Yearly Archives: 2015

Tips if you want to extend into a second year

Au Pair in America

Reminders for au pairs who are extending for a 2nd year (6,9 or 12months).

MEDICAL INSURANCE:

Your medical policy expires for the first year and you start your new policy during the year you extend so that means:

For example:

-Your first year began february 2011 and your insurance policy is the 2011 policy.

-You extend in February 2012 so you are now on the 2012 policy. (be aware of the changes in the policy)

Your insurance card expires after one year so you should receive a printable card when you start your extension year. If you do not receive it call the agency for a new card.

If you purchased the upgrade insurance in your first year, you have to purchase it again in the second year.

If you purchased the sports insurance in your first year, it lasts only 12 months from the time you bought it. So depending on when you bought it, you will probably need to purchase it again.

EDUCATION

If you extend for 9 or 12 months you have to get 6 credits again or 72 hours of education to complete the program requirements.

If you extend for 6 months you only need 3 credits or 36 hours of education.

DRIVERS LICENSE

Check on the expiration of your driver’s license, you must renew it before it expires (DO NOT LET YOUR LICENSE EXPIRE). Most likely you will need to renew it before you start your extension year. Check with your new host family for laws in your new destination state.

VACATION

Vacation for a 6 month extension is 6 days.

Vacation for a 9 and 12 month is 2 weeks.

TRAVEL

Check on the expiration date of your visa. If it expires before your second year starts then you should not travel outside of the USA, Canada, and Mexico out of a risk of not being able to return. With the exception that if you return home during your first year after your approval for extension, you can get your visa renewed for another year. You must ask the agency (contact Evelyn Blum) for the paperwork required for this renewal.

RETURN HOME (only for au pairs who arrived before 2012)

If you extend for less than 12 months, you will be responsible for the flight surcharges to return home. If you extend for 12 months you do not pay for surcharges.

Take a walk today!

burkelakemain2

Take a Walk in the Park Day

Don’t miss out on ” Take a Walk in the Park Day”. It is an opportunity for exercise and relaxation. Are you stressed out? A walk in the park is just what the doctor ordered. Its calming and therapeutic. Taken after a busy work day, it helps clear your mind and re-energize you. Or, take the walk during lunch and you will find the afternoon of work goes by quicker and easier.

A walk in the park will likely be the most enjoyable part of your day. In addition to avoiding a fall, open eyes will allow you to take in the beauty of nature’s wonders: flowers, and trees, birds, and wildlife.

Take time to plan a Nature Scavenger Hunt for the kids.  It will be a great memory for them and will put a smile on your face.

Scavenger Hunt List of Items

  • Acorn
  • Animal Tracks
  • Caterpillar
  • Clover
  • Driftwood (small piece)
  • Feather
  • Fern
  • Flowers
  • Insect or bug
  • Items categorized by color or texture
  • Leaves (of trees native to the area)
  • Moss
  • Mulberries
  • Piece of litter left behind by someone else
  • Pine Cone
  • Pine Needles
  • Rocks
  • Sand
  • Shell
  • Snail
  • Tree bark from fallen branch
  • Worm

Meet an au pair

Photo

Patrycja says: “I’ve been in US for 3 months and 10 days now. I love it! I enjoy every day. I’ve already made friends with so many people! And my English has improved … I help every new Au Pair who comes here to start to live in Washington DC. My host family is great! I have nothing to complain about! We talk a lot, have dinner together and …. My host mother is taking me and my host kid to MIAMI!!! I’m so happy …. I already traveled so much … And the best is yet to come. Thank you so much Au Pair in America!!”

Celebrate Tiffany glass!

Louis Tiffany

Born in 1848 Tiffany (whose father started the Tiffany jewelry store) was a very fine painter but is best known for his work in stained glass.

Make your own “stained glass” by following these easy instructions. This is a perfect use for broken crayons. Spread out newspaper and make crayon shavings (a small pencil sharpener is perfect for this). Cover the ironing board with newspaper and sprinkle the crayon shavings on a square of wax paper. Cover with another square of wax paper and more newspaper. Press the paper with a warm iron until the wax of the crayons is melted. These look beautiful hung in the window! Make a frame out of construction paper if you wish.

from corningfingerlakes.com

It’s Random Acts of Kindness Day!

random-acts-of-kindness-ideas

Today is Random Acts of Kindness Day.  So… perform a few random acts of kindness- hold the door open for a stranger, let someone go ahead of you in line at the store, pay the coffee for the person behind you at Starbucks, give a compliment–the ideas are endless.  See if you can “pay it forward” and make today a great day!  Here are a few great ideas for the kids:

  • Go to a children’s zoo or a park where feeding animals is allowed. Offer a bag of food to another family to feed the animals.
  • Bake cookies together, and take them to a neighbor .
  • Pitch in and clean up the yard of a neighbor who is ill, has had surgery recently, or has had a family emergency.
  • Walk to a nearby park and pick up trash, then have a picnic there.
  • Bake a treat and take it to a police or firefighter station.
  • Arrange to plant flowers or a tree at a school or park on a Saturday morning.
  • Have each member of your family choose someone outside the family who has made a positive difference in his or her life.
  • Write short thank-you notes, and mail the letters together.
  • Discuss the best things about the area where you live, the best places to shop and have fun, etc. Have someone take notes. Then type up the ideas to give to new neighbors who move in.
  • Leave a bouquet of flowers on a neighbor’s front step anonymously.
  • Make some small gifts or write kindness wishes and drawings on bright greeting cards. Deliver them in person to residents of a nursing home, children’s home, or senior facility.
  • Collect stories from family members about kind acts both given and received, and create a family scrapbook. If you have photos, include them with the stories. As years go by and as your children grow, all of you can review the many ways that kindness has touched your family’s life.
  • Tape a lunch bag to each family member’s door. For a week, put a daily treat or note inside for them to find when they wake up in the morning.

It’s National Engineers Week!

File:Booster-Layout.jpg

Everyday we use things that have been created by engineers. Sports equipment, high tech clothing, cars, planes and even plastic bottles were all designed by engineers.

Children in middle and high school can explore this fascinating topic at http://www.eweek.org/

See how long a list of things you can make that wouldn’t be in our world without engineers.

It’s President’s Day!

Today is President’s Daypresidents-day-coloring-page
School is closed today! President’s Day is a Federal holiday created to commemorate
the births of former Presidents George Washington (Feb. 22) and Abraham Lincoln (Feb.
12). Throughout America, Presidents’ Day is observed by big sales in the stores, closed
schools and no mail delivery.

Things to do with children: The United States has had more than 40 presidents. How
many can the children name? Who has been president during their lifetime? Take a look
at American coins and bills; who are the Presidents pictured on each coin and bill?

Happy Birthday Galileo!

Born in 1564 this Italian physicist and astronomer is famous for his experiments dropping objects from the leaning tower of Pisa. You can conduct your own simple falling object experiments using two items that are different in weight – a piece of paper, feather or cotton ball dropped at the same time as a crayon or a stone – or whatever you can think of. Try different combinations with the children and record the results. Be sure not to drop anything breakable or where another person might be standing.

Check out this video that shows the experiment  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOdLFKPYNuc

Another snow day?

snow day by tony crider

Looking for ideas to keep the kids busy on this snow day?

Here is a simple snow day game plan…

  1. Play in the snow
  2. Come inside and warm up with hot chocolate (don’t forget the marshmallows)
  3. Do some Snowflake Crafts
  4. Play board games or legos together
  5. Ever heard of Snow Ice Cream?
  6. Look for more fun things to do on the APIA Pinterest Boards
  7. Bake cookies together or make some other fun recipe
  8. Play in the snow again
  9. Warm up inside taking turns on the Make a Snowflake Website
  10. Make a blanket fort

Stay warm & have fun!

Photo: Tony Crider (Flickr)

Valentine’s Day history

Every February we celebrate Valentine’s Day by giving flowers, candy and cards to those we love. We do this in honor of Saint Valentine. You may be wondering, “Who is St. Valentine”? Time to brush up on your Valentine’s history!

Legend has it that Valentine was a priest who served during third century Rome. The Emperor at that time, Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those that were married. With this thought in mind he outlawed marriage for young men in hopes of building a stronger army. Supposedly, Valentine, decided this decree was not fair and married young couples in secret. When Emperor Claudius II found out about Valentine’s actions he had his head cut off making him a martyr of love.

Another legend has it that Valentine was an imprisoned man who fell in love with his jailor’s daughter. Before he was put to death he sent the first ‘valentine’ himself when he wrote her a letter and signed it ‘Your Valentine’, words still used on cards today.

Perhaps we’ll never know the true identity and story behind the man named St. Valentine, but this much is for sure…February has been the month to celebrate love for a long time, dating clear back to the Middle Ages. In fact, Valentines ranks second only to Christmas in number of greeting cards sent.

For some fun children’s activities including crafts, coloring pages, games, puzzles and poems goto:

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/index.htm

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/valentines-day/