Our library has a Toy Library. It's a separate, non-free membership but it is only $12 USD for 3-months or $28 USD for 12-months. You can take out up to 15 toys at a time for 1-month. The toys are mostly geared towards younger kids (up to 3, I'd say) so new parents get the most benefit from it but my almost-4s still get new things several times a week when we go.
It is great because every parent knows and dreads that "they play with it once for 8-hours non-stop and seem to love it and then never touch it again" and this helps with that since, whatever, you can just return it next week and get something else.
It is especially good for things like jigsaw puzzles that are semi-disposable anyway (does anyone really do these multiple times?) -- they actually have a fairly large collection of adult jigsaw puzzles as well but I'm not sure if you can take them home or only do them in the library.
HA! Isn't it a rule that your kids only like toys when they are at other people's houses? I LOVE that your library has found a way to serve the community and help out with that predicament. I am always surprised to see jigsaw puzzles and games in libraries -- if I can't keep track of all the pieces in a small household of 4 how can they possibly keep all the pieces in order with the hundreds of people coming through? And yet. Hope you have a happy 2025 full of recycled library toys and great books!
Cathy!! This sounds like a dream program that my children and I would absolutely love! I bet it helps encourage young kids to read while simultaneously giving the pups some love. Win win!! I can imagine reading to such an impartial helps take some of the pressure off a read-aloud. Happy 2025 back to you!
I love your suggestion of making this the year you join a library. It always amazes me when people who love reading tell me they haven't gotten around to becoming a member of their local library. So many great books and other resources. I hope they never disappear.
Me too!! It is such an incredible community resource and makes me feel good about all my tax dollars every time I go. I can't imagine what my budget or reading life would look like if I had to purchase every book I read! It would not work for my pocketbook at all.
I'm taking my friend to get her library card this weekend! She travels for work and is open to exploring audiobooks on her commute. I'm so excited for her and thrilled she asked me to help her with this task!
Yay! This is so exciting! I am also thrilled for both you and her and hope she digs the audiobook experience. I am trying to get my mom onto the audiobook library train (there are so many books via Libby) and just got a text the other day that she loved Tom Lake, so it felt like a win! I hope you and your friend have fun.
Our library has a Toy Library. It's a separate, non-free membership but it is only $12 USD for 3-months or $28 USD for 12-months. You can take out up to 15 toys at a time for 1-month. The toys are mostly geared towards younger kids (up to 3, I'd say) so new parents get the most benefit from it but my almost-4s still get new things several times a week when we go.
It is great because every parent knows and dreads that "they play with it once for 8-hours non-stop and seem to love it and then never touch it again" and this helps with that since, whatever, you can just return it next week and get something else.
It is especially good for things like jigsaw puzzles that are semi-disposable anyway (does anyone really do these multiple times?) -- they actually have a fairly large collection of adult jigsaw puzzles as well but I'm not sure if you can take them home or only do them in the library.
HA! Isn't it a rule that your kids only like toys when they are at other people's houses? I LOVE that your library has found a way to serve the community and help out with that predicament. I am always surprised to see jigsaw puzzles and games in libraries -- if I can't keep track of all the pieces in a small household of 4 how can they possibly keep all the pieces in order with the hundreds of people coming through? And yet. Hope you have a happy 2025 full of recycled library toys and great books!
Our library has a really lovely "Read to a Therapy Dog" monthly event. How I wish such a thing had been around when I was small!
Happy 2025!
Cathy!! This sounds like a dream program that my children and I would absolutely love! I bet it helps encourage young kids to read while simultaneously giving the pups some love. Win win!! I can imagine reading to such an impartial helps take some of the pressure off a read-aloud. Happy 2025 back to you!
I love your suggestion of making this the year you join a library. It always amazes me when people who love reading tell me they haven't gotten around to becoming a member of their local library. So many great books and other resources. I hope they never disappear.
Me too!! It is such an incredible community resource and makes me feel good about all my tax dollars every time I go. I can't imagine what my budget or reading life would look like if I had to purchase every book I read! It would not work for my pocketbook at all.
I'm taking my friend to get her library card this weekend! She travels for work and is open to exploring audiobooks on her commute. I'm so excited for her and thrilled she asked me to help her with this task!
Yay! This is so exciting! I am also thrilled for both you and her and hope she digs the audiobook experience. I am trying to get my mom onto the audiobook library train (there are so many books via Libby) and just got a text the other day that she loved Tom Lake, so it felt like a win! I hope you and your friend have fun.