When my parents recently visited, they wanted to visit some charity shops (they love yard sales just like me). It had been quite some time since I had been able to go, and with some extra money given to me, we hit all my favorite charity shops in the area, and I found all kinds of good bargains! Mind you, they’re not always yard sale prices, but they’re still WAY cheaper than buying new.
Books
My book “finds” ranged from 20 pence to 2 pounds each in price. Thankfully, most of them were on the cheaper side of that range, and the more costly ones were worth it.
I found Handa’s Surprise before my parents came, but I had never mentioned it in a blog post. Actually, I already had this book, but this one came with a nice DVD with two different Handa stories on it!
Isaac loves mystery books by Enid Blyton, and we found quite a few that he didn’t have! He’s already finished a few of them.
I found several other good books as well, including a few favorites I had checked out of the library before.
Games
I’m a game person, and I find it about as hard to resist games as I do books. Here’s what I found (50 pence-3 pounds):
Cloister Games—a set of medieval game boards. This would have come in handy when Isaac studied the Middle Ages last year; in fact, we played a few of these on paper.
Crosstrack—a strategy-based game. This one was missing the orange set of tiles, but they’re not really needed for 2 or 3 people to play.
Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Mein buntes Turmchen-spiel (My Colorful…something…the online translator didn’t pick up that last word). I’m assuming this is a German game—everything is written in German only, so I’ll have to attempt to translate the instructions somehow. It’s a game, but it will make a perfect Tot School activity.
The second is Picture Perfect, a drawing game similar to Pictionary, only the drawers don’t know what they’re drawing! They have to follow the leader’s drawing directions and then guess what it is. I thought this would be a nice game for our family night.
Thought Exchange—This is a thinking skills game.
The Peter Rabbit Radish Board Game—I like games that go with stories. In our kindergarten, we read Beatrix Potter stories, and the kids have visited her house several times up in the Lake District. This game will be nice when Gabriela reaches kindergarten, but hopefully they’ll all enjoy playing it.
Mini Master Mind—I have the larger version back in the US, and it used to be one of my favorites when I was growing up. It’s a good logic game.
Runaround is another game that’s perfect for our family night. In this game, players have to search specified rooms of the house to find objects beginning with a certain letter or having a particular quality.
The second item in this photo (Print Box: Storytime) is not a game--it’s a set of rubber stamps.
Magnetic Fridge Sudoku—I’ll eventually teach Isaac how to play Sudoku, but I thought I could use these magnetic boards and numbers in Tot School, too.
Fish can—Not a game, but the photo fit nicely next to the other one. This is a small tin can with a hinged lid and a tiny padlock with key. Because I’m planning an ocean unit for Tot School later this summer, I thought it would be perfect for that. Padlocks and keys is something I’ve been wanting to use as an activity for Gabriela, but I’ve yet to see how she handles this tiny one. If she doesn’t manage it, I’ll have to hunt for some larger ones next time I have some spare cash.
Various other goodies
In this picture:
1. An index card box, which is something I had been needing.
2. A wooden treasure chest-shaped jewelry box. My mom has a box almost just like this one. I used to love playing with it when I was little. Currently I’m using it as a prize box for a particular goal I’m trying to accomplish with Gabriela. But, I also want the kids to enjoy using it during imaginative play, and maybe I can use it in a Tot School activity.
3. A set of juggling balls. No, I don’t juggle, but maybe one of us can learn. They can be used for lots of other activities, too.
4. A wooden lacing turtle.
In this picture:
1. Three Dimensional Noughts & Crosses (what we call Tic-Tac-Toe in the US)—I bought these for Gabriela to play with in Tot School, since it involves stacking pegs.
2. Famous Five story on tape—for Isaac, since he likes Enid Blyton books.
3. Brain Busters—This one is about Isaac’s grade level, or will be soon.
4. Thomas the Tank Engine wallet—For Gabriela, because she loves Thomas, and she loves wallets.
5. Dog Top Trumps—This one is a card game. Isaac really likes Top Trumps game—he also has one with race cars. I got him this one because he really likes dogs.
In this picture:
1. Small wooden scoop (perfect for tot tray activities)
2. Heart-shaped bead rope (Valentine’s Day activity for counting and/or cutting)
3. VeggieTales Esther VHS—I have this in the US but didn’t have it here.
And more!
A stuffed Elmer toy. I like to get stuffed storybook character toys when I find them. Nice for the kids to hold while listening to the story!
I grab Geomag and Magnetix sets when I can find them cheap—to add to Isaac’s collection. This one includes panels.
DVD on northern animals—perfect when studying different countries.
Wooden drying rack—a toy from ELC here in England. I love finding ELC toys at charity shops, because they’re educational, high-quality, and sometimes pricey. I thought this would make a nice Tot School activity. It comes with pegs, so Gabriela can practice washing small clothing items and hanging them up to dry! I still have to put it together. It came with all the parts except the Allen wrench/hex key used to get the screws in. None of ours fit, so I’ll have to find one the right size or else buy different screws. 
Small metal tool box—It didn’t come with any tools, but I can get some for it. : )
Small sea turtle toy—this is for an ocean sensory tub I’ll be making Gabriela in the next month or two.
That’s it this time! (And probably for awhile—I’m all spent out). I’m linking this post to “Garage Sale Treasures” at My Life on a Taffy Pull. No, my bargains weren’t exactly found at garage or yard sales, but I live in England. Garage and yard sales are rare, so I get my “fix” from charity shops…so this will have to count. : )
Yeah for thrifting!! :) I am amazed at all the wonderful stuff you were able to find!! So many wonderful books and games. We love games here too. The Runaround looks like it will be so much fun! The 'My Colorful....something' looks like a great tot school toy with a variety of ways to use it too.
ReplyDeleteWe have those exact same juggling balls. My husband juggles (it's his hidden talent). :) He was a clown on a missions trip he took and he learned how to juggle for it.
Love the Elmer stuffed animal. So cute.
You just got so many great things! Thank you for sharing. :)
Oh Debbie, this totally counts! I was so happy to see you linked up because I'm always fascinated with the things you find there! You've got to tell us though, what the ratio between money from the two different countries, just an estimate? I don't have any clue if you got a good deal or not! lol Thanks so much for linking up!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments. : ) The current exchange rate is approximately $1.60 for 1GBP. So, really I'm paying a lot more than I would at an American yard sale; however, for England it's still a good deal! A new item priced $10 in the US will usually cost 10 pounds here, but I would pay $16 (in dollars) at the moment. (About 4-5 years ago, it got up to $2.10 for 1GBP!) I couldn't possibly afford to buy any of this stuff new here, which is why I go to charity shops whenever I get a little spending money. : )
ReplyDeleteWow, you've done really well. "Come on Daisy" is a favourite here and I remember "The silver sword" from my own childhood.
ReplyDeleteWe've found that charity shops are a great source of children's books although fetes and jumble sales tend to be cheaper but occur less reliably. My latest finds were in a cemetery open day!
Before moving to England, I hadn't heard of most of these books! We do visit the library a lot, and I recently checked out "The Silver Sword" and really liked it. I went to a jumble sale at a church last year, and the prices were very cheap, but I don't hear of those very often. Finds in a cemetery sale--wow, that's different. : )
ReplyDeleteOh what great finds! I LOVE the drying rack!! The stacking games-the colorful one and the solid wood one are both very neat. We have a book called the Bunny of Blueberry Hill that looks to be from the same author of your Blueberry Mouse-I didnt realize it was a series. I'll have to look for it.
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