CT Homeschoolers Conventions

There are 2 notable and local homeschooling conventions coming up...

TEACH 2010 Convention (early registration ends June 4th, save $10)
Friday & Saturday, June 11 & 12, 2010
First Cathedral
1151 Blue Hills Avenue
Bloomfield, CT

TEACH also is having its 2nd Annual Used Curriculum Sale in Waterbury
Saturday, April 17, 2010
10a-1p
Waterbury Christian Fellowship
1 Dube Lane
Waterbury, CT

MASSHope 2010 Convention (early registration ends April 1st, save $10)
Friday & Saturday, April 23 & 24, 2010
The DCU Center
Worcester, MA
View the convention brochure
This is one of the largest conventions in our area. You have your choice among 5 or 6 workshops for each session. There are about 5 sessions each day, as well as a lunch session and general session. There are also separate sessions for teens. Ages 5-13 may also partake in a Children's Program.

Classical Conversations Groton/Mystic CT

Today in Hamden, we enjoyed a visit from Leigh Bortins, founder of Classical Conversations. She reviewed the trivium of the Classical model for Education and founding principles behind the CC curriculum.

Leigh has a weekly internet radio show called Leigh! At Lunch. You can access previous shows at her blog 1 Smart Mama. Also, her newest book "The Core", published by MacMillan, is geared toward a secular audience. It will be available for sale on Amazon.com in June. With this release, the CC community hope to make it a best seller by purchasing during the first week of its availability.

Additionally, we received her self-published book for being the ones who traveled the farthest at 1hr and 10 minutes. "Echo in Celebration: A Call to Home-Centered Education" sends "forth a call to anyone who loves children to consider the challenges of academically preparing sturdents during the age of global technologies... to teach children to echo in celebration the wonder of great thoughts well understood". The book "challenges parents to believe that they are created to competently pass on the love of learning aboutl life to their children"

I also met a family from East Hampton CT who were eager to here that I am opening a CC Chapter in Groton/Mystic for Fall 2012. Actually, they are praying that I open it this fall!

Our first year at CC Hamden (and first year homeschooling in general) has been an enjoyable learning experience. I've observed what it takes to smoothly manage a CC chapter, to tutor (I filled in as a Substitute Tutor), and to teach the curriculum to Rilla. Although I am eager to open a CC chapter in Groton/Mystic, I am planning to become an office Tutor while Rilla continues in her 2nd year and Max enrolls in his first year at the CC Hamden chapter. With that, it makes the most sense that I spend my third year increasing my responsibilities as a Director to Classical Conversations in Groton/Mystic for Fall 2012! This seems to me the most natural evolution of our journey. But what do I know? He may have other plans for me...

Edible Books @ Bill Memorial Library

Today we presented our edible creations at the local Bill Memorial Library. Rilla chose "Madeline" by Ludwig Bemelmans and we both brainstormed ways to recreate it in edible form. She suggested building the Eiffel tower as shown on the book. I suggested it be made using a cookie dough. She came up with the peeps for the friends while Sam offered that Madeline be a single Madeleine cookie. Rilla added a bow made with Fruit Roll Up. I remembered having on specific cake pan on hand (Wilton 2105-2861 3D Choo Choo Train). Max agreed that it should be for "The Little Engine That Could" by Watty Piper. For both projects, I did the baking while the kids decorated, for the most part. Here are photos of the just-baked train and Eiffel tower pieces. The 2 faces are on top and 3 side pieces on bottom. I made an extra side piece just in case.



In the end, Rilla's hands hurt after decorating one side of the Eiffel tower with X's using the black icing tube. I finished the other side. Sam and I assembled the tower made of 2 decorated faces and 2 sides to give it a 3D look. Max colored the icing and covered the train blue. I added details. He dyed the coconut green and sprinkled this grass. I made the ascending platform/hill out of cardboard covered with foil. In all, a fun time designing, creating, and eating.

7th Annual Irish Mystic Parade

What a beautiful day for a parade, Mystic's St. Patrick's Day Parade to be specific. Today was sunny and high 60's! It certainly brought out the crowd.

The parade was scheduled to start at 1p near the Mystic Seaport on Greenmanville and wind its way to Main St, finally crossing the drawbridge and ending near the bookstore and Mystic Pizza. We arrived a bit after 1p and grabbed a private spot in my friends driveway (Thanks Em!) just blocks from downtown. Good thing - parking was already overflowing onto Allyn street near the I-95 junction!

High school bands, fire departments, police departments, trucks, motorcycles, go-carts made to look like mini-fire engines and mini-trucks, plenty of bagpipes and pipers, local organizations, civic groups, scouts, and local retailers were represented for about 2.5 hours! The last was the traditional Wells Fargo, horse-drawn wagon bringing up the rear.

If you've never been, it really is a great site to see.

Tercentennial Playground, Groton CT

We love this playground - a variety of climbing playscapes, swings, slides, rubber turf floor, and sand playscape make it a local favorite. It is situated right beside Poquonnock Plains park which has several fields (great for playing ball) and a pebbled track around its circumference.

With our recent run of warm weather, we're finding that it gets pretty busy at noon through 4:30. Here are recent photos that I took early this morning...

When we go the park(s) before school lets out, it has become a habit of mine to scope out children who are Rilla's age, who might be homeschoolers. Funny thing, I think other homeschooling parents have the same habit, too.

One more than 2 occasion, an observing parent has asked Rilla: So, what grade are you in?
Rilla: (looks at me then looks at the parent not really sure what to say)
I jump in: I suppose you can say K/1st Grade. We homeschool (I say apologetically as if they won't understand)
Other Parent: (smiling) We do too! Glad to meet you...
And so begins our conversation of how we started, challenges, rewards, what we've found to work, etc. We are already part of several co-ops and networks, but it continues to be encouraging for me to have these chance encounters. It's like we've each stumbled upon this wonderful secret and delight in sharing our experiences.

Edible Books Festival at Bill Memorial Library

Entry forms were due today for the Edible Books festival. This year, Rilla, Max and I are entering 2 creations inspired by the books Madeline Lost in Paris and The Little Engine that Could. I visited a few sites (Books2Eat, Austin TX Edible Books, Univ. of Illinois Edible Books) for ideas but ultimately asked the kids for their suggestions. One was Rilla's choice and the other was my idea, because I have a Wilton train pan. Max enthusiastically agreed and said he'd have fun with decorating. Here is the flyer for the festival:

Please join us for the Fourth Annual Edible Books* Festival

March 28, 2010

Hosted this year by the Bill Memorial Library

240 Monument St, Groton

*What is an Edible Book? We’re looking for donations of any creation that look like a book, pun on a title, refer to a character, or have something to do with books - it just has to be edible.

Event Schedule: 12:30 to 1 p.m.—set up “books” 1 to 1:45 p.m.—ooohing and aaahing by public 1:45 p.m.— “book tasting” 2:00 p.m.—raffle

Sponsors: Friends of the Bill Memorial Library 860-445-0392 Friends of the Mystic & Noank Library 860-536-7721 Groton Public Library Circle of Friends 860-441-6750 For further information or to help out with this “tasteful” event, please contact one of the sponsors. Entry forms are available at all three libraries.

Storywalk @ Poquonnock Plains Park

Another beautiful day! We played at the Tercentennial Park (aka Poquonnock Plains or Soccer Park) after returning from CC Hamden. Turns out, our usual group of moms had the same idea and so it seemed we “resumed” our Tuesday afternoon meet-up with the nice weather. It was great to catch up. The park was busy. We also learned of the Storywalk that was set up beside the loop which outlines the soccer fields. Starting at the Tercentennial Park sign, 2-page spreads of the book “The Big Storm: A Very Soggy Counting Book” by Nancy Tafuri, are posted at regular intervals. My kids enjoyed running from board to board, reading along as we followed along the track – a half mile loop! And it was a good read.

The “Storywalk” project was done in collaboration with Groton Parks and Rec, as well as the local libraries including Bill Memorial Library and Groton Public Library. That “The Big Storm” was chosen for “Storywalk” was based on this year’s One Book Every Young Child book selection by representatives from 13 libraries over southeastern CT.

Stonecroft Country Inn and Restaurant

Yesterday was my dad's 75th birthday and we celebrated it with a surprise dinner at this lovely establishment, Stonecroft Country Inn. Tucked away on Pumpkin Hill Road in Ledyard, Stonecroft is set on 6.5 acres of peaceful countryside.

Chef Shaheed Toppin helped me to create a customized menu for the birthday celebration. It was a 3-course meal and our guests could choose the following:

for soup,

• Butternut Squash Bisque or
• Lobster Bisque

for salad (served with toasted bread and an delicious garlic spread),

• Stonecroft House Salad (mixed greens, julienne vegetable, plum tomatoes, croutins, balsamic vinaigrette) or
• Caesar Salad with seasoned croutins or
• Natalie Salad (baby spinach, walnuts, soft goat cheese, dried cranberries, raspberry vinaigrette)

for entree,

• Oven Roasted Tilapia with Deviled Crab Gratin or
• Chicken Piccata with a White Wine , Lemon & Caper Butter Sauce or
• 8oz. Grilled Filet Mignon with Grilled Portabello Mushroom Demi-Glaze

For the kiddos, Chef also made available for their choosing, a gourmet platter of lightly fried chicken tenders and wedge-style fries.

For dessert and celebration, we ordered a 3-layered birthday cake from Mystic Market. It featured a delicately flavored mango mousse filling between the layers of vanilla cake. The icing was lightly sweetened whipped cream... a simply sweet ending to a wonderful meal.


Tea, coffee, wine, and other beverages were readily available. The staff (we had about 6 on hand for 40 people) was smooth and attentive, the food divine, the service impeccable, the ambience simply lovely. The inviting dining area featured a partial stone interior, exposed beam ceiling and a wood burning fireplace. Everything made for a wonderfully memorable evening. It's one of those places that you mention to everyone because you want more people to know and enjoy this place hidden on Pumpkin Hill Rd - you won't be disappointed!


Stonecroft Inn
515 Pumpkin Hill Rd
Ledyard CT 06339
800 772 0774

Kitchen Little (Mystic) Tiny space, huge delight!

The eight of us, being aware of Kitchen Little’s limited space, snuck in early for lunch at 11:25 today. It’s a small establishment whose dining area seats 18 (in tables of 2 and 4) with bar-style seating for an additional 6. Nothing fancy, but it’s a clean, cozy, and sunlit space. There’s room for more if you count the outdoor seating (under canopy) with immediate (and picturesque) view of the Mystic River.

We were lucky and grabbed a corner area of 3 tables that sat 4, 2, and 2. Our order was taken quickly, drinks served, and within 20 minutes our order arrived: 2 kiddie cheeseburgers, 1 kiddie hotdog, 4 hot lobster rolls, 1 scallop roll and 4 cups of clam chowder. First off, the clam chowder is Rhode Island-style clear broth and was tasty with onions, potatoes, and clam-generous. The meat in the rolls was hot and fresh, lightly seasoned, and butter’ed just right. All meals were served with perfectly/lightly toasted New England rolls and crispy fries, also very good. The kiddie burgers were about a quarter-lb and perfectly portioned for the little ones. Speaking of portions, the sizes of our meals were just right. We finished our rolls (overflowing with just enough meat) and departed satisfied with fries remaining on our plates.

Lucky for our group, we were able to get in on a slow winter day. If you are in Mystic during the warmer season, stop in for a bite. It’s well worth the wait (and you will have to wait)! There’s a nifty whiteboard sign-up near the entrance to give you an idea of how long the wait will be.

Kitchen Little
135 Greenmanville Avenue (Route 27 )
Mystic, CT 06355
(860) 536-2122

KidCity Childrens Museum photos, Middletown CT

Paid a visit to KidCity Childrens Museum yesterday and I can’t say enough good things about this place! What a thoughtfully designed, creative, and engaging place to play and discover! Come to find out that a lot of the work is done by neighboring Wesleyan art students. This museum is essentially 2 older homes combined and expanded with modern flair to house rooms upon rooms of creative play areas. The KidCity site was very informative, but the photos were few. Browsing through the internet, I came up with nothing as well. With that, here are some of my photos to give you a better idea of what to expect. I was able to take photos of the rooms empty because there seems to be less visitors during the week and in the early opening hours.

These photos are just some of the creative spaces that delighted me including: the Fishery with ship, Asia with mountain and bridge, Farm with clubhouse and chicken coop, Train table village, Diner, and Farmhouse kitchen beside a fun carrot patch, the Rocket Ship (there’s also a UFO Saucer!).

There are still more rooms that I didn’t show like: the Victorian reading room featuring an oversized brush that serves as the bench, the Puppet/Dress-up Studio room featuring a working video camera that can be manipulated during performance, the Sea Caves on the bottom floor for ages 3 and under, to name a few.

In short, you’ll find artfully painted rooms with attention to detail, PLENTY of seating for adults, engaging activities in each room. My kids’ favorite was the Fishery where plastic fish are transported and gathered via sliding belts and pulley systems throughout the room. Also a hit was the Farm room with a clubhouse and bucket system between the ground and 2nd floors, as well as the neighboring egg activity area.

Logistics… there is plenty of parking, ample coat storage that features a newly added eating area with fountain and hand washing stations (so pack those lunches!), and many spacious bathrooms (at least 7!) spread throughout the museum. Here are photos of the eating area near the coat room.

Finally, consider getting the Association of Children’s Museums reciprocal membership for $100 which will get you into any participating ACM museum in the United States or abroad. In CT, your ACM membership also gets you into the Childrens Museum in West Hartford, Childrens Museum of Southeastern CT in Niantic, Imagination Nation Children’s Museum in Bristol, Lutz Children’s Museum in Manchester, Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk.

KidCity Children's Museum

119 Washington St

Middletown CT 06457

860 347 0495

Young At Art, Mystic Arts Center

Today I received an email from another homeschooling mom who I can always count on to be in-the-know of all the local educational and enrichment happenings. Her email informed us of an upcoming exhibit, Young At Art, held by the Mystic Arts Center. They were currently seeking art by students in the elementary through high school grades, to be featured in the museum from March 6 through April 3, 2010.

Young At Art 2010: The mission of the Young At Art exhibition is to showcase the creativity of children by giving them the opportunity to hang their works in a professional gallery setting and view the work of their contemporaries. Our goal is to broaden students’ perspectives on the creative process and inform the community about how teachers use art to advance learning. The YAA Exhibition supports the Mystic Arts Center’s commitment to education and to the enrichment of children’s lives. Young At Art is open to all young people 18 and under who reside or attend school in New London County or Westerly, Rhode Island.

With that, Rilla and Max went to work on their pieces. We did 2 special crafts to submit for the exhibition. The first was a creative pizza craft made of corrugated cardboard (for crust), red paint and glue mix (for sauce), with toppings of yellow yarn (cheese), chopped green felt (peppers), red glossy circles (pepperoni), crumpled construction paper (meatballs), colored punchouts (spices). The next craft was a construction paper mosaic using black paper and punchouts in various shades of red, blue, green, yellow, and gray. Rilla was inspired to make a pony with sky and mountain background, on grass with a sun and rock.

Afterschool Snacks @ Bill Memorial Library

Rilla is really enjoying the weekly Afterschool Snacks program at our local Bill Memorial Library. It runs for 1 hour and involves story time, game/craft/activity, and of course, a snack. Ms. Mary Jane teaches the program and does a great job of engaging the students in fun and creative ways. It also gives me some one-on-one time with Max as we read or do activities. Max and I have averaged reading together about 5 books in the hour!

Also, we’ve met another homeschooling family whose son (9 year old boy) is in the program with Rilla. He has a sibiling who was homeschooled all through elementary and middle school age, is currently attending our public highschool, and is doing very well. It’s always encouraging to meet these families and hear their success stories.

American Heritage Girls – CT Troop 001

With our participation in the Classical Kids Co-op every Friday, came another discovery of our local (and CT’s only) American Heritage Girl Troop 0001. “AHG is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the mission of building women of integrity through service to God, family, community, and country”. The program emphasizes life-skill building (through the completion of badges), leadership (there are opportunities at all levels), teamwork and confidence building (outdoor activities), character development (community service and citizenship), social development (special troop events), spiritual development (religious awards programs).

Think Girl Scouts, but Christian-based and conservative in values. And certainly, there’s no selling of overpriced cookies whose minimal proceeds hardly help with troop fundraising. Expect crafting events whose products are donated to local shelters, bake-offs that serve as Community Service Projects, cook-offs and fundraising dinners whose proceeds benefit a local hero, as well as Mother and Daughter events to reconnect with each other – not to mention the earning of badges where life skills are learned.

We attended our first meeting this evening and Rilla met several similarly aged girls, some who are also homeschooled. I especially appreciated their routine circle-time prayer and a call for the girls to reflect on how they could serve God in the coming week as the meeting came to a close.

Rilla is excited for the next meeting and I’m thankful that we were led to participate in this worthwhile group

Happy Birthday @ Stay and Play

We recently spent a fun morning and Birthday party at Stay and Play in Old Saybrook. I mentioned this place before and I finally got the opportunity to take some photos. When you enter the main double doors, to your left are open closets and cubbies for jackets and shoes. Straight ahead is the check-in desk that is a shared area to the cafe corner.

When you pass the child safety gate that separates the foyer entrance to the play area, you are greeted by this huge indoor playscape. To the left of the playscape is the gated play area for crawlers (not shown). In the first photo is a peek of the education toy store, just behind the playscape and the crawlers play area. The second photo is the right side of the playscape and center of the building.

The next photo shows the opposite side of the playscape (making it the right side of the building when you enter). Here is the fun schoolbus cafe (it’s a real bus!) with tables and chairs inside for eating. Here, kids also pretend to be the bus driver and take turns at the steering wheel. There is also cafe seating around the bus. Here’s a glimpse of the cafe that offers healthy snacks and drinks, as well as lunchtime sandwiches and wraps.

This next photo is take from the center of the room looking farther to the rear of the building. Note the ample adult lounge seating (how comfortable!). The Birthday space is behind the room separators on the left. The spacious restrooms are to the right. My kids enjoy moving the oversized shapes and stairs to make obstacle courses and forts.

This last photo is taken from the back of the building, looking toward the front. You will see both the cafe (left), but the crawlers area is hidden behind the playscape.

It was a great time for the facility was clean, spacious, had an open floorplan for ease of supervising, and comfortable (there were more than half a dozen loveseats). We enjoyed playing, snacking and celebrating, and playing again afterwards!

Stay and Play, LLC
175-2 Elm Street
Old Saybrook, CT 06475
(860)395-4446

Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center, Mystic CT

On Wednesday, our St. Andrew Preschool spent the morning at Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center in Mystic. As a group, the kids had the opportunity to pet turtles and a snake and to meet an owl. We enjoyed a walk around the grounds and pond where we also saw birds, turtles basking in the sun, various fauna and signs of spring. Farther away, we took a walk near the bird sanctuary, too. We returned to visit the indoor exhibits that included the taxidermy showcase of birds (donated by the Bill Memoral Library in Groton by the way!), hawks, owls, and foxes to name a few. Kids enjoyed the Night in the Meadow room. A darkened room with sounds and animals spotlighted on the walls throughout the presentation.

I’ve been to 2 fun birthday parties (for ages 5/6 and ages 3/4) at the Nature Center. One in the main building, held downstairs among the showcased animals. The other was held in the separate preschool building with attached playground area. It was just a short walk across the parking lot from the main building. Both experiences were fun and educational. The kids were introduced to the turtles, snakes, frog, and owl. There was a fun craft and nature scavenger hunt as we walked the grounds. The staff was enthusiastic, friendly and great with the kids. I highly recommend holding a birthday party there!

Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center
109 Pequotsepos Rd
Mystic, CT 06355
(860) 536-1216

Spring Break in Southeastern CT

So as this Spring Break comes to a close, I just want to say what a beautiful week (activities and weather-wise) this has been! The kids and I kept busy and enjoyed ourselves with play dates and park visits. This area has great selection of kid-friendly places! Here are just a few we visited during break…

Stay and Play, LLC in Old Saybrook
175-2 Elm Street Old Saybrook, CT 06475 (860)395-4446
This is an indoor Open-Play facility that features a huge playscape, a cafe (sandwiches, beverages, and healthy snacks), a school bus cafe, an enclosed area for crawlers, ample and comfortable adult seating, a large open play area, and an educational toys/games store. They are open everyday from 9:30a-5:00p and admission (crawlers to age 6) is $5. Roger and Colleen always have a welcoming smile
*GPS 175-2 Research Parkway for best results

The Children’s Museum in Niantic
409 Main Street Niantic, CT 06357 (860)691-1111
This museum has 2 sides (creative play and science). The areas are well thought-out and include: Egyptian Pyramid with sandbox for artifact digging, Tugboat with 2nd level lookout, Mexican Restaurant, Weather news station studio (the broadcast is televised to the front entrance foyer), a large “Stuffee” character whose chest unzips to reveal major organs, interactive lights shapes sensory wall, and miniature pipe organ to name a few. There is also an enclosed playspace for crawlers. I must note that the creative side areas are compartmentalized making it a challenge to keep an eye on your children. Also, the seating for adults is few. Admission is $6 for children 1+ and adults.

Tercentennial Legacy Park in Groton (beside Poquonnock Plains Park)
Route 1 between Dairy Queen and Grasso Tech.
This is an all-inclusive park for all ages, built to celebrate the 300th year anniversary of Groton. It features a variety of swingset styles, many unique offerings such as a There is a covered gazebo in the center that gives parents a good view of the play areas. Additional bench and picnic table seating has been added to the perimeter of the park. One area that could use improvement (or replacement) is the corner sandbox which is left exposed and uncovered as the playground is not a gated area.
This park is located immediately beside the Poquonnock Plains Track. In fact, the track loops around the perimeter of the play area. The track is stroller and bike friendly, too.

Sutton Park in Groton (beside the Grasso Tech entrance)
When the Tercentennial Park is busy (as it was this Spring Break week) and for a change of venue, we ventured across Route 1 to Sutton Park. There is ample bench seating, a view of the skateboard park (my son loves to watch them ride), a playscape, swings, and covered pavilion (great for cookouts and picnics).
There are several other parks that we frequently visit including our very own Washington Park in Groton, the Mystic Rotary Park near the Mystic Drawbridge. Other parks to consider are New London’s Toby May Field and Westerly’s Rotary Park near the Airport.

You might ask about other kid-friendly places like the Mystic Aquarium, the Mystic Seaport, Denison Pequotsepos. Yes, great places indeed, all to be saved for future blogs…

Service on the Sound Fundraiser featuring Richard Farmer

St. Andrew Presbyterian in Groton, along with St. Luke Lutheran in Gales Ferry, is sponsoring a home repair service project for one week in July. Aptly named Service on the Sound, we will repair (at ‘no-cost’) 70 to 80 homes in our area. These repairs include interior/exterior painting, porch/deck repair and replacement, stairs repair and replacement, weatherization, and wheelchair ramp repair and replacement.

About 400 youth participants (teams of 5 youth and at least 1 adult supervisor) have already signed up to participate in this Group Workcamp Foundation event during July20-24, 2009. The recipients of the free home repair are selected based on need and the event is funded by local donations, sponsorships from local businesses, and fundraisers.

One such fundraiser is taking place this Saturday May 23th 7pm, at Union Baptist Church in Mystic. The event features International Speaker and Gifted Musician, Richard Farmer. Tickets are $10 and all proceeds from this concert will go toward purchasing materials to repair the homes this summer.

Butterfly Pavilion

A recent preschool field trip introduced us to the Butterfly Pavilion in Norwich. It was a 4 day (May 7-10) exhibiton and fundraiser sponsored by Chelsea Gardens. Only in its second year of showing, the event seemed to garner increased attendance. Tucked quietly beside Comfort Suites immediately off Rt 2 Exit 27 in Norwich, it is a very unassuming facade with plenty of parking.

We made our walk along a beautifully landscaped path of trees, shrubs, plants, and flowers (all for sale as part of the fundraiser). We were lead to the entrance of a large mesh tent whose greeter carefully (but quickly) raised a panel to let us all in. There we were standing amongst hundreds of Monarch butterflies, some sipping nectar from flowers and others flying freely among us. The inside of the tent was adorned with various potted flowers and fauna, making for a pretty backdrop. Four clear boxes showed the Monarchs in their egg and larva stages, while the branches of a mini-tree displayed a dozen or so in the chrysalis stage.

It was fascinating for the preschoolers, as well as the adults to interact with so many of these delicate creatures. Children eagerly dipped their hands in a sponge soaked in sugar-water transforming them into attractive landing spots for the butterflies. I couldn’t take enough photos! It was such a wonderful visit. We look forward to the event next year.

‘Tis the Season… Tag Sale Season!

Call it Yankee Thriftiness or New England Frugality, but I just love tag sales (AKA garage sales, yard sales, flea markets). I can’t think of a better way for a resourceful individual to decorate or outfit a home with necessities, uncover a hidden treasure, discover a hard-to-find vintage item, or take a small risk on a never used, brand-new item (yes, you’ll find these too!) for fraction of its retail.

I’ve found various items including a $15 guitar in great condition (I’ve always wanted to learn) hidden in a ratty case with rope for a handle. Or, how about the vintage “Snurfer” (early-model snowboard) that Sam found in an estate sale for 50 cents! To my kids’ delight, we once found a huge, gently used train table for $4 merely because we were the only buyers (late in the day) that could fit it in our vehicle. Many of the items in our home (whether Tag Sale, eBay, or local Craigslist finds) have stories that would make for interesting blog entries. Well… maybe I’m the only one who would find them funny and memorable.

So with that, this week (for me) marks the start of Tag Sale Season with the upcoming Child and Family Agency of Southern CT Annual Sale. This 4-day Tag Sale extravaganza is celebrating its 55th year. Here you will find the Grasso Tech foyer, gymnasium, and stage filled with household goods, furniture, clothing/accessories, books, linens, jewelry, tools, sporting goods, and toys.

It’s simply a great selection spread over 5000 square feet of gymnasium space. And when you are ready to pay, there is ample space and staff to check-out quickly. The event takes place from Thursday, April 16th through Sunday April 18th with plenty of parking. As always, it is held at the Grasso Tech located at 189 Fort Hill Road in Groton. Buy a Bargain. Help a Child.

Thursday, April 16 1pm to 5pm *buyers pay an additional 25% Early Bird Premium
Friday, April 17 9am to 6pm
Saturday, April 18 9am to 5pm *prices are now 50% off!
Sunday, April 19 9am to Noon *most items are now $5 a bag!

Additionally, on April 17-19 the Poquonnock Bridge Baptist Church (just down the road on the corner of South Rd and Fort Hill) is also holding a Tag and Bake Sale from 9am-2pm. Stop by on your way to or from Grasso Tech.

‘Tis the season! May you find what you’re looking for. Then again, may you find that unexpected treasure that you weren’t necessarily looking for!