Category: Family Fun

Kiddie Pool 21/03/11

Family fun for the weekend

Photo courtesy of the NH Audubon Society.

Enjoy the (likely fleeting) warm weather

New Hampshire’s Audubon centers are still closed, but their sanctuary trails are open for families who want to get outside and enjoy the warmer weather. There are miles of trails at the centers in Concord (84 Silk Farm Road, 224-9909) and in Auburn (26 Audubon Way, 668-2045). The trails are open from dawn until dusk. Don’t forget to wear appropriate shoes, as trails may be snowy or muddy. Visit nhaudubon.org.

Love your library

Many local libraries are closed or have limited hours and services, but they’re still offering plenty of fun for kids and families. The Nashua Public Library (2 Court St., 589-4600, nashualibrary.org) has virtual story times posted on its website, along with monthly interactive virtual activities — March’s is “The Great Flood.” The library also offers age-appropriate craft projects on the second Saturday of each month; materials can be picked up curbside.

At the Manchester City Library (405 Pine St., 624-6550, manchester.lib.nh.us) kids can find a new Messy Art project online each Wednesday afternoon. The projects can be done at home with items around the house. There’s also a weekly virtual storytime for kids ages 1 to 5, with a new video posted every Monday morning at 10 a.m. on the library’s Facebook page, with a craft kit based on the weekly theme available for curbside pickup. And each Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m., the library posts a new Lego challenge on Facebook for kids and families.

And at the Concord Public Library (45 Green St., 225-8670, concordpubliclibrary.net) parents can pick up craft kits for their kids; this week’s kit is a St. Paddy’s Bear, available at the library through Friday, March 12, or until supplies are gone (call ahead to see if there are any left before coming to the library). The library is also hosting a St. Patrick’s Day themed virtual storytime on Wednesday, March 17, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Register online to attend.

To discover the virtual events and activities that are happening at your local library, visit its website — most town and city libraries have revamped their programming to offer safe, at-home fun for families.

Art club

Middle school and high school youth are invited to Kimball Jenkins School of Art (266 N. Main St., Concord, 225-3932, kimballjenkins.com) each Tuesday after school from 3:30 to 6 p.m. for a free art club. KJ Art Lab meets each week and teaches art skills, project planning and community development. There is no cost for attendance or materials. New participants are always welcome, though a commitment to regular attendance is requested due to the collaboration on many of the art projects.

Treasure Hunt 21/03/04

Dear Donna,

This is a bath set (commode set?) that we believe is from the 1800s. Any information you could share would be helpful.
–Lynn

Dear Lynn,
It was most likely made during the Victorian era (mid to late 1800’s) or later. It’s unusual to find several pieces matching still together today, due to damage, disuse, or being lost or given away.

Back in the Victorian era they had a real need for almost all the pieces. Pieces consisted of covered chamber pots for under the bed, bowl and pitchers, toothbrush holders, main slop pot (for chamber pot contents), etc. I have seen sets with up to 20 different matching pieces.

Yours is considered earthenware (pottery). Tough to figure out the manufacturer by the mark, but it could be English, German or Australian. They imported so many of them and lots were unmarked, but it’s not that important to the value of your set.

The secondary collectible market isn’t high for such items today. The decorative need isn’t there, and there’s not much use for them today either. But having several pieces could make your pieces in the range of $150 as long as they are not damaged.

Kiddie Pool 21/03/04

Family fun for the weekend

Scientific discoveries

After being closed for renovations for a couple months, the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive, Concord) is reopening on March 5, with hours on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Occupancy limits have been set for popular exhibits and planetarium shows, and stringent Covid-19 cleaning and safety procedures will be in effect as the museum reopens. This Friday the discovery center will also hold its virtual Super Stellar Friday program at 7 p.m.; this month’s topic is “Mystery & Majesty of Saturn’s Rings.” The event is free, but registration is required at starhop.com.

Walk on the wild side

Squam Lakes Natural Science Center (23 Science Center Road, Holderness) hosts several Wild Winter Walks this month, starting Saturday, March 6, and Sunday, March 7, with sessions from 10 to 11:30 a.m. or 1 to 2:30 p.m. The program is for adults and families with children ages 6 and up. A staff naturalist will lead a guided walk on the live animal exhibit trail and will talk about how these native animals adapt for winter in New Hampshire. Snowshoes are available at no extra cost, if needed, or participants can bring their own. The cost is $10 per person. Pre-registration is required for all programs at nhnature.org or by calling 968-7194. Other upcoming Wild Winter Walks are scheduled for Saturday, March 13, and Saturday, March 20 (sess

Treasure Hunt 21/02/25

Dear Donna,

I had considered having this clock converted to battery-operated and then began to research. I believe it is a George Nelson for Howard Miller sunburst spike clock. If so, I think it would be best to leave it unaltered! I love this fun clock from my childhood home, but it’s not in character with my own home. Would you know the value for this, and how would you recommend I sell it?

June

Dear June,

Any antique or collectible that is in running and good condition is best left alone.

Your Howard Miller clock is very collectible and I found prices all over the place, from $150 to $300. Some of the clocks from the same period of time — 1960s to 1970s — brought an even higher value.

Mid-century items are the in thing right now so I am thinking if your clock is working you should be able to get in the range of $150 to a reseller or try for the collector online yourself. My personal suggestion would be to tuck it away for now. It’s money in the bank as long as you noted your information with it for future generations.

Kiddie Pool 21/02/25

Family fun for the weekend

Bounce and climb
Cowabunga’s (725 Huse Road, Manchester, 935-9659, cowabungas.com) has extended hours for February vacation week, with public play times this Thursday, Feb. 25, and Friday, Feb. 26, from noon to 6 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 27, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 28, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets must be ordered ahead of time online. The cost is $12 per hour per child, or two hours for $15, or for $19.99 get three hours of bounce time and a kids meal.
Nuthin’ but Good Times (746 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 429-2200, nuthinbutgoodtimes.com) is also open for the remainder of vacation week, on Thursday and Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Climbing is open to the public during those hours, and there is no time limit. Admission is free for infants, $2.50 for crawlers, $6 for ages 3 and under, $9.50 for ages 4 through 17, and $2.50 for ages 18+.

Try tubing
Let the kids get out some energy outside. For the rest of the vacation week, Pats Peak (686 Flanders Road, Henniker, 428-3245) is open for tubing from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The cost is $24 for a two-hour session, and advance online reservations are required. Only Pats Peak tubes are allowed and they are included in the cost. Children must be at least 5 years old and at least 44 inches tall. Visit patspeak.com to make a reservation.
McIntyre Ski Area (50 Chalet Ct., Manchester, 622-6159, mcintyreskiarea.com) also offers tubing, though reservations are not accepted. Tickets must be purchased at the ticket window, and it is first come, first served. Tickets are $23 for a two-hour session. For vacation week, hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, with sessions broken into two-hour time slots. According to the McIntyre website, tickets go on sale 30 minutes prior to each session, but it is recommended that you arrive an hour to an hour and a half prior to the session to get in line for tickets.

Virtual homeschool
On Thursday, March 4, from 10 to 10:45 a.m. the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center (Holderness, 968-7194, nhnature.org) will host its monthly virtual homeschool series for ages 4 to 10. On the first Thursday of each month, participants are introduced to a seasonal topic and are provided with an outdoor investigation to complete at home. The following Thursday, students share their observations and discoveries and “meet” a live animal that connects to the topic. Virtual sessions are held via Zoom, and adults are expected to participate with their kids. The cost is $11 per child per month, or $22 per family per month. Register online or by calling.

Treasure Hunt 21/02/18

Dear Donna,

My 95-year-old father recently sent me this antique creamer. (At least I think it’s a creamer!) It was handed down to him from his mother. It’s about 5.25 inches long, four inches wide and 2 inches high. My dad was curious about it and wondered what it’s worth. I would appreciate any information you can find out about it; I’d love to share it with my dad.

Carol from Nashua

Dear Carol,

Your creamer is from a company that has been around in England since the late 1800s. It is part of a larger set of dishes, I assume. I believe yours is from the 1940s, but this company produced wares for so long, with many patterns with different marks, and it’s the marks on the bottom that would help give you a better idea of their age.

If you were to replace this set it would cost a fortune for a new one today, though the secondary market for the antique and older ones is slim, partly because there are so many pieces still around today and this generation has no interest in large sets of dishes. So the value of your creamer is in the $5 range (not damaged). Priceless, though, to have gotten it from your dad!

Donna Welch has spent more than 30 years in the antiques and collectibles field, appraising and instructing, and recently closed the physical location of From Out Of The Woods Antique Center (fromoutofthewoodsantiques.com) but is still doing some buying and selling. She is a member of The New Hampshire Antiques Dealer Association. If you have questions about an antique or collectible send a clear photo and information to Donna at [email protected], or call her at 391-6550 or 624-8668.

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