I’m not even going to discuss the fact that we had a full-on snowstorm Monday morning in West Hartford. That morning was winter’s last hurrah and today’s sunshine and (relative) warmth was a reminder that the beautiful days of spring are here. (fingers crossed. knocking on wood. please, pretty please let that statement be true!)
Well, Shawna and I are trying our best to get through this tough winter by keeping ourselves super busy and this month was no different.
Let me round it up for you and maybe get you inspired for a new outing adventure.
First things, first, we are excited to have two wonderful giveaways going on right now on our site! We just love giving away FREE tickets.
Giveaways
We are giving away a family four-pack of tickets to Day Out with Thomas: The Thrill of the Ride Tour 2014 in Essex, Connecticut. Our giveaway is for Saturday, April 26, but the event is being held April 19, 26 & 27, and May 3 & 4. We had an opportunity to attend this event last year and had so much fun. We can’t wait to return and would love to see some of our readers there!
We are also giving away a family four-pack of ticket vouchers to Sesame Street Live – “Elmo Makes Music”. The event is being held on April 9th at the Warner Theatre in Torrington, Connecticut. Enter to win or purchase tickets directly for either of the two performances.
But our whole month hasn’t just been about giving away FREE tickets (though that certainly is fun!) We’ve also had a chance to explore a few new destinations which we were so excited to share.
New Destinations
Now, my family isn’t really an ice skating family — I mean my husband and I couldn’t even remotely remember the last time we had attempted the sport. But we all became a bit inspired by the recent Winter Olympics and were kind of excited to try it out. So when I found out that my moms club would be hosting an event at our local ice skating rink, I decided to take the kiddos. The nice thing is that our local rink, Veterans Memorial Skating Rink in West Hartford, offers a skating time for children ages 2-5. During the Fall, Winter, and Spring, these skating sessions are offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:45 am – 11:15 am.
Shawna got my stomach growling this month when she did her post on The Sloppy Waffle in Newington. I mean, breakfast served all day AND they have a waffle called the “chocolate lover”! Why haven’t I been there yet? This post was definitely an exciting new addition to our Tiny Diner series.
Then I finally got a chance to check out an extremely kid-friendly art museum located in Amherst, Massachusetts, The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. We had a wonderful time on our visit and were excited to be able to give all our readers the details on this fun destination before their big celebration of the 45th anniversary of the book, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”. But if you missed that event, there are still plenty of great reasons to head there for a visit. They just opened their latest exhibit, “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile and Friends: The Art of Bernard Waber” which runs through June 8th and then they are having an Eric Carle book signing on May 24th. Get even more details on Eric Carle and the museum by checking out the CBS This Morning interview by Mo Rocca!
Shawna and I also had a fun time this month discovering two wonderful, Saturday morning drop-in family programs.
On the first Saturday of every month, the Russell Library in Middletown offers Favorite Story and Craft Time at 10:00 am. Designed for kids ages 3-5, the program includes story time, songs, crafts, and plenty of toys and activities for open play. Mark your calendar for their next session, this Saturday, April 5th or check out some of their other drop-in programs as well:
- Twlighlight Tales story, craft, and play time (recommended for ages 3-5 but all ages are welcome): Every Tuesday from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM.
- Baby Rhyme Time (ages birth to 12 months): Wednesdays from 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Then I did a post about the Second Saturday Playgroup offered at Windsor Public Library at 10:45 am. Offered for kids ages birth to 4 years old, the program includes a period of open play, circle time with stories and songs, and it ends with a fun craft project for the kids. The next session will be on April 12th and they have several other drop-in programs which are listed below.
- Talk & Toys (birth to 4 years): Mondays from 10:30 am – 11:30 am
- Sunnyside Up Storytime (2 to 6 years): Tuesdays from 10:30 am – 11:15 am
- Saturday Craft (4 years and up): Saturdays from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Our monthly outings wrapped up with Shawna’s virtual tour of a brand new FREE drop-in program being offered by the Shirley Reaback Early Childhood Center in Glastonbury. Fun with Friends is designed for kids ages 6 – 42 months and is offered on select Friday mornings at 9:15 am. It includes stories, songs and fingerplay activities for the little ones plus coffee and snacks for the adults. Could you ask for anything more?
But wait. There’s more!
Outing Ideas
This month we also put together two, new, handy-dandy guides for our readers.
Okay, that’s it.
Hopefully at least one of our posts got you inspired to get out and about with your little ones this month! Tell us about your adventures by leaving a comment below.
Do you have an outing that we need to scout? Let us know by leaving a comment on this post or emailing us at outandaboutmom@gmail.com.
- 4D Vision Gym – A vision training center located in Cromwell, CT where Dr. Juanita Collier, MS, OD and her staff show members how to utilize Vision Therapy to correct visual issues and make learning and playing easier and more fun.
- The Independent Day School – Located on a rural campus in Middlefield, CT this private pre-school, elementary and middle school serves families from over 20 communities.
- Kathryn Deane Photography – A natural light photographer located in West Hartford, CT and specializing in maternity, newborn, child, family, and senior portrait photography.
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