Activities to Try at Home!
Keep your student engaged with these family-friendly activities.
1. Break out the board games or Make Your Own!
Scrabble, Monopoly, Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders…
2. E-visit the Louvre
Transport you and your family to Paris, France by taking a digital tour of one of the most famous international museums, the Louvre.
3. Take a virtual field trip to Yellowstone National Park
Virtually visit the Mud Volcano, Mammoth Hot Springs, and so much more with a digital field trip to Yellowstone.
4. Bake together
Cookies, cakes, brownies. Anything! Baking is a great lesson in measuring, ingredients, and of course, making delicious goodies.
5. Watch the beluga whales at the Georgia Aquarium
There’s a beluga whale webcam set up at the Georgia Aquarium, so you can see what your whale friends are up to at anytime.
6. For the comic lovers, introduce your student to the great American classic comic strip Little Nemo
https://archive.org/details/LittleNemo1905-1914ByWinsorMccay
7. The 7 Minute Workout app
Get some exercise with your student buy utilizing free online workouts
https://www.7minuteworkout.jnj.com/
8. Broadway shows, 7-day free trial
9. Free classes in Art and Art History
10. 450 Ivy League free online classes
https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/ivy-league-free-online-courses-a0d7ae675869/
11. Free Art streaming till the end of April
12. Watch movies with other families and students virtually
Letsgaze.com and kast.gg let you watch movies together online
Dr. Seuss Day
Dr. Seuss Day
A Part of American History
Held annually on March 2nd, Dr. Seuss Day is a holiday that celebrates the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel – otherwise known by the pen name by which he authored children’s books: Dr. Seuss. During the 1990s, the National Education Association advocated for a day to celebrate reading all over the United States. In 1998, it started Read Across America and decided to hold it on the same day as Dr. Seuss’ birthday.
On Dr. Seuss Day, it is customary to read a favorite book with your child. It could be one of Dr. Seuss’s books or it could be another children’s book author. The whole point of the day is to engage children in reading and to get them to read on a regular basis.
Things you can do in March for Read Across America Day!
- Read a Dr. Seuss book as a family!
- Visit your local library & check out a book by an American author – Many libraries have family friendly events too!
New Year, New Cultural Activities!
The start of New Year’s Day, at midnight on January 1st, is heralded by fireworks, parties and special events, which are often televised. Very few people have to work on the day itself. For many it is a day of recovery from the New Year’s Eve celebrations the previous night. In some towns and cities, parades are held and special football games are played. The birth of the first baby in the New Year is often celebrated with gifts to his or her parents and appearances in local newspapers and on local news shows. Many people make New Year’s resolutions. These are usually promises to themselves that they will improve something in their own lives. Common New Year’s resolutions are to stop smoking or drinking alcohol, to lose weight, exercise more or to live a healthier lifestyle.
Martin Luther King Day, January 20th is a relatively new federal holiday and there are few long standing traditions. It is seen as a day to promote equal rights for all Americans, regardless of their background. Some educational establishments mark the day by teaching their pupils or students about the work of Martin Luther King and the struggle against racial segregation and racism. In recent years, federal legislation has encouraged Americans to give some of their time on this day as volunteers in citizen action groups.
Action Plan:
Things you can do to celebrate this January!
- Make a list of resolutions to try to keep in the new year
- Share with your host family what you do for new years in your home country and when it is
- Eat food considered lucky to eat going into the New Year! In America, these include black eyed peas, cabbage, and pork.
- Listen to Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I have a dream” speech
