Category Archives: Uncategorized

Camp Au Pair – Under the Sea

Next week’s Camp Au Pair theme is Under the Sea.

Crafts, recipes, activities, and games related to creatures who live under the sea can all be found here on the Camp Au Pair – Under the Sea 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. Check the websites before you go to be sure you understand the hours, costs, and whether advance tickets/reservations are required. Search online to see if your area has any of the following:

  • Pet or outdoor store (Bass Pro Shop) with fish tanks
  • Aquarium
  • Zoo
  • Nature Center

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – NOAA has a lot of fun, interactive and educational activities on their website. They focus on whales, sharks, sea turtles, sea lions and more.

  • Virtual Underwater Dive
  • Online Games
  • Puzzle, Activity & Coloring Sheets

Webcams – You can do a google search for aquariums and zoos across the country (and the world) with webcams that allow you to observe sea creatures. Here are a few to get you started.

Videos – Look for fun videos on YouTube about sea creatures. There’s more to see than Baby Shark. Movies like Finding Nemo, Dolphin Tale, and The Little Mermaid also go well with this theme.

Books – Stop by your local library and look for books on sea creatures. The Rainbow Fish is a classic children’s book, your kids may already own. If not, you can find videos like this of it being read aloud.

Movies – There are lots of movies with under the sea themes.

  • A Dolphin Tale 
  • Finding Dory
  • Finding Nemo
  • Little Mermaid
  • Moana
  • Moana 2
  • Shark Tale 
  • Song of the Sea

Television – There are some episodes of children’s television shows that talk about life under the sea.

The Magic School Bus is a television series that follows Ms. Frizzle and her class as they set off on field trips. Most episodes can be found on YouTube. Here are some episodes that fit this week’s theme.

Bill Nye the Science Guy has episodes on Fish, Marine Animals and more on YouTube.

The Discovery Channel has an annual Shark Week coming up on July 20. Check out 15 JAW-some Activities for Shark Week with lots of fun ideas for kids in grades 5 and up, but a few for younger kids too.

Photo: mimisdollhouse.com

Welcome to Camp Au Pair in America!

When kids are out of school for the summer, it doesn’t take long for them to become bored and sometimes that leads to sibling squabbles and mischief. Even though they don’t realize it, they are usually missing routine and predictability in their daily schedule. One solution is to make fun plans to keep them busy!

Each week this summer we will share a different Camp Au Pair theme. These weekly themes are designed to give you ideas to keep your host kids occupied and engaged all summer long. They will also be learning. (But shhhh, don’t tell them that part.) Check back each Friday, for the next week’s theme. This gives you a chance to make plans and gather materials for the next week. For each theme there will be crafts, games, snacks and activities. You can just use these ideas or add your own and customize the themes to fit the ages and interests of your host children.

Here are the themes you can look forward to:

  • Under the Sea
  • Outer Space
  • Nature Exploration
  • Dinosaurs
  • Cars and Trucks
  • Bugs & Butterflies
  • Science (STEM)
  • Backyard Safari
  • Art Experiences

Check out Summer Fun & Summer Holidays pin boards for even more ideas.

If you get some great pictures doing these activities with your host kids, please send those to your community counselor. We love to share your accomplishments and inspire other au pairs!

Let’s make this an amazing summer!

Welcome to Camp Au Pair in America!

When kids are out of school for the summer, it doesn’t take long for them to become bored and sometimes that leads to sibling squabbles and mischief. Even though they don’t realize it, they are usually missing routine and predictability in their daily schedule. One solution is to make fun plans to keep them busy! 

Each week this summer we will share a different Camp Au Pair theme. These weekly themes are designed to give you ideas to keep your host kids occupied and engaged all summer long. They will also be learning. (But shhhh, don’t tell them that part.) Check back each Friday, for the next week’s theme. This gives you a chance to make plans and gather materials for the next week. For each theme there will be crafts, games, snacks and activities. You can just use these ideas or add your own and customize the themes to fit the ages and interests of your host children.

Here are the themes you can look forward to:

  • Nature Exploration
  • Art Experiences
  • Under the Sea
  • Science (STEM)
  • Bugs & Butterflies
  • Cars and Trucks
  • Backyard Safari
  • Dinosaurs
  • Explore the World
  • Outer Space
  • Pirate Adventures
  • Princesses & Knights

Check out Summer Fun & Summer Holidays pin boards for even more ideas.

If you get some great pictures doing these activities with your host kids, please send those to your community counselor. We love to share your accomplishments and inspire other au pairs!

Let’s make this an amazing summer!

Smithsonian Folklife Festival

The Folklife Festival will take place June 27-July 1 and July 4-8. 

The annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival is an international exhibition of living cultural heritage. Attracting more than one million visitors yearly, the two-week long celebration is the largest annual cultural event in the United States.

The Festival is held outdoors on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., between the Smithsonian museums. There is no admission charge. Visitors should dress for hot and humid weather. Parking around the Mall is extremely limited, so visitors are advised to use public transportation. L’Enfant Plaza is the closest Metro station to the Festival site. National Archives, Smithsonian, and Federal Center stations are within a half-mile. For assistance planning how to get around, visit www.goDCgo.com. For general Smithsonian visitor information, http://www.si.edu/Visit or call 202.633.1000 (voice).

Festival hours are 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., with special events taking place most evenings beginning at 6:30 p.m. View the schedule here.

I highly recommend that you visit their website to plan your visit http://www.festival.si.edu/

Saint Patrick’s Day

Our cluster met in Old Town Alexandria for the annual Saint Patrick’s Day Parade. Everyone loved it! Some of the au pairs were curious about Saint Patrick’s Day, and why Americans celebrate an Irish holiday. I explained to them that we are a nation of immigrants and this is another wonderful part of the exchange idea one can get with our program. Here is more information on Saint Patrick’s Day:
The Charitable Irish Society of Boston organized the first observance of Saint Patrick’s Day in the United States in 1737. The tradition of celebrating this day continued to grow with the influx of Irish immigrants to the United States.

St Patrick’s Day, on March 17, remembers one of Ireland’s patron saints, St Patrick. It largely celebrates Irish-American culture in the United States but many non – Irish descendants enjoy the celebrations too . Celebrations include Irish themed parties, drinks and food. Many people get into the spirit by dressing in green clothing and eating green colored food. Irish clubs and pubs often hold parties.

St Patrick’s Day is not a federal holiday in the United States. Schools, businesses and organizations are open as usual. Public transport systems run on their regular schedules. The parades may be on or around March 17, so it is a good idea to check local sources for the exact location, date and time. Many parades are held throughout the country to celebrate the holiday. New York City has become the largest Saint Patrick’s Day parade in the world, outside Ireland. Thousands participate in the parade, including bands, firefighters, military and police groups, county associations, emigrant societies, and social and cultural clubs and was watched by close to 2 million spectators lining the streets. The parade marches up 5th Avenue in Manhattan and is always led by the U.S. 69th Infantry Regiment. New York politicians – or those running for office – are always found prominently marching in the parade.

The most common St Patrick’s Day symbol is the shamrock. The shamrock is the leaf of the clover plant and a symbol of the Holy Trinity

If you would like to take part in this American cultural experience check out the nearest parade to you, here http://www.st-patricks-day.com/st_patricks_day_parades_home/

For fun ideas to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day including arts and crafts for children check out our Au Pair in America Pinterest page https://www.pinterest.com/aupairinamerica/st-patrick-s-day-shenanigans/

Being Part of an APIA Cluster

IMG_5776The APIA Community Counselor plans monthly meetings for all au pairs in the APIA program. These can be outings, such as horse back riding, canoeing, or simply a chatty cake and coffee hour.
Some of the most successful meetings are when Team Building exercises are performed.
Recently, we met at the counselor’s home for sweets and lemonade. We split into three groups, and everyone completed the fashion challenge. Identical supplies of duct tape, a roll of white paper, one feather boa, and scissors were allocated to each group. The results were amazing!
Lots of new friends were made as the au pairs worked together on their creations.

IMG_5775IMG_5791

Au Pair Photo Contest

We know there are great photographers out there!  Do you have a favorite shot of the year?  Please enter the APIA photo contest.  The deadline is November 5th.  Winners of each category will receive a $200 gift card and $25 for the runners up ~ the categories are:

 

  • Family portrait
  • Sharing Cultures
  • Helping Hands
  • Young Ones
  • Community service
  • The spirit of America
  • Best in Show

 

Be creative, show us what you’ve got.  Get details and everything you need to enter here:

 

http://www.aupairinamerica.com/pdf/photo_contest_entry_form.pdf

 

The winner could end up on the cover our 2015 brochure!

 

Concert for Valor in D.C.

Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, Rihanna and many other stars will perform on the Mall on Nov. 11 in honor of American veterans and their families.

 

The concert is free to the public.  Get more information here:  http://www.theconcertforvalor.com/