Au Pair in America

Dr. Seuss's Birthday

Born in Massachusetts in 1904, Dr. Seuss wrote The Cat in the Hat and more than fifty other books. These books are fun to read aloud, and some of them are written as easy to read for beginning readers. Visit the library to find books. If you are caring for children ages 3-7, they might enjoy a visit to www.seussville.com/seussville/university/, where favorite Seuss characters help children learn about the world around them "with fun that is funny."

Red Cross Month

Au Pair in America will pay for the cost of a Red Cross class providing you have at least three months left on your visa and are taking one of several approved child care/child safety related classes, such as infant/child CPR or Community First Aid and Safety. Check with your counselor for details or visit www.aupairinamerica.com/resources/life_in_the_us/procedure_6.asp.

Make a Bird Feeder

Birds are starting to migrate. Make a bird feeder by covering a large pinecone with peanut butter (do not do this if your child has nut allergies) and rolling it in birdseed. Hang from a branch where you can see it from a window.

The Iditarod Begins!

This 1149-mile (1849 kilometer) race across Alaska (look at the map and find Anchorage and Nome) includes more than 84 mushers (dog sled drivers) and more than a thousand dogs. Follow all of the action at www.iditarod.com/.

Chalk!

Chalk on the sidewalk is great fun. Kids love to have their whole body outlined and then fill in the drawing with clothes and a face. If you still have ice or snow outside, try white or colored chalk inside on construction paper or brown wrapping paper. The drawings can be made permanent, so they won't rub off, by spraying with hair spray (best to spray outside, and certainly away from the children).

National Women's History Month

March is National Women's History Month. Look for books at the local library, and find out about famous local women or accomplished women in your host family. Read more about it at www.infoplease.com/spot/womenshistory1.html.

Color Walk!

Choose a color and walk around the neighborhood to see how many things you can find of that color.

Daylight Savings Begins

Be sure to set the clocks forward one hour!

Snowballs in the Kitchen

In most parts of the U.S., there is no more snow outside, but you can cook "snowballs" in the kitchen.

Ingredients:

• 1 3-oz bag of natural microwave popcorn
• 2 12-oz bags of white chocolate chips
• 1 ¼-oz container of white cake sparkles (edible glitter)

Prepare popcorn as directed on the package (do not let children open the bag as the steam can burn). Cool completely, then remove any unpopped kernels. Melt the candy as directed on the package, being careful not to overheat. Carefully pour the melted chocolate over the popcorn, stirring gently until the popcorn is coated. Gently but firmly mold the coated popcorn into snowball shapes. Set on wax paper and sprinkle with edible glitter.

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: reading the story of Esther, festivity and rejoicing, sending gifts (usually food), and giving gifts to the poor. It is customary to dress in costume for the celebration. For more information, including traditional recipes and activities for children, visit www.holidays.net/purim/. (Note: all Jewish holidays begin at sundown and end the following day at sundown.)

Indoor Garden

Spring is on the way, but it’s probably too cold for gardening outside. Try this very simple and fun indoor gardening project: Take a root vegetable (potato, carrot, turnip or beet) and cut off the top 1-2 centimeters. Hollow out the inside. Tie a string around the vegetable and fill it with water. Hang it in a window and watch what happens! Don't forget to add water as needed.

Deaf History Month

The dates of Deaf History Month mark the days on which important gains were made for education for the deaf. Although not used universally by the deaf, American Sign Language is an important communication tool. It consists of both finger spelling and gestures for complete words. Children old enough to spell will enjoy learning finger spelling. Visit www.masterstech-home.com/ASLDict.html for the alphabet and gestures that make up American Sign Language. Consider taking an ASL course at your local university or community college.

Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein was born on this day in 1879 in Germany. Because of his wild hair and his accent, he may have contributed to the idea of a “mad scientist,” but he wasn’t mad at all. In fact, he was a very thoughtful person, and he especially thought about how things work. Einstein thought that the way you see things depends on your point of view. This is the basis of his famous theory of relativity. Children may be interested to know that as a child he was very shy and quiet and didn’t like school because he liked to think creatively instead of repeating things. He was so curious that whenever he wanted to know something he went to find the answer and learned many things from reading books.

Make a Necklace

Use a licorice “shoelace” and cereal for young children, and then they can eat the whole thing. For something less sticky, use string and uncooked pasta.

St. Patrick’s Day

The person who was to become St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was born in Wales about 385 AD. He died on March 17 in 461 AD. That day has been commemorated as St. Patrick's Day ever since. St. Patrick is said to have given a sermon from a hilltop that drove all the snakes from Ireland. Of course, no snakes were ever native to Ireland. Though originally a Catholic holy day, St. Patrick's Day has evolved into more of a secular holiday. It has been celebrated in the U.S. since 1737. One traditional icon of the day is the shamrock, which stems from a more bona fide Irish tale that tells how Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Trinity. He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity. His followers adopted the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day. For fun ideas for celebrating with children, visit www.billybear4kids.com/holidays/stpatty/fun.htm.

Windy Days

March is known for its windy days. It would be a great day to fly a kite or take a pinwheel outside. Check here for directions on making your own pinwheel: www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/pinwheel/.

First Day of Spring

Today is the first day of spring! Take a walk outside and look for signs of spring – swelling buds on the trees, flowers poking up from the ground, more birds back in the trees.

Pet Rocks

Make an imaginative pet using a smooth stone. Make a face with marker or paint. Decorate with feathers, sequins, yarn, buttons, or whatever else you can find.

Harry Houdini's Birthday

Born in 1886, Houdini was a legendary magician, escape artist, contortionist and showman. Try some easy magic tricks found at www.kidzone.ws/magic/.

Make a Picture Frame

Glue 4 popsicle sticks (available in craft departments) in a square to make a frame. Decorate the frame with glitter, lace, yarn, feathers, stickers, confetti, or whatever you have on hand. Mount a picture from the back and be sure to date it! You can also glue a magnet on from the back so that the picture can hang on the refrigerator. (This activity is suitable for children 3 and older.)

Pretend Day at the Beach

Put on swimsuits, relax on those beach towels, and pretend!

Stamping

Rubber stamps and stamp pads are fun, but for a change try sponge and some kitchen utensils or cut shapes into a potato, apple, or orange. You could even let the child dip his or her hand into some water-based paint to make great pictures.

Van Gogh's Birthday

Vincent Van Gogh was a famous Dutch painter from the 1800s. Show the children some of his paintings at www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/gogh/landscapes/. Using tempera paints, they might want to try to paint a picture of their own. Show them how mixing primary colors (red, yellow and blue) can make new colors. Look at all the colors Van Gogh used in his skies!