Monthly Archives: February 2013

Celebrate Kite Flying Day!

kite2

Today is Kite Flying Day, a great time to go fly a kite. People have enjoyed flying kites for thousands of years. Its a popular activity for children, and enjoyed by many adults.

Ben Franklin was perhaps the most well known kite flyer. He flew a kite in a thunderstorm and discovered electricity. He got a charge out of  flying kites!

We are amazed that Kite Flying Day is held in the middle of winter. Chances are few people in the northern areas of the country will brave the snow and cold today to go outdoors and fly a kite.  What great exercise with the host kids — you don’t have to stay out a long time to have a few great laughs!!!

Did you know? Kites were first used by the military in ancient China over 3,000 years ago.

Create a treasure map!

Pretend you are all on a desert island looking for treasure. Make a map or place clues around the house leading the children through the hunt. This can be done with pictures for non-readers – draw a picture of the television, then at the television place a picture of the stove. At the stove place a picture of a bed, and so on to the end. The “treasure” can be a treat to eat, or a new game to play.

http://spoonful.com/printables/treasure-map-coloring-page-activity

Read books about pirates to add to the fun.

Meet an au pair

Katie Martin Au Pair in America

Being an Au pair in the United States has changed my life in so many ways. I have been here … for 1year and 7months now. I take care of a 11yr old boy, 8yr old girl and a 6yr old boy. When I first arrived here I was greeted by my host mother Sally with a lovely bunch of flowers and a warm smile. Yes at first everything is new and scary but you soon get used to everything.

Right away I was getting phone calls and e-mails from other Au Pairs close by, wanting to meet me and take me out! Everyone looks after each other and I never felt alone.

I have made the most amazing friends here so far. Girls from Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico, Germany and America. I can’t wait to travel to their countries and see them again, they really are friendships that will last a life time. I also have a very close relationship with my host parents, they really are a second family to me and I love them very much.

In my time here so far I have been able to study Guitar, Spanish, Photography and Painting. All of these classes were so much fun and kept me busy and happy. Not only did I learn new things but I saw SO many new things as well. I travelled to Florida and Iowa with my host family a couple of times. I was able to save money and go to Hawaii and also Jamaica two times. Without the Au Pair program I would never have been able to see and do what I have done.

I have had so much fun getting to know the American way of life and joining in with traditions and holidays. Halloween and Thanksgiving are two of my very favorite times with the kids. America is so huge and there is so much to see and do. It really is such an incredible country.

As my time here starts to come to an end and I look back on how much I have learnt and how much I have changed, I truly feel so lucky to have had this opportunity. Travel, children, taking risks and laughing have been the basis of time here.

I will forever and always have the best memories of being an “Au pair in America”.

Play post office!

On this day in 1792 the first postal service was created in the United States. Preschool and young elementary age children will love to create their own post office at home. Buy some valentines on clearance or use what is around the house. You need envelopes (you can use new ones or save the return envelopes from junk mail), a rubber stamp and inkpad, stickers and some paper. Children can write a note or draw a picture to put in the envelope. They can use the stickers as stamps and the rubber stamp to make the “postmark.” They can deliver the mail to bedrooms or you can create mailboxes by stacking a few empty shoeboxes on their sides. There can also be a box to mail letters – use a larger shoebox or a small cardboard box with the top closed and cut a slot to put the letters through.

Presidential trivia!

Here are some fun facts for President’s Week!

Click on the blue underlined words for more info on the fun fact!

  • At his inauguration, George Washington only had one tooth. Contrary to popular belief, he never wore false wooden teeth. However, at various times he did wear dentures made of human teeth, animal teeth, ivory and lead.
  • Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were the only two presidents to sign the Declaration of Independence. They also both died on the same day—July 4, 1826—the 50th anniversary of the signing.
  • At 5 feet 4 inches, James Madison was the shortest president.
  • Before he was president, Andrew Jackson was wounded in a duel at the age of 39. The bullet remained lodged in his heart until the day he died.
  • Zachary Taylor let his old Army horse, Whitey, graze on the White House lawn. Visitors took horse hairs as souvenirs.
  • James Buchanan is the only president to remain a bachelor his entire life.
  • While he was president, Ulysses S. Grant was arrested for riding his horse too fast and fined $20.
  • James K. Polk’s wife did not allow card playing, dancing, or drinking in the White House.
  • James A. Garfield could write with both hands. To entertain people he would write in Greek with one hand and Latin with the other.
  • Benjamin Harrison was terrified of electric lights. He would ask White House staff to turn them on and off for him.
  • Rutherford B. Hayes was the first U.S. president to use a phone at the White House. Alexander Graham Bell personally showed him how to use it and his phone number was 1.
  • Calvin Coolidge liked having his head massaged with Vaseline during breakfast in bed. He also rode his own mechanical bull and played “ding-dong ditch’em”—he would ring the White House doorbell and then run and hide.
  • Robert Todd Lincoln, son of Abraham Lincoln, was present at the assassinations of three presidents: his father’s, President Garfield’s and President McKinley’s.
  • All presidents receive code names from the Secret Service.  Ronald Reagan was “Rawhide,” George H. W. Bush was “Timberwolf,” Bill Clinton was “Eagle,” George W. Bush was “Trailblazer” and Barack Obama is “Renegade.”
  • Abraham Lincoln was a licensed bartender. He was co-owner of Berry and Lincoln, a saloon in Springfield, IL.

Visit Ferry Farm today!

Earthmates Campers

Archaeology Day @ Ferry Farm

Monday, February 18, 2013, 10:00am – 04:00pm

Special tours of lab, dig site, performance by the Object Whisperer, crafts, music,

scavenger hunts.

Free!

Location:  Ferry Farm, 268 Kings Hwy, 22405

www.kenmore.org

When you get home play some games at this site:

http://www.kenmore.org/education/kidstuff/kidstuff.html

Visit George Washington’s home today!

Mary Washington House

Monday, February 18, 2013, 11:00am – 04:00pm

Half-price admission in honor of George Washington. Visit the home of George Washington’s

mother, Mary, and tour the gardens she enjoyed so much. George Washington bought this

home for his mother in 1772 and she lived here during the last 17 years of her life. Among

the period furnishings are some of Mary’s personal possessions, including her “best dressing

glass” willed at her death to George.


Location:  1200 Charles Street, 22401

www.washingtonheritagemuseums.org

Cost:  $2.50 Adult / $1 age 6-18

6th Annual Polar Bear Plunge

File:Polar Bear - Alaska.jpg

Saturday, February 09, 2013  9:00am


Are you ready to brave the icy cold water of the Rappahannock River for a great cause?

Join in the 6th Annual Polar Bear Plunge to benefit the Wounded EOD Warrior Foundation.

There will be fun and ALWAYS entertaining costume contest with the following awards…

Best Male, Best Female, Best Group (up to 8 members), Most Patriotic, Best EOD Themed,

and Crowd Favorite.


Early Registration $25

$50 after January 14, 2012

Please visit www.woundedeodwarrior.org to learn more about the foundation and to register

for the event.
Fredericksburg City Dock

Now is a great time to get an au pair!

New and reactivating families, you can save $1000 if you select your au pair by February 28th!

APIA will waive the $350 application fee and you will receive $650 off your program fee upon matching for a total savings of $1000!

Choosing Childcare- Making the Best Choice for Your Family

The choices of child care available vary by location, but most families have a choice of day care centers, family day care, live-in child care (au pairs or nannies) and live-out care givers who come to your home. Outside the home licensing will vary by state but generally day care centers and family day care are subject to regulations and standards set by government agencies.

Babysitters do not require any credentials and some nannies have training while others do not.  Au pairs placed through the U.S. Department of State approved agencies are subject to federal regulations for experience and must participate in agency-run training when they first arrive in the United States

Do you a fixed or flexible work schedule?  Day care centers work well with a fixed work schedule.  A live-in offers the most flexibility and dependability

How many hours of child care are you looking for?  A live-in can adapt to your schedule.

Do you have more than one child?  In-home care offers the most flexibility to meet the needs of more than one child.

Do you have an extra bedroom?  If not, consdier a live-out or community based day care.

How much can you afford to spend on child care?  Day care centers charge differently depending on age groups and number of childre.  An au pair receives a weekly stipend that is not connected to number of children or their ages.

Do you need coverage for an ill child, snow days or school holidays?  Sick children are usually excluded from day care.

Do you have a long commute?  In-home care provides the greatest flexibility.

If you’re considering a live-in an au pair may be the right choice for your family.  Au pairs many work up to 10 hours per day and up to 30 or 45 per week.  Au pair child care duties generally include children’s supervision and activities, preparing and cleaning up from meals, children’s laundry and keeping children’s rooms and play areas tidy.  The program fee paid to an au pair agency includes medical insurance.