{"id":9815,"date":"2020-09-22T09:12:39","date_gmt":"2020-09-22T13:12:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/?p=9815"},"modified":"2025-11-21T19:26:38","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T00:26:38","slug":"safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/","title":{"rendered":"Safely Venturing Out Post-Lockdown"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Updated 30 April 2021.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you having trouble remembering the “before times”? As the USA reopens, folks are starting to venture out while adhering to federal, state and local guidance. Your area may be starting to open up a little. The Center for Disease Control revised its mask guidance in April 2021<\/a>: Masks may not be necessary when you are outside or with people who live in your household. It may be a good time to come up with some ideas about things that you can do outside with the kids and how to ensure that it is done safely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Review Local Guidance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Guidelines about social distancing and face coverings are mostly being organized on a state and local level, so look into what is required and discuss that with your host family. The key questions are, \u201cWho needs to wear a face covering?\u201d and, \u201cUnder what circumstances do they need to wear them?\u201d You can find the information you need on the website for your state or local county. Keep in mind, what you see others doing may not be a good indicator of the actual rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
All it will take is a quick check before leaving the house.
Image courtesy of Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Review Expectations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Talk to your host family about being around other children at playgrounds or other communal areas that may have opened in your area. What are their expectations about water fountains, hand sanitizer, and wiping down equipment. Everyone is still working through these questions, so having a discussion with your host family will help you feel more confident when you are out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prepare to Go<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pack a bag ahead of time so you are ready to go! Pack enough masks and face coverings for everyone, plus a few extra. Pack a couple of bottles of hand sanitizer, some disinfectant wipes, sunscreen, water, and, of course, snacks! Having everything ready to go will make getting out of the house much easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some quick ideas for easy activities outside with your kids!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Plan a picnic:<\/em> Make some sandwiches or just bring snacks. Grab some toys, frisbees, or balls and head to the local park with a picnic blanket. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"
    Doesn’t this look fun?!
    Image courtesy of Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    1. Go on a short hike:<\/em> Many hiking trails have remained open for small groups. Pick an easy hike and be ready to not get very far at all before heading back if you have little children. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      1. Skip stones at a pond or lake:<\/em> For kids of a certain age, this can provide a lot of fun. Check out youtube for some good how-to videos if you haven\u2019t done this before. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
        1. Take a soccer ball to the local playing fields:<\/em> With team sports still cancelled in some areas, the fields may be empty. Grab a soccer ball or a frisbee and enjoy some wide-open spaces. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
          \"\"
          Something simple can be great fun!
          Image courtesy of Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
          1. Visit a local farm or orchard:<\/em> Family-friendly farms have opened in many areas. Some have animals you can see. Some have apple or berry picking. See what is around your area.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
            1. Organize games and fun challenges for your host kid(s)<\/em>: you don’t need reservations or days of pre-planning to stimulate your kids; sometimes, a little structured activity can make for a memorable afternoon all by itself! Au pair Poppy, for example, took some cardboard to the park and challenged her children to build a structurally-sound house! (She cleaned up the area afterwards, of course!) Au pair Paloma, meanwhile, got everyone involved with family Olympics. Challenges included blindfolded dodgeball, a three-color coloring challenge, Fork Potato Toss, a staring challenge, and more!<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

              Take some time to explore your area on apps and websites like google maps. You can often find parks and places of interest. You can \u201cstar\u201d the ones that seem like good options and save them so you can easily find them again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Have any other ideas? Please let us know! Send us an Instagram<\/a> or Facebook<\/a> message! Want to send a picture of a successful, safe outdoor event? Our email is media@interexchage.org<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              Updated 30 April 2021. Are you having trouble remembering the “before times”? As the USA reopens, folks are starting to venture out while adhering to federal, state and local guidance. Your area may be starting to open up a little. The Center for Disease Control…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":9819,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-au-pair-advice"],"yoast_head":"\nSafely Venturing Out Post-Lockdown<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Safe outdoor activities for au pairs post-lockdown! Learn safety guidelines, preparation tips, and fun activity ideas from picnics to park visits.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Safely Venturing Out Post-Lockdown\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Safe outdoor activities for au pairs post-lockdown! Learn safety guidelines, preparation tips, and fun activity ideas from picnics to park visits.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Au Pair USA Life - Au Pair Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-09-22T13:12:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-22T00:26:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/09\/pexels-mom-phone.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"740\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"418\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mary Beth Grealey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mary Beth Grealey\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mary Beth Grealey\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/#\/schema\/person\/9bf39c5b252f21c375d6e06e3fc9ccac\"},\"headline\":\"Safely Venturing Out Post-Lockdown\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-09-22T13:12:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-22T00:26:38+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/\"},\"wordCount\":690,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/09\/pexels-mom-phone.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Advice for Au Pairs\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/\",\"name\":\"Safely Venturing Out Post-Lockdown\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/09\/pexels-mom-phone.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-09-22T13:12:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-22T00:26:38+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/#\/schema\/person\/9bf39c5b252f21c375d6e06e3fc9ccac\"},\"description\":\"Safe outdoor activities for au pairs post-lockdown! Learn safety guidelines, preparation tips, and fun activity ideas from picnics to park visits.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/09\/pexels-mom-phone.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/09\/pexels-mom-phone.jpg\",\"width\":740,\"height\":418},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Safely Venturing Out Post-Lockdown\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/\",\"name\":\"Au Pair USA Life - Au Pair Blog\",\"description\":\"Blog for Au Pairs\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/#\/schema\/person\/9bf39c5b252f21c375d6e06e3fc9ccac\",\"name\":\"Mary Beth Grealey\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/57e54ca98f48d1f0eb66506c7eb3604cc536a76da95f469b7004215cbf98ac44?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/57e54ca98f48d1f0eb66506c7eb3604cc536a76da95f469b7004215cbf98ac44?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Mary Beth Grealey\"},\"description\":\"Mary Beth was the InterExchange Au Pair USA Local Coordinator for the Chapel Hill area from 2010 to 2021. During that time, she contributed to many Au Pair USA blog posts.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/author\/mgrealey\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Safely Venturing Out Post-Lockdown","description":"Safe outdoor activities for au pairs post-lockdown! Learn safety guidelines, preparation tips, and fun activity ideas from picnics to park visits.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Safely Venturing Out Post-Lockdown","og_description":"Safe outdoor activities for au pairs post-lockdown! Learn safety guidelines, preparation tips, and fun activity ideas from picnics to park visits.","og_url":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/","og_site_name":"Au Pair USA Life - Au Pair Blog","article_published_time":"2020-09-22T13:12:39+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-11-22T00:26:38+00:00","og_image":[{"width":740,"height":418,"url":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/09\/pexels-mom-phone.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Mary Beth Grealey","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Mary Beth Grealey","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/"},"author":{"name":"Mary Beth Grealey","@id":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/#\/schema\/person\/9bf39c5b252f21c375d6e06e3fc9ccac"},"headline":"Safely Venturing Out Post-Lockdown","datePublished":"2020-09-22T13:12:39+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-22T00:26:38+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/"},"wordCount":690,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/09\/pexels-mom-phone.jpg","articleSection":["Advice for Au Pairs"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/","url":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/","name":"Safely Venturing Out Post-Lockdown","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/09\/pexels-mom-phone.jpg","datePublished":"2020-09-22T13:12:39+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-22T00:26:38+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/#\/schema\/person\/9bf39c5b252f21c375d6e06e3fc9ccac"},"description":"Safe outdoor activities for au pairs post-lockdown! Learn safety guidelines, preparation tips, and fun activity ideas from picnics to park visits.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/09\/pexels-mom-phone.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/09\/pexels-mom-phone.jpg","width":740,"height":418},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/au-pair-advice\/safely-venturing-out-post-lockdown\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Safely Venturing Out Post-Lockdown"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/","name":"Au Pair USA Life - Au Pair Blog","description":"Blog for Au Pairs","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/#\/schema\/person\/9bf39c5b252f21c375d6e06e3fc9ccac","name":"Mary Beth Grealey","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/57e54ca98f48d1f0eb66506c7eb3604cc536a76da95f469b7004215cbf98ac44?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/57e54ca98f48d1f0eb66506c7eb3604cc536a76da95f469b7004215cbf98ac44?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Mary Beth Grealey"},"description":"Mary Beth was the InterExchange Au Pair USA Local Coordinator for the Chapel Hill area from 2010 to 2021. During that time, she contributed to many Au Pair USA blog posts.","url":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/author\/mgrealey\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/09\/pexels-mom-phone.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9815"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9815\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10136,"href":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9815\/revisions\/10136"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.aupairusa.org\/au-pairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}