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Winter Wonder

Winter is finally here! It’s getting chilly outside, and it’s the perfect time for host families and exchange students to enjoy fun winter activities together! Our students might be new to American winter traditions, so here is a list of 10 ideas of how you can have a blast together this winter:

1. Decorate a Christmas Tree

Whether or not you purchase a Christmas tree from a store or a Christmas tree farm, it’s fun to decorate it with ornaments, Christmas lights, and more! Try making homemade decorations as a fun craft to do together.

2. Go Ice Skating

Ice skating is a classic winter activity that can be done indoors and outdoors! If you or your student are new to ice skating, you can try taking ice lessons together.

3. Give Gifts

In America, it’s typical to give gifts to friends and family for the holidays. You can exchange gifts on Christmas or play fun gift games like White Elephant or Secret Santa!

4. Build a Snowman

If it’s snowing in your area, building a snowman is a fun winter tradition! You can decorate your snowman with materials like sticks, vegetables, and more.

5. Have a Snowball Fight

Have a ball battling with each other in a snowball fight using real snowballs or “indoor” snowballs!

6. Drink Hot Chocolate

When it’s cold outside, it’s the perfect time to stay indoors and drink hot chocolate by the fire to stay warm and cozy.

7. Make a Gingerbread House

It’s fun to build a gingerbread house with candy and icing! Be creative with how you assemble and decorate your gingerbread house.

8. See a Christmas Light Show

You can drive around together to see neighborhoods decorated with Christmas lights or watch professional Christmas light displays!

9. Watch Holiday Movies Together

Winter is a great time to watch classic holiday movies like A Christmas Story, It’s a Wonderful Life, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and more.

10. Share the Story of Santa Claus

In America, Santa Claus is thought of as the jolly man wearing a red suit who delivers toys to children on Christmas, but Santa is portrayed differently in other countries. You can share the American story of Santa Claus with your student and ask about their country’s Santa traditions!

We hope that our host families and students have an great time together this winter. If you’d like to share your stories and pictures with us, please send them to info@saeglobal.org.

If you aren’t hosting a student currently and are interested, it’s not too late! We are currently matching students for the Spring 2018 semester and 2018-2019 school year, and you have the chance to share new experiences with them too. Visit our photo listing to meet our students and check back regularly to meet any new students added. Contact us today to find out how you can change one student’s life through education and cultural exchange!

SAE Gives Back

In November, our host families and exchange students celebrated International Education Week and Thanksgiving by showing appreciation and giving back to the community. For many students, it was their first time experiencing American fall traditions like eating Thanksgiving dinner and going Black Friday shopping.

Check out some of the fun activities our students and families shared below! We hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving and look forward to enjoying winter activities together. Stay tuned for highlights from our December SAE event!

Student exchange is a fantastic way to share American traditions like Thanksgiving with a student and learn about how they celebrate traditions in their home country. If you aren’t hosting a student currently and are interested, now is the time to sign up! We are currently matching students for the Spring 2018 semester and 2018-2019 school year! You can have the chance to share new experiences with them too. Visit our photo listing to meet our waiting students and check back regularly to meet any new students added. You can also sign up to be a backup host family or submit a FREE application now to host a student in the future! Contact us today to find out how you can change one student’s life through education and cultural exchange!