Tag Archives: Au Pair in America
Come to the new Children’s Museum in Fredericksburg!
Now open in Eagle Village! Click below for more information:
http://www.c-mor.org/fredericksburg-more-information
Read the latest article in the FreeLance Star about the opening.
http://news.fredericksburg.com/newsdesk/2014/05/10/childrens-museum-in-fredericksburg-opens-to-rave-reviews/
Bug crafts for fun!
Bee Egg
With this project, kids blow an egg, then turn it into a flying wonder. All you need is a raw egg, paint, craft supplies, and fishing line for hanging the egg. The best part? This blown-egg creature will keep indefinitely.
Materials
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- eggs
- newsprint
- egg dye
- paper towels
- birthday candles or crayons
- red and black acrylic or tempera paint
- brushes
- white tissue
- glue
Instructions
-
- Blow the Egg: Wash and dry the raw egg. Cover your table with newsprint and set out bowls, pushpins, and paper towels. Shake the egg to break the yolk. Next, pierce the top and bottom with a pushpin, making the hole on the wider end a bit larger. Position the egg over the bowl and blow through the small hole, allowing the inside of the egg to seep into the bowl. Set the empty egg, with the large hole down, in an egg carton to dry. Be sure children wash their hands after handling raw egg.
- Degg-orate the Egg: Let the kids paint half of the egg, stand it atop a bottle cap to dry (use a hair dryer to speed things up), then paint the other half. Centering the face on either hole, paint on features with contrasting colors. Paint your bee bright yellow, then paint on a red smile, black eyes, and black stripes. Glue on white tissue paper wings.
- Take Flight: Tape a long length of fishing line to the end of an unfolded paper clip. Starting at the small hole, thread the line through the decorated egg and out the large hole. To keep your flying critter upright, tape the fishing line just above the hole in the critter’s back. Hang it from the ceiling or an egg tree.
Grow a Grassapillar
Celebrate the arrival of spring by bringing this fuzzy critter to life.
Begin by mixing 3/4 cup of potting soil and 2 tablespoons of grass seed in a bowl. Add water to moisten the mixture, then set it aside.
Cut away a three-cup section of an egg carton, then trim the section along the longer edges so that your grassapillar will look the same from both sides. With a permanent marker, draw a face on one end as shown. Gently spoon the seed mixture into the cups.
Set your creation on a dish in a brightly lit spot and keep the soil moist. The grass should sprout in about a week.
Origami Butterfly
Origami, Japan’s traditional craft of paper-folding, has been used since the 10th century to sculpt animals and wrap gifts. Animals, birds, fish and insects are favorite origami subjects. After folding the butterfly featured here, you can make it flutter by pressing on its back with the tip of your finger.
- Materials
-
- 6 x 6-inch sheet of origami paper
- Glue
- 1 x 4-inch strips of origami paper or curling ribbon
- Scissors
- 2 googly eyes
- Markers
X
- Instructions
-
This colorful creature is created not by metamorphosis but by folding the origami paper in half to form a triangle.
Fold the triangle in half again.
Unfold the second triangle, then fold each side so that it crosses the center crease at a right angle.
(Continuation of above directions.)
Unfold. Glue on the strips for antennae and curl them using the edge of a scissor. Glue on the googly eyes and decorate with markers.
Have some chocolate chips today!
National Chocolate Chip Day
Try this delicious recipe. Be sure to let the children pour and stir ingredients but don’t let them near the hot oven!
Traditional Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
- 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 1 cup chopped nuts (optional – ask about allergies)
Directions:
- Heat oven to 375°F.
- Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Add eggs; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if desired. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.
Makes about 5 dozen cookies.
photo from suppersanityclub.blogspot.com
It’s children’s book week!
Children’s Book Week
Every day is a good day to read to the children. Visit
for more literacy ideas to make reading even more fun!
Looking for a Mother’s Day gift?
Tips for host families expecting their second au pair
You probably remember all this, but just in case…here are a few reminders to help you get started with your next au pair… Let me know if you need anything else.
You make flight arrangements for your AP from any one of the 3 big NY airports. Any flight that leaves at 6 p.m. or later on the day she is coming to you (usually Thursday). Send flight info to the orientation staff. You may also email the info to your AP, but orientation gets what she needs to her. Then they take them to the proper airport.
- Did the office send you a fresh copy of “Guidelines…for a successful year”? Please be sure you have one and review it before you AP comes. When your AP questions you, the answer will be in print to show her. Let me know if you don’t have one.
- In making her room “hers”, some families have copied a photo from the au pair’s application and framed it and put it in her bedroom with some flowers or a small plant.
- Mark her birthday on your calendar. This is a big day for homesickness; make it good.
- Ask her to mark her country’s special occasions (like our Thanksgiving and Fourth of July) on the calendar- then let her cook and teach you about it on that day. It will be emotionally helpful to her, and a great cultural learning experience for your family.
- I suggest you send a welcome package to her at orientation. (Include a picture of your family so she will recognize you at the airport). If you need ideas, give me a call or shoot me an email. Some people like calling Laura Blersch at Orientation and buying her the NYC Tour ($65) the au pairs can take on Wednesday night of their orientation. Her direct line is 203-399-5042. The address at their orientation is: Her Name, c/o APIA, c/o Sheraton Hotel, 700 E. Main St., Stamford, CT 06901. Put her NY arrival date on the bottom left corner of the envelope.
- BE SURE SHE KNOWS YOUR CELL PHONE NUMBER and that she knows that to use a pay phone, you must dial a “1” before the area code and number. Sometimes flights are delayed or they have gotten lost at the airport (one rematch missed her flight) and they need to know how to contact you if you aren’t at home.
- Don’t talk about work the first night- just about her and her family and you and your family and how was your flight and how was orientation and all that…
- Let her sleep late the first day.
- Remember she cannot be alone with your children for the first 3 days.
- Inside your orientation folder, there is a Child Care Questionnaire. Please go through this with your new au pair during the three day training period. It will help her a lot and remind you of things she need to know.
- Remember she doesn’t know America. She might not know how to use the shower or toilet or stove or the alarm clock or anything… make no assumptions. In France, they keep the milk on the shelf. If your current au pair is still there, let her show her these things. Dish detergent doesn’t go in the dishwasher. Teach her to turn the water off if the toilet is leaking or overflowing. (and tell her how important it is to tell you if it is)
- Remember she might be very homesick at first… or she might not be homesick for 3 months.
- Take her for a drive the first weekend and show her around town. Later, let her drive you somewhere and see how she does. If she is drives well enough, let her start driving with you in the car or by herself (but not with kids yet) to the store or school or other places. She needs to know her way around somewhat before she drives with your kids. (FYI- APs love GPSes for obvious reasons)
- Make some rules. Car rules. Your gas plan. House rules. Company rules. Family rules. Tell her these rules will be in effect for the first two months, and then the two or three of you will sit down and talk about them and adjust as needed (like 2 or 3 months) RULES ARE EASIER TO TAKE AWAY THAN TO ADD.
- Remember you are responsible for allowing time and gas money to cluster meetings and school.
- She has to have been in the US for two weeks before she can apply for a social security card (so that APIA will have let the Department of State know she’s here). Whether or not your AP gets a license is up to you and/or your insurance company.
- Speaking of SS, the US is now keeping a closer watch on having au pairs pay income tax (not SS). This is their responsibility, not yours
- If you just really loved and are losing ‘the perfect au pair’, remember, this new au pair won’t be perfect- she’s new- it’s all strange- she has to learn it all. The ‘old’ girl wasn’t perfect at first either. Give it a couple of months. (It’s hard to follow up a really great au pair).
Happy Cinco de Mayo Day!
Cinco de mayo commemorates the May 5, 1862 Battle of Puebla (Batalla de Puebla) in which Mexican troops defeated Napoleon’s French forces. Contrary to popular belief in the U.S. , it is not the Mexican equivalent to our Fourth of July (Independence Day.) Cinco de mayo is celebrated more in the United States than in Mexico.
If you want to celebrate with your host kids, you can find some activities and info about Mexico here.
Photo from blog.eviesays.com
Celebrate Purim!
The Festival of Purim commemorates a major victory over oppression and is recounted in the Megillah, the story of Esther. It is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar. There are four commandments for Purim: the reading of the story of Esther, festivity and rejoicing, sending gifts (usually food), and gifts to the poor. It is customary to dress in costume for the celebration.
For more information including traditional recipes and activities for children, see http://www.holidays.net/purim/
(note: all Jewish holidays begin at sundown and end the following day at sundown.)
We can win pizza!
We can win a Pizza Party!
Au pairs should send in a video, 30 seconds or less of a “first” of some experience in the US.
Send it to gaapia@gmail.com by the end of March. …so there is still time!
Au Pair in America will cover the expenses for a cluster pizza party CC who has the highest % of participation for the Video Quilt Contest.