Au Pair in America

Eid al-Fitr (North America)

Ramadan ends with the festival of Eid al-Fitr, literally the "Festival of Breaking the Fast." Eid al-Fitr is one of the two most important Islamic celebrations; like all Islamic holidays, it begins at sundown. Prayers, feasts, and family get-togethers are the major highlights of the celebrations. It was during this month that the holy Koran was revealed. "Eid" means recurring happiness or festivity. Greetings of "Eid-Mubarak," or "a blessed Eid," are exchanged. A very important aspect of Eid is charity, which all the Muslims are expected to extend to the needy.

Month of the Young Adolescent

Dedicated to ages 10-15, this month serves as a reminder of the insecurity of young adolescents. Help the young adolescents you care for to recognize their abilities. Help to make home a safe and comfortable place where it is okay to learn from mistakes. Help them to learn about the adult values of hard work, family, and discipline. Read more about this at the National Middle School Association website: http://www.nmsa.org.

Cookie Month

Cookies are popular every day, but since this is Cookie Month, you might want to bake your own with children ages 4 and up, or buy large plain sugar cookies at the store and have fun decorating them with store-bought icing, chocolate chips, sprinkles, and other toppings.

Try this easy recipe:

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 32 graham crackers, crushed)
• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

Combine all ingredients by stirring in a mixing bowl. Spread into a greased 8x8x2-inch square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool cookie bars on wire rack. Makes about 18 cookie bars.

Le Corbusier

The influential Swiss architect le Corbusier was born in 1887. He is best known for his architecture, but he was also a sculptor, a painter, and a city planner. Today would be a good day to take out blocks and empty boxes to build a city with the children. Where would people live, shop, play outdoors, and go to school? Children ages 7 and up might be interested in making this a large project, with an airport, train station, office buildings, and more.

World Smile Day

This is a day dedicated to good cheer and good works: "Do an act of kindness – help one person smile." Use your imagination to think of little ways to bring a smile to someone’s face – kind words, good deeds, thoughtful gestures. There is no limit to the things you can do.

Fire Safety Week

Please be sure you know all the fire safety tips, and review them with your children by visiting http://www.ou.edu/oupd/kidsafe/fire.htm.

Yom Kippur

Beginning at sunset, Yom Kippur is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The observance is also known as the Day of Atonement since the events of Yom Kippur focus on asking and granting forgiveness. Many Jews attend services at a synagogue or temple on the eve and day of Yom Kippur. On Yom Kippur, many Jews perform no work and abstain from food and drink for 24 hours. Learn more about Yom Kippur at http://www.holidays.net/highholydays/.

International Drum Month

Here are instructions (from http://www.pbskids.org/zoom) for a drum experiment for school age children. Remind them that drums can be played softly too!

• First get a container that you think will make a good drum, like a metal bowl or an oatmeal container. Larger containers make better sounds.
  
  
• Put double-sided tape all the way around the container 2 inches from the top.
  
  
• Cut 2 pieces of shrink-wrap big enough to cover the tape on the container. Then, push it onto the tape.
  
  
• Tape the edges of the shrink-wrap with masking tape so it's really secure.
  
  
• Now blow-dry the shrink-wrap with a blow dryer set on hot. This shrinks the plastic and makes a very tight drum. Be sure you don't put the end of the blow dryer too close to the plastic, or it will melt.
  
  
• Once it's really tight, bang your drum.

Now it's time to experiment. Try to change the sound your drum makes. Can you make a drum with a really deep sound? Test it out with different containers.

Younger children might like to use a coffee can as a drum and bang on it along with some lively music.

Spinning and Weaving

Children ages 3 and up can weave fabric or paper or even fences! If you have a chain link or picket fence, give the kids strips of crepe paper, fabric or plastic and let them "weave" it through the spaces in the fence. Or take a piece of construction paper and cut slits in it about a half inch apart. Take another piece of a different color and cut into strips a half-inch wide. The children can weave the strips into the other paper (over and under) to make a colorful and useful placemat. You might be able to find loops and a small loom to help them make an inexpensive but very useful potholder.

Columbus Day

The day commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the “New World.” Learn more about Christopher Columbus and his impact on what is now America at http://www.columbusnavigation.com/.

Sukkot

Sukkot is a joyous Jewish holiday that lasts for seven days and remembers the time that Israelites wandered in the desert during their journey to the Promised Land. It is observed by the building of a temporary dwelling (a sukkah) decorated with fruits and other symbols of the harvest.

National Pizza Month

Pizza is easy and fun to make and can be a nutritious meal for the children. Buy ready made pizza dough (in the refrigerated or freezer section at the supermarket) or a ready-made crust (in the bread department). Buy shredded mozzarella cheese and a jar of pizza sauce. If you want meat on the pizza, you can cook a small amount of ground beef in a pan until it is brown. If you would like vegetables, sauté some sliced peppers, onions, or mushrooms in a little bit of oil. You and the children can then make the pizza. First, the dough or crust goes on a cookie sheet or pizza pan if you have one. Then spread the sauce, add the other toppings, and last of all, sprinkle the cheese. Bake as directed for the crust. Be careful, as the oven must be very hot to make a nice crusty pizza.

National Stamp Collecting Month

Collecting stamps is a fun and easy introduction to geography, history, art, and nature. Help your children start a stamp collection by sharing stamps from your letters from home. Ask your au pair friends for stamps from their countries. Learn more at http://www.themysterybox.com.

John le Carré Born

John le Carré, a British spy novelist, was born in 1931. He was a spy, but his stories are all invented. There are spy books for children too. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh is popular with children ages 9-12. Younger children enjoy the I Spy books of picture riddles by Jean Marzollo.

Computer Learning Month

Most likely all the children in your household know how to use a computer. Use this month to learn new skills, explore new websites, or create computer projects together. Why not work on a web page together that will last as a reminder of their time with you? See http://www.pagetutor.com/html_tutor/index.html for instructions.

Baseball World Series

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. Visit http://aupairinamerica.com/aupairs/baseball.htm to learn all about baseball.

United Nations Day

This is the anniversary of the creation of the United Nations in 1947, committed to peace and development, based on the principles of justice, human dignity, and the wellbeing of all people. Teach your children something about your country today – a song, a story, game, a new food, or a national tradition.

Dinosaur Month

Dinosaurs are fascinating, but no more so than to preschool and young school age children. Visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/dinosaurs/ for online games, information, and activities all about dinosaurs. Check your local library for fact and fantasy about dinosaurs.

James Cook Born

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. You can read his full biography at http://www.south-pole.com/p0000071.htm.

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.

Halloween

This is the day children dress up in costumes and, in many communities, go door-to-door to ask for candy. Click here for some great costume ideas.

Safety on Halloween is extremely important – children should never eat unwrapped candy.

Try special Halloween recipes:

• Black Punch:
  
  Start with grape juice and add orange drink mix and ginger ale. If you are serving enough kids to put it into a punch bowl, you can add a very special touch: fill a disposable plastic glove (make sure it has no powder) with water, tie the end closed, and freeze. When it is frozen solid, run it quickly under warm water, peel off the glove, and add the hand to your punch!
  
  
• Halloween Rice Krispie Treats:
  
  Make Rice Krispie Treats (recipe on the box) with drops of yellow and red food coloring added in. Shape the treats into balls before baking and add candy corn or licorice to make a Jack-O-Lantern face.
  
  
• Pumpkin Muffins:
  
  Ball or bake pieces you've cut out of a pumpkin to make the Jack-O-Lantern until they are soft (about 30 minutes). Cook, peel, and mash the cooked pumpkin. Mix with 3/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Add 1 egg, 2 tablespoons milk, and 2 tablespoons butter. Spoon into muffin tins and bake at 400° F for 20 minutes.
  
  
• Pumpkin Seeds:
  
  Wash the seeds you removed when you carved the Jack-O-Lantern and spread them on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350° F for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Do not feed these to children under 3!