 30 Yeards of APIA and the US Dept of State aupair program! Join us for a fund afternoon of educational country displays, performance by aupairs, a photo op, face painting and other fun activities for kids.

 

APIA staff, host families and aupairs from over 30 countries will be there. Come and learn.

Metro: Green Line to Navy/ Ballpark. If driving, free parking in Lot B for all attendees. Entrance at centerfield gate and take the ramp/escalator to the club

Halloween!

Halloween occurs this year on Oct. 31. This holidays has changed throughout history. The Celts, who lived over 2000 years ago in what is now Ireland, the UK, and parts of Northern France marked November 1  the start of their new year, so that the night before, Oct. 31, was a time when the living and dead come together. The Christian Church followed up by naming Nov. 1 All Saints Day. The night before became All Hallows Eve, later changed to Halloween.

Like the Celts, other Europeans of the times also believed that the spirits of the dead would visit Earth on Halloween. In order to fool the evil spirits, people would wear costumes such as ghosts and other evil creatures, and therefore people would escape harm.

 

 

French Toast on a Stick for Mothers Day

Here is an easy to do recipe for AuPairs and Kids to make for Mothers Day Breakfast for Host Moms:

This makes eight 10- inch skewers; if that is too much, half the recipe

3 large eggs, 1 cup lowfat milk, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 demi-baguette (about 12 inches) or 1/2 of a long baguette, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter,16 medium strawberries,2 medium bananas, 1/2 cup fresh blueberries without stems, maple syrup or confectioners’ sugar, for serving

Whisk the eggs lightly, then whisk in the milk and cinnamon. Cut the baguette into 10 one inch slices , then slice each into quarters, transferring the to the egg mix as you work.

Melt the butter over medium heat in a skillet, and coat the skillet evenly.

Add half the soaked bread pieces and cook for 2-3 minutes until light brown o the bottom; turn the pieces as they cook and transfer to a plate. Then cook the other half. Cool everything a bit and then hull the strawberries and cut each one in half; cut the bananas into 1/2 inch pieces.

Slide a piece of the French toast onto a skewer, followed by a strawberry piece, a slice of banana, a blueberry and repeat until everything has been used.

Serve right away with maple syrup or the confectioners’ sugar for decoration.

(with thanks to The Washington Post of April 28, 2015.(