Some tips from the author:

• Create a scrapbook of the destination! Include photos, children’s books set in the location, points of interest, trivia (for children able to read), and anything else you can think of. This works especially well for new and exotic locations.
• Pack? puzzles and activity books that include reusable stickers,? and games with larger, non-rolling pieces. All-inclusive games like etch-a-sketch or magnetic storyboards? are especially easy for pack and play.
• If children are anxious or just interested in flying, take them to the Museum of Flight in South Seattle. There they can learn about the history of flight and even tour a Boeing 737. Visit their website? for hours, location, and admission.

Please share your kid travel tips or travel stories with us in the

comments section below!

• LEAF PLACEMATS: Go for a walk outside to collect colorful fallen leaves of different shapes and sizes. Then arrange them on a sheet of clear contact paper, and add another piece of contact paper on top to seal the placemat together.
• PINE CONE BIRDFEEDER: Go on an adventure to find the perfect pine cone. Attach a piece of string to the top of the pine cone for hanging. Roll the pine cone in peanut butter and then cover in birdseed. Hang it up outside and see what comes to visit!
• APPLE STAMPING: Cut an apple in half, either direction. Dip the halves in paint and use the fruit as a stamp to create designs on a t-shirt or tote bag. This also works great with gourds, potatoes, and other vegetables. ? You can cut other shapes like stars or hearts.
• PUMPKIN PEOPLE: Collect various pumpkins, gourds, and squashes of different shapes, colors, and sizes. Stack pumpkins of different sizes on top of each other like you?€™re building a snowman (use skewers to attach). Get creative?€”use toothpicks to attach different gourds for ears or noses. Use other natural objects like leaves and flowers for the hair, twigs for arms, and nuts for the eyes. Use a knife to carve out holes to attach the decorations, if needed. Also, you can use paint to create clothes and decorate the pumpkins.
• PUMPKIN CARVING: If you carve a pumpkin, it?€™s great to show children all the different textures and uses for each part of the pumpkin: toast the seeds with cinnamon and sugar for a tasty snack, use the pumpkin insides to make sweet bread or pumpkin pancakes.

We all know that children spread germs easily due to lack of comprehension and close personal contact. As nannies, you have the ability to educate and help facilitate good hygiene habits. The upcoming cold/flu season is being billed by the media as something very scary. H1N1 virus is definitely concerning, but with vigilance and common sense we can all help to discourage the spread of germs. As caregivers of children, nannies have a unique exposure to this at the ground level. Here are some basic guidelines outlined by the CDC:

1. PRACTICE GOOD HAND HYGIENE by washing your hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Parents and child care providers should wash the hands of children who cannot yet wash themselves, and closely monitor children who have not yet mastered proper hand hygiene. If soap and water are not available (like on an outing), use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
2. COVER YOUR MOUTH AND NOSE when you sneeze, with a tissue or into your arm or hands. Teach the children in your care to do this.
3. STAY HOME IF YOU ARE SICK for at least 24 hours after there is no longer a fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit or 37.8 degrees Celsius measured by mouth) or signs of a fever (chills, very warm to the touch, flushed appearance, or sweating). Discuss with your employer in advance how you will both handle illness in their family and sick days.
4. FREQUENTLY CLEAN SURFACES THAT CHILDREN TOUCH such as toys, diaper changing areas, eating areas, etc.

There are several options in Washington state for achieiving education goals. The first is the STARS program. This program is designed to improve childcare through basic training and continuing education. It is mandatory for anyone working in a licensed facility, but it is also available to nannies as well. They offer several options for completing the basic 20 hour program, including online courses, site-based courses, and self-paced correspondence courses. The fees range from $95-$155, depending upon the course you choose.

The second option is to get an AA or BA in Early Childhood Development from a local community college or university. The Washington State Department of Early Learning offers scholarships, apprenticeship programs, and access to various continuing education opportunities.

There are also many organizations that support nannies and early childhood educators. The Washington Association for the Education of Young Children is dedicated to improving the quality and accessibility of early care and education programs for children birth-eight years old. They have regular classes, workshops, and publications all centered around increasing knowledge. The Northwest Nanny Association is a non-profit nanny support group in your own backyard! Their goal is to promote education in the field of childhood development, social networking, and advocacy for the nanny community. The International Nanny Association is another nanny support group whose goal is to serve the in-home childcare industry by providing education, information, and guidance.

Last, but not least, is networking with other nannies. By forming playgroups and your own nanny support groups you can share information-not only the educational kind, but stories good and bad. Being a nanny is a very rewarding career, but it can also be isolating at times. Getting out and meeting other nannies can help you feel more connected and satisfied in your career.

INDOOR ACTIVITIES:

1. Indoor camping- Throw a sheet over your kitchen table and camp out underneath. You can sing campfire songs, make s?€™mores in the microwave, and pretend to go fishing. If you have access to a small pop-tent, these can be set up indoors temporarily and provide hours of entertainment.

2. Write and Illustrate a book- With construction paper and some crayons, the children can become authors and illustrators. If old enough, let them write their own stories and illustrate them (either by drawing pictures or cutting photos out of old magazines) or for younger children, you can write down their story as they dictate it to you.

3. Treasure Hunt- Hide a small treasure (a bag of candy, new game, etc.) somewhere in the house. Use post-it notes to write clues and hide them throughout the house. Each clue leads to another clue, until finally the last one will lead the children to the “treasure.”

4. Caf?© Kids. Let the kids create restaurant menus of items you have in the kitchen. Take turns giving lunch orders to each other (or you). Let everyone be the kitchen staff to prepare the lunches, and then switch to become the customers who get to eat the delicious meals they?€™ve ordered!

5. Oversized painting- Tape several large sheets of paper together on the backside or get a large role of butcher paper. Fill a few containers with different colors of finger-paints and give the kids a box of strange items to make their painting with. Try: a spaghetti strainer, a balloon, a mop head, sponges, rain boots and any other objects you see lying around!

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES:

1. Bubble art- Just about every kid enjoys bubbles! Create your own bubble solution with dishwashing liquid, water, and a teaspoon of sugar. Pour into a shallow container with a wide open mouth and then use odd objects to create your bubbles. String, rubber bands, the spaghetti strainer, straws, slotted spoons and anything else you can think of make some fun bubbles! When the kids tire of making bubbles, add a few drops of food coloring to the bubble solution and have them blow bubbles that pop onto white paper. The result will be an artistic masterpiece made from the rainbow colored bubbles!

2. Scavenger Hunt- Create a list of 20 or more things that can be found naturally outside in your area, things like pinecones, specific flowers, nuts, etc. Send the kids on a scavenger hunt to try and collect one of each item on the list. This can be done as a group effort, or each child can compete with the other to see who can find the most objects the fastest.

3. Yard sale- Help the kids organize a yard sale. They can price their unused toys and clothing and other items that it?€™s time to get rid of. Set up the tables outside with the items to sell and handle the ?€?customers.?€? Anything that doesn?€™t sell can be donated to a local charity or placed on ebay (and the kids could use the money to buy themselves something they want).

4. Plant a container garden- Many vegetables and herbs can be grown indoors or outdoors inside containers. Let the children pick some varieties to grow and tend to them throughout the spring/summer. It may even convince them to eat a vegetable if they know they grew it!

5. Be a tourist- Pretend to be a tourist in your own town and nearby locations. Use maps to discover landmarks, attractions, and parks that you?€™ve never gone to, and plan trips to visit each. There are many interesting things around Seattle that are free. For example: the Aurora Bridge Troll, the downtown Seattle Library, various musuems offer free days, and of course all the wonderful parks!

• Be prompt and be responsive! If a family is taking the time to call you for an interview, call them back right away. If you are going to an interview, arrive early. If you have to cancel, call and email the family. Do not assume they will get your email or your voicemail!
• Be realistic and negotiable! If there are 10 people with equal credientials vying for the same position, it’s not a good idea to be inflexible with regards to salary. We are not saying you should take less than you’re worth, but remember to be open to other types of compensation like paid time off and help with health insurance.
• Make your resume shine! Make sure all your paperwork represents you in the best way possible. Correct grammar and spelling mistakes. These are just not excusable when there is spell check! The old idea that your resume needs to be one page long is not really applicable anymore. Make sure you list ALL of your relevant experience, no matter how far back. It doesn’t matter if a job was 10 years ago and you no longer have a reference, it shows your work history and your professionalism. List your work experience in chronological order with the most recent job first. Make sure you detail out the ages of the children and give a brief summary of your responsibilities.

For the first interview, the safe choice is to dress “business casual,” as first impressions are very important. At the same time, you do not want to wear something that is so formal that it doesn’t give you mobility to get down and interact with the children. A nice pair of slacks and a nice top or collared shirt is a good option.

If the family does invite you back for a second interview or a “working interview,” then a nice pair of jeans and a nice top is appropriate. Since you will be interacting with the children more, you need to wear something that will allow you to easily get down on their level and play with them. Avoid dangling earrings and necklaces that the children can grab a hold of and pull.

Keep in mind that the first impression you make is one of the most important things when meeting potential employers, and first impressions can never be erased!

We recently had a family call us and tell us about a nanny they wanted to hire through another source. They were very excited about this nanny and were preparing an offer for her until they saw her Facebook account. It had posts and pictures about her drinking escapades. The family was immediately turned off and did not offer the nanny their job.

A New York Times article discussed the issue of setting your account to private. Most users assume that if they do this, only their “friends” will be able to see what they post. But, there are multiple ways around the privacy setting. Simply put, if you don’t want anyone else knowing about your private life do not post it online!

There are ways to capitalize your online presence to help you with your job search. In an article on MyCareer.com, they give lots of tips about how posting photos, videos and resume highlights online can actual help attract potential employers. As a nanny, posting pictures of you with children you care for, discussing your childcare experience and posting amusing stories can be beneficial.

We are often asked when is the best time to look for a job? Our answer is? that it? depends upon what type of job.?  For example, right now is a busy hiring time for part time after school nannies to begin in September. These types of jobs are perfect for students or for those who have other pursuits in the morning.? January is another? time of year that a lot of jobs come on the? market.? At that time of year they tend to be full time jobs and usually a lot of infant positions.? ? In general families start searching for nannies about one month prior to their desired start date. So, whether you are looking for a full time, or part time job to start in September….the time to start searching is now!