Tag Archives: Activities

Camp Au Pair: Art Experiences

This week’s Camp Au Pair theme is Art Experiences.

Crafts, recipes, activities, and games related to art can all be found here on the Camp Au Pair – Art Experiences 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 and be sure to take all social distancing precautions. Some museums are requiring advanced tickets or have reduced hours due to the pandemic.

Online Art Fun – Here is a great website with lots of art activities including ones for older kids.

Webcams – You can do a google search for art websites with webcams. Here are a few to get you started:

Videos – Look for fun videos on YouTube about drawing and all kinds of art.

Books – Stop by your local library and look for books on famous artists and art.

Check YouTube for books on art being read aloud:

Image: teachkidsart.com

Camp Au Pair – Dinosaurs

This week’s Camp Au Pair theme is Dinosaurs.

Crafts, recipes, activities, and games related to dinosaurs can all be found here on the Camp Au Pair – Dinosaurs 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 and be sure to take all social distancing precautions.

Local Field Trips:

    • Fossil Parks
    • Science Center
    • Science & Natural History Museums

Virtual Field Trips:

Toys – Many kids have dinosaur toys already. See what your kids have and think of fun, new ways you can play with these toys with them. Imagine taking a plastic dinosaur and making footprints in play dough to form your own fossils.

Webcam – This NPS Paleontology Lab offers a webcam where you can watch paleontologists remove rock from around fossils. The cam is normally working 9 am-5 pm PST, so 12-8 pm our time.

Videos – Look for fun videos on YouTube about dinosaurs and fossils. Here are a few to get you started.

Movies – The Good Dinosaur, Land Before Time, and Ice Age are all great family movies that fit with this theme. For older kids, consider movies like Journey to the Center of the Earth and Jurassic Park (which is rated PG-13).

Books – Check your kids’ bookshelf for books on dinosaurs.

Photo: krojotak.com

Camp Au Pair – Bugs & Butterflies

This week’s Camp Au Pair theme is Bugs & Butterflies.

More than 100 crafts, recipes, and activities related to all kinds of bugs, insects, butterflies, and spiders can be found here on the Camp Au Pair – Bugs & Butterflies pinboard.

Outdoors – Kids today do not spend enough time outdoors. Take the kids in the backyard or another nature area (approved by your host parents) and do some activities related to this theme:

  • Allow them to search for bugs and butterflies.
  • Observe lightning bugs (also known as fireflies) in the evening. Here is a map showing what people call these little guys in different parts of the country.
  • After it rains, look for earthworms. Not bugs or butterflies, but very interesting creatures you can find in your own backyard.

NOTE: If you are outdoors with the children, be sure to check for ticks when you come back inside. Here is a blog post explaining the health risk ticks can pose and how to find and remove them safely.

Videos – You can find many great videos of butterflies and insects on YouTube. Check out these videos for kids about bees and ants. All about Insects covers lots of tiny creatures who crawl and fly. Here are a few videos to get you started.

Movies – A Bugs Life, The Bee Movie, Maya the Bee, and The Ant Bully all fit this theme.

Webcams – You can do a Google search for websites with webcams that allow you to observe bugs.

Books – Make a trip to the library and/or check your kids’ bookshelf for books on bugs and butterflies. You may find some classics like The Very Hungry Caterpillar or The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle. You can also find books being read aloud on YouTube videos like this one.

Image: minieco.co.uk

Camp Au Pair: Backyard Safari

This week’s Camp Au Pair theme is Backyard Safari.

Crafts, recipes, activities, and games can all be found here on the Camp Au Pair – Backyard Safari pinboard. 

Field Trips can be a great way for kids to learn and have new experiences.

  • Local Zoo

Webcams – You can do a google search for websites with webcams that allow you to observe nature.

Videos – Look for fun videos about African animals on YouTube.

Books – Stop by your local library and look for books on animals you might find on a safari or in the zoo. You can also check YouTube for some books on this subject being read aloud.

Image: Jumble Tree

Make Plans for Summer Fun with the Kids!

When the kids are out of school on summer break there are soooo many possibilities. But, if you don’t make plans, you will often end up in the house with bored kids getting into trouble and arguing with their siblings.  Make plans!

Having lots of ideas ready can minimize those problems.

Looking for fun activity ideas to get the summer started off right with your host kids?

The Au Pair in America Summer Fun Pinboard is a great place to start. Together, create a Summer Bucket List. Talk with the kids about things they would like to see and do. Even toddlers and preschoolers can contribute to the conversation. Run these plans by your host parents and clear things like how much you may spend and when is best to do some of these activities.

Check back here next week for information on Camp Au Pair in America: a weekly blog series with themes for a summer break filled with fun and new adventures.

Photo: MissMessie (Flickr)

Dinosaurs in Culpepper?

 

Triassic Culpeper: The Dinosaurs of Stevensburg

Trek through Culpeper’s Triassic period with the dinosaurs.

Learn about our dinosaurs, their habitat, and the science of Paleontology.

Examine a locally excavated pair of 215 million year old tracks.

M U S E U M   O F   C U L P E P E R  H I S T O R Y      803 South Main Street       Culpeper, VA 22701        540-829-1749

www.culpepermuseum.com

Hours:   Monday through Saturday 10am to 5 pm      Sunday 1pm to 5 pm

Explore the outdoors

bug on handPhoto by D Sharon Pruitt

It is great to see the world through the eyes of children.  There are simple things in day to day life that can be a thrill for young children.  Below are a few ideas to get you started thinking.  Try to take time for them to marvel at the world and see new things.

  • A car wash (the drive through kind or a bucket and a water hose in the driveway at home)
  • Parking on the street near a construction site to watch the big trucks
  • Feeding ducks bread at the park
  • Collecting leaves, pinecones and rocks
  • Driving across a bridge where they can see the water
  • Driving past a place where you can see animals
  • Any place that has something out of the ordinary, like a fountain or sculpture

 

Take time to read a book today!

It is never too early to start reading to children.  Children of all ages enjoy having stories read to them.  Reading, cuddling up on a couch or reading before a child takes a nap or goes to sleep at night, is comforting for the child.  This special time together builds a bond, take the time to read to the children in your life.

  • Read slowly, this gives children time to think about what you are reading.
  • Change your voice for different characters, or read in a softer voice from some characters, louder for others.   A sing song voice is fun for young children.
  • family-reading_300
  • Share a picture book with a child and have them tell you a story from the pictures!
  • Read every day!
  • Children have favorites, so don’t worry if they want the same story every day, but add a few others so they can develop new favorites.
  • Talk about the story, ask the children what was their favorite part.  Let them share the story back to you or their parents!
  • Do arts and crafts about the story.  Have them draw you a picture about the story.
  • If the children are old enough to read themselves, have them read you a story.  Alternate, you read, they read.  This will encourage them to read more!
  • Have fun, read stories about subjects you and the children enjoy!
  • Turn off the TV and computer and read!

 

Celebrate National Bubble Day!

Celebrate National Bubble Day! Kids and adults of all ages enjoy the colors, shapes and possibilities of bubbles.

Create a beautiful portrait or just make homemade bubbles for an afternoon of fun and adventure.

Bubble Burst Paintings

Blowing bubbles never seems to lose its charm for little kids, but here’s a colorful way to make a good thing even better. To start, stir 2 tablespoons of tempera paint or 15 drops of food coloring into a 1/2-cup of bubble solution. Then tape a large piece of paper to a fence or between two trees and have your child blow the bubbles against it. The end result will likely be more about the process than the final product, but he’ll love watching the bubbles hit the paper and burst into vibrant circles and splatters.

Homemade Bubble Recipe

This recipe is a winner. It’s easy to mix up–and inexpensive to boot. Simply stir together 6 parts water, 2 parts Joy dishwashing liquid (this brand works the best), and 3/4 part corn syrup. Store in a covered container.

Have your kids try experimenting with a variety of homemade bubble wands: pipe cleaners bent into interesting shapes, cookie cutters, yogurt lids with the centers cut out, and so on. For a giant bubblemaker, cut off the top and bottom of a large metal can with a can opener and hammer the inside edges until they are smooth (a parent’s job). Dip either end in the solution and wave through the air.

For more fun, try these additional bubble-making techniques.

ABC’s of Winter Fun

snowflake

A is for Art – try drawing, painting or gluing
B is for Baking – bake a dessert together for dinner
C is for Clay – Use non-hardening clay or play dough to shape and mold
D is for Dance – put on a lively tape
E is for Exercise – be sure to get some everyday
F is for Friends – invite some over
G is for Greenhouse – find a local greenhouse to visit to enjoy the sights and smells
H is for House – make a playhouse from a large appliance box
I is for Ice skating – take the children to a local rink
J is for Jigsaw puzzle – be sure to pick one that isn’t too difficult
K is for Kitchen science – try a safe experiment
L is for Library – borrow some new books
M is for Movie – make one with a video camera, or watch one
N is for Necklace – make one out of cereal or macaroni
O is for Origami – learn to make simple paper creations
P is for Puppets – socks make easy and fun puppets – put on a show!
Q is for Quiet Time – everyone needs some of this
R is for Reading aloud – choose a good book and a comfortable place to sit
S is for Seeds and Suet – put out food for the birds and watch them eat
T is for Tent – make one from old blankets and chairs
U is for Unplugged – do a day with no TV
V is for Variety – try something new everyday
W is for Walk – take one in any weather (be sure to dress appropriately)
X is for Xylophone – make your own with glasses, water and a metal spoon
Y is for Year – make a calendar or scrapbook to remember the year
Z is for Zoo – visit the animals