Exchange student

[underneaththeash]

Does anyone have any advice/experience about hosting an exchange student. DS1's arrives in a month and looking at the info, she doesn't seem to have an enormous amount in common with my pretty unsociable boy (she likes shopping and parties!)
They have outings planned in London/Windsor most days during the week, but they are with us evenings and weekend. .

I have emailed her parents to introduce us and sent a photo of us and her room but the plan is:

day one: relax at home - dinner etc.
day two or day three: my au pair will take her and her friends out shopping in Westfield and for dinner.
Day 4: Scouts with Thomas
Saturday - Morning - cooking
Afternoon - ??
Sunday - ??
We'll do a Sunday roast in the evening with her.

Any tips/ideas? My DD is 8 so I'm not experienced with her age group at all!

What's her age?

could you send her and your ds somewhere like bowling with his friends who also have exchanges? that would take up the afternoon. and then evening, you could watch a film at home, or see if you can get cheap theatre tickets for a local show?

Harry Potter studio tour is a winner with all foreign exchange students in my area.

Pp suggestion of bowling is a good one. Or ice skating/ climbing wall or other local sports type fun activity. Plus a get together with others who also have exchange students.
When my ds’s exchange came it was over bonfire night so we took him to the fireworks.

Maybe a trip to a dessert type place or an ice cream parlour.

Get together with other people with an exchange partner. Makes life easier. We did bowling, swimming, crazy golf, ice skating exhausting but made life easier

How old? We did HP with one, London with another (Kensington/Knightsbridge as not on the other trips). Evenings were board/card games, wii, "British" dinners and tagging along to activities. If you are near the coast that could be worth it for fish and chips etc.

Find out what the other families are doing - we did a group trip to the local trampoline park

She’s 13 - So we’ve teamed up with another family one afternoon. Harry Potter Studios is ideal (we only live 20 minutes away!) and we have trampoline park nearby and bowling. Thanks,

We found that our poor exchange girl was exhausted with all the trips arranged by the school and just needed some down time, so try not to pack too much in.

She and DD enjoyed some games on the Wii as they language thing didn't matter too much. They also played a couple of board game that they both knew so again the language wasn't so important.

We also did a homemade pizza night (they can pick toppings) and dvd.

Do you realise you’ve put your son’s name in the OP, OP?

We had a Chinese student for a week we went to the theatre (saw a musical), bowling and an Indian takeaway evening with another exchange family.

At the weekend she & my DD went shopping and to a local art gallery on the Saturday. On the Sunday we went as a family to Liverpool to the Tate, Maritime Museum, more shopping and then to to the beach.

We just had an exchange student, and I was dreading it, but it turned out to be a great experience.

I would echo pp who said that school usually provides an exhausting itinerary of "the sights", so in general the exchange students like some downtime and to do normal things like shopping. Westfield is my worst nightmare, but teens love it (perhaps partner up again - I'm sure there will be some takers among the exchangers). We also went to Spitalfields, which was a hit - loads of interesting shops and stalls in and around the market. Camden Market another one. Bowling a great idea. Don't think you have to provide endless cultural activities.

Our exchange student's favourite evening was when we stayed in and watched "Strictly" (well, it is a part of British culture) with pizza on our laps.

Plan just one activity, and help facilitate the rest (like shopping), and then be as normal as possible. It will be fine!