Monet, a famous French impressionist artist, was born in 1840. He would often paint the same scene in different lights for different effects. Look at some examples of this at http://www.ibiblio.org and then download a coloring page of the same painting for the children to color athttp://www.enchantedlearning.com. Encourage them to color it their own way, not to copy Claude Monet.
Au Pairs – Imagine for a moment that you went to the hospital and you were in the care of doctors and nurses. How would you feel if those doctors and nurses who were there to care for you were more interested in texting or using their personal computer than caring for you? How would that make you feel, about yourself and about them? Would you think that you were getting the treatment you deserved? Would you feel like paying the bill after your stay?
Life as an au pair, it is a fine balance between employee and family member. You live with your host family and participate with them as a member of the family, but you also have clear responsibilities as a childcare provider. Being a childcare provider is truly one of the most important jobs I can think of, because you are helping to shape our next generation. What message are you sending them when you would rather interact with a computer than with them? How will they feel about themselves and about you? Children feel as though everything is about them. They will see this as a rejection of them and they will be more likely to act out.
It also poses a safety concern when you are not paying enough attention to the children in your care. Accidents happen, but when an adult care giver is close by and appropriately supervising the chances of a major injury dramatically reduce.
During work hours, the following would not be considered acceptable:
-Texting
-Talking to friends on the phone
-Chatting with friends online
-Using Skype
-IMing
-Emailing
-Updating your status on Facebook or your mood on MySpace
-Checking in on Orkut, Studivz, SiempreGente or any other social media site
-Watching videos on YouTube
-Tweeting on your Twitter
-Uploading photos
-Anything else on the computer unless it is going to Nickjr.com together with your host children
Think about this — even if you work 45 hours a week, that leaves you 123 hours per week for all of that other stuff, or about 70 hours (if you are getting the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep per night.)
Host Parents – You need to be clear about what you consider acceptable during work hours to avoid misunderstandings. Also, please understand that you are dealing with a new generation of people who are very accustomed to being plugged in at all times. Their intention is not to be rude, they don’t necessarily realize how their actions will be perceived. Please use this information as an opportunity to begin a dialogue on the issue.
Nadia, born in Romania in 1961, was the first gymnast to ever score a perfect 10 at the Olympics. She scored seven of them before the games were over in 1976! You might want to do a mini Olympics at your house. Create medals with ribbon and cardboard in advance so that you will be ready at the end of the ‘competition.’ The children can help you make them. The competition can be simple races (running, jumping, hopping, or rolling – compete by time or by endurance) or games or throwing or lifting.
In the United States there is a car race almost every week of the year between February and November. Now that the professionals are done, your children ages 4 and up can make some races of their own. You need a small toy car and a pencil for each racer and some string cut into equal lengths. Younger children should use short string; older children may have the patience for longer pieces. Tie one end of the string to the front of a car and the other end to the middle of the pencil. Pick a starting line at one end of your room and put the cars down. Now walk away as far as the string will let you. Move the cars toward you by rolling the string up on the pencil. How fast can the car go? The winner is the first racer who gets the car back to where he is standing.
John Philip Sousa was born in 1854 and is famous for composing over 100 marches – classic American patriotic music. Make a marching band with the children (you might need to invite some friends) and have a parade. Children love to make noise, so you don’t need fancy instruments. Try two pot lids as cymbals, a stick and an empty cardboard or plastic container as a drum. Sandpaper rubbed together makes a great noise too! Homemade flags or paper hats would dress up your parade even more.
Day of the Dead or el Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican celebration that remembers those who have died. It is believed that the spirits of the dead return so families visit cemeteries and decorate with marigolds to honor the dead. To learn more visit www.mexconnect.com.
A big group au pairs joined in a scavenger hunt at the National Zoo!
Born in 1728, Captain Cook claimed New Zealand and Australia as parts of the British Empire while he was looking for a southern continent. He was the first recorded explorer to visit the Antarctic region. He also discovered the Hawaiian Islands where he died in a battle with the natives.
Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater is a great read-aloud book for children ages 5-10.
Is there a local aquarium or zoo that has penguins you can visit?
Visit http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/penguins/for penguin facts, photos and activities.
In baseball, the World Series is the championship games of Major League Baseball in North America, played in October after the end of the regular season between the pennant winners of the American and National Leagues. The Series winner is determined through a best-of-seven playoff, meaning that the first team to win four games wins the series. The World Series has been an annual event since 1903. It is played at the baseball stadiums of the two teams in the series. Baseball is so popular that it is sometimes called the “national pastime.” The word “ballgame” in the United States almost always refers to a game of baseball, and “ballpark” to a baseball field.
See some photos from our trip to the farm!
