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Toy Library Federation news, events and information February 2011 Issue 137 THE TOY LIBRARY LINK Let The Children Play www.toylibrary.co.nz

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Page 1: February 2011 Newslink

Toy Library Federation news, events and information February 2011 Issue 137

THE TOY LIBRARY LINK

Let The Children Play www.toylibrary.co.nz

Page 2: February 2011 Newslink

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NEWSLETTER ADVERTISING CHARGES

New Advertising charges for 2011:

(excluding GST):

Size: B&W Colour:

Full Page – $90.00 $200.00

Half Page - $50.00 $120.00

Quarter Page - $30.00

Inclusion of Flyer (supplied by advertiser)

$100.00

Inclusion of 3 or more consecutive

advertisements attracts a discount.

Please contact the Office on 0800148697

or [email protected] for details.

Members: 50% discount (black & white only).

Please note;

Copy must be good quality and photocopy ready

i.e. fully designed

The editor reserves the right to adjust

submitted material.

Deadline for next Newsletter is

1 May 2011

TOY LIBRARY FEDERATION OF NZ

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2010-2011

Irene Mosley ph (03)418-3152

National President [email protected]

Chris Chambers ph (04)973-9250

National Treasurer [email protected]

Tasha Black ph (04)589-7717

Debbie Bowdler ph (03)528-9214

Teresa Martin ph (09)279-9005

Diane Pitcaithly ph (09)575-7376

Lisa Ross ph (03)418-2097

Kim Siemonek ph (06)378-8033

Vanessa Robertson ph (03)324-4489

STAFF

Christine Jelley 03 388 9743

Office Manager, 0800-148-697

Newsletter Editor [email protected]

Lisa Taylor 03 482-1370

Toy Express 0800-148-699

Toy Buyer [email protected]

Toy Express Hours:

Monday – Thursday 10am-2pm

Office Hours:

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 11-3 pm

Friday 12-3pm

Office Address: PO Box 27-146

Shirley

CHRISTCHURCH 8640

Website: www.toylibrary.co.nz

The views expressed in this newsletter

are not necessarily those of the TLFNZ.

We recommend Toy Libraries seek

independent advice, particularly in regard

to legal issues.

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Inside this Issue: from the Editor:

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Contact Details

Contents, Editorial

President‘s Report

News from the Board

Toy Libraries in the News

Toy Library Awareness Week

Great Toy Hunt

Earthquake Disruption

Questions from the Website Forum

Regional

National Study of Toy Libraries

Employment Matters

Funding Application Hints

What a Good Idea

Charities Annual Return

Toy Express

Best Sellers

From the Manual – Handover

Sound Familiar

Why Won‘t People Help Out?

Showcasing Play

Effort to Restore Child Play

Did you Know?

Housekeeping

Hope you all had a wonderful summer and

have started the year refreshed and full

of enthusiasm.

Children‘s Day and our Toy Library

Awareness week will be happening as you

receive this Link. I look forward to

hearing from you as to how you helped

celebrate the event. Promotional events

and Building partnerships with other

organisations is becoming increasingly

important these days as a means to help

increase toy libraries profile in the

community, which in turn helps when it

comes to fundraising and funding

applications, along with attracting more

families to come along and use our

fantastic libraries.

We had 179 libraries put in applications

for the Lottery grant and all will have

received $800 to spend on toys – a huge

thank you to Lottery Community for

continuing to support toy libraries

throughout the country. Remember this

grant MUST be spent on TOYS and

treasurers, please ensure you correctly

record it in your annual accounts this

year.

A number of regional‘s are in the throes

of taking place throughout the country at

present –an ideal opportunity to meet and

share experiences- I hope you all try to

go along to one near you – and remember

to start saving for next year‘s national

training weekend to be held in Lower Hutt

next July. Christine

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President‘s Report

Greetings,

As I write this it is hard not to be thinking about our toy library friends in Christchurch.

Our office has been affected and we are wondering how all our people and facilities are,

but we felt it was too soon to be making contact as the first priority for everyone is family

and home. Our insurance broker has been very supportive and has already made contact

with us. We plan to try and contact all the Canterbury toy libraries over the next couple of

weeks. If you are in this region and have time to phone or flick us an email, please do. If

you check out page 10 you will see that by the look of our office Chris was very fortunate

to be having a day off when the quake hit. I think everyone round NZ would be happy for

me to send our love and thoughts to everyone living in and around Christchurch at the

moment.. If there is any practical way that we can help from a distance do let us know.

Our board meeting planned for 25-26th February was cancelled because of the quake. We

did however hold a cyber meeting which was an effective way to cover urgent business.

This exercise was useful as we are always questioning the value of paying to get us all in

one place four times a year. Working with emails and phone calls served a purpose but it

also made me realize that a lot of the good ideas, plans for the future and decisions come

from the informal discussion round the board table and in the motel at night when we are

all together.

The next opportunity for toy libraries to get together for some serious networking on a

larger scale will be our AGM. This is to be held in Nelson on 9th July. We are hoping to

have some top notch speakers that day and would encourage anyone within easy traveling

distance to join us.

Also a reminder to anyone who would like to step up and become more involved with TLFNZ.

Nomination forms for the board are available from Chris at the office. We are particularly

keen to hear from anyone with an IT, marketing or financial skills as these are skill areas

that we would like to increase on the board in the future.

It is to be another busy year for us all. Thank you to you all for all the good work you do.

Regards

Irene Mosley

National President

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News from the Board

Irene spent two days in Wellington last month building relationships with some of our

previous and current partners.

SKIP

This included visiting the team at SKIP and we are keen to work closer with them as the

parenting message is one that fits so well with our demographics. We are hoping to do

some more work with them in the future. They have some great resources that we could be

making use of. Our influence in children‘s lives in NZ can go beyond just the importance of

play message. The importance of parents being actively involved in their lives in a positive

way is very important for parenting skills as well as developing play.

Check out the resources including posters and hand outs at www.skip.org.nz

PLUNKET

Plunket head office was also visited and discussions were around supporting our 24 member

toy libraries that are also under the Plunket banner. It was good to get feedback from

TL‘s before Christmas that most Plunket toy libraries have good relationships with their

branches. We hope to continue developing ways to make this work for everyone in the

future.

TOY TESTING

Before Christmas some of our toy libraries offered to help us with some toy testing that

we were working on with the Ministry of Consumer Affairs. Thank you to everyone who

helped with this. The testing was for lead levels and other dangerous trace elements in

toys. The good news is that the majority of toys in our toy libraries were fine and we are

now more aware about what we should be watching out for when purchasing toys.

More on this in the next newsletter.

TOY LIBRARY CARRY BAGS

TLFNZ has been working on some new publicity materials for

your toy libraries. Watch out for more info on our new toy

bags. These giant size, super strong reusable bags will be a

good option for you for a fundraiser or simply to encourage

your members to use these bags to transport toys to and

from the toy library. We have received some prototypes

that we currently testing, So look out for more information

on our website and in the next newsletter. The feedback so

far has been very positive.

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Toy Libraries in the News

Ashburton held two successful fundraising and promotion events in October –

Boulevard Day- 27th September 2010, where they sold off tired toys and had

their bouncy castle and face painting for $2 each.

A&P Show- October 29th & 30th over one and a half days, $2 entry-

unlimited for children to use our toys. It was very successful.

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Toy Library Awareness Week and National Children‘s Day 2011

TLFNZ have been working with the team for National Children‘s Day 2011 and have formed

a partnership. We agreed to promote their day to members and the general public through

our toy libraries and they have included a mention about the benefit of toy libraries in

their activity books which are widely distributed throughout the country as part of the

week. We moved our awareness week to the first week in March to tie in with

Children’s day on Sunday 6th March.

Some Toy Library Events that are happened included:

Eastern Bays –An Information Table was set up outside St Helliers Library and guess the

number lollies in the jar competition held.

Gisborne – Jumpty Castles at the Gisborne Children‘s Day Out event.

Invercargill – joined in with the Invercargill Childrens Day Out event.

And TLFNZ networker Suzie has come up with the idea of a Toy Hunt for the Otautau Toy

Library, which she says you might like to adapt it to suit your community. The aim was to

not stand around all day waiting to see if people were coming. They have also got a $10

discount if new members join in March.

Whatever your plans were for awareness week I hope they went well.

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The Great Childrens Day Toy Hunt

brought to you by Otautau Toy Cupboard & Playcentre

We have got together to plan a day which all families can take part in.

It‘s about Your Kids and You - a family day.

Visit these places and join these activities and drop off your entries to the competition.

The prize draw is open to all entries.

Activity 1 - After a compulsory 10 minutes testing out the school playground, set out on a treasure hunt

near the tennis courts for the first toy hidden nearby

Write the code from the base of the toy here .....................................

Activity 2 - head over the bridge and play a game of "bat down" at Holt park - make sure everyone has a

turn with the bat (bring own bat and ball)

Activity 3 - Stroll along the street towards the railway lines and chat about how important the loading

bank used to be for trucks to load the trains when much more stuff was moved that way.

How many stones are there in the top row of the loading bank?............

Activity 4 - Yet another playground at the Plunket rooms and the challenge is to see how fast you can

play on each piece of play equipment. Who swung the furtherest on the monkey bars? Was it Dad? Don‘t

forget to go on a bear hunt through the rhododendrons - be Gentle!

What colour necktie is the bear wearing? .......................

Activity 5 - Visit the memorial and the guns. Pretend to be a soldier, don‘t forget to duck for cover, watch

for recoil on the gun and cover your ears!

Activity 6 - At St Johns, see who is driving the ambulance today. Is it Big Ted or Scarecrow?

Activity 7 - count the chainfence posts between the zebra crossing and the school ......................

Why do we have stripes on the road and orange lollipop posts? ..........................

How many fence posts did you count? ...........................

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Activity 8 - now we take a tour all the way to the Arbouretum stopping near the medical centre to pick up

information

• at the Toy library what toy is showing in the window 1/2 way up the ramp?..............................

• at the medical centre what toy is in the receptionists window?........................................

• what instrument can you see in the window of the New Life church?......................................

• What shape are the pieces of glass in the leadlight windows in the Union church?.........................

Activity 9 - carry on down and have fun at Playcentre. Play with the Playdough set out on the verandah.

can you roll sausages and make your initials? What colour is the Playdough? ......................

Activity 10 -at the arbouretum do a leaf rubbing of an oak leaf.

Well done! You‘ve finished the great Childrens Day toy hunt and now you can all grab an icecream at

the North End Dairy when you drop in your entry forms

Names ..............................................................................................................

Phone number ..........................................

In from one of our toy libraries:

Here is something that might make you smile, I had a mother and her little girl come in to the toy library, the girl wanted the toy with the lady bug ball.

I had no idea what toy she was after; we don‘t have any lady bug balls. She found it herself; it was the Vtech tree house. There are balls with the toy and the red one has a couple of black dots – my lady bug toy.

I learn something new everyday.

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Earthquake Disruption

Thankfully the recent shaking occurred on a Tuesday – my day out of the Office!

On behalf of myself and Christchurch Toy Libraries, many thanks for all the warm wishes

that have come into the Office from libraries throughout NZ.

Many libraries have emailed or phoned asking if there is anything they can do to help –

(from my point of view – if you could make the shaking stop you‘d be an absolute hero!)

Some libraries have mentioned that if they hear of displaced families, then they are willing

to offer temporary memberships and some others have suggested having a toy drive, and

then holding a garage sale with the proceeds coming down to the Office for distribution to

affected toy libraries or going to one of the earthquake relief funds.

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QUESTIONS FROM THE WEBSITE FORUM Log on at www.toylibrary.co.nz

Have you checked the forum out lately? Here is a selection of questions currently

being discussed – please share your thoughts with others, either through the forum,

or send them into the Office for inclusion in the next issue.

? End of Year accounts Honorarium Our treasurer does our end of year accounts which take her 10-20 hours to

complete. I feel we should be paying her an honorarium as this is over and

above normal committee duties and if she did not do it we would have to

pay an accountant to do it. What do other TL's do? In house or pay an

accountant? If inhouse to you pay the person and how much?

Many toy libraries and other not for profit organisations find the same issue. How do you

thank someone for the work they do when we can‘t afford to pay the true cost of the work

they do? I know of some groups that pay a small honorarium (remembering that that needs

to be paid through the IRD and is subject to withholding tax) Others will reimburse

associated costs, others give a gift or vouchers as a thank you.

? DVD hire. I note that some toy libraries hire DVD's. How do you deal with the copy

right issues? Is the hire lucrative?

Interesting point - we can only assume members are not copying the dvd's. I am not sure

how we would ever know if they were. Definitely a trust thing! We hire for $1 for 2 weeks.

We have about 250 and are shelves are never full. We find especially in the winter they

are very popular. We try and update throughout the year. It doesn‘t take long for us to

recover our costs as you can get them pretty cheap and they seem to come down in price

soon after their release.

ALL Libraries should read sections 5.2 and 7.2 of the Operations Manual for

more information in regard to Copyright and DVD‘s and ensure they meet

current legislative requirements.

? Quorums

Can anyone advise what we do next when we don’t achieve a quorum at

an AGM? I am going to re-schedule, but if we still can’t get enough for a

quorum do we continue or go into recess?

You need to check to see what your constitution says. When we had trouble with getting a

quorum and had to re-schedule, a note to all members saying that the library would have to

remain closed until a meeting could be held certainly led to a full re-scheduled meeting!

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Thank you to Lotteries for providing funding towards regional and

national events.

Regional

February regional meetings have been held in Dunedin and Hutt Valley, and there are 5

planned for March, and others planned to take place later in the year. Thanks to all

everyone involved in these regionals, and we hope those who attend go away buzzing with

renewed enthusiasm for toy libraries.

Upcoming regionals include:

Confirmed:

Wanganui – 5th March

Stoke – 17th March

Amberley – 24th March

Masterton – 26th March

Manukau – 31st March

Nelson – AGM & Regional 9 July

Still to be confirmed:

Methven

Omarau

Invercargill

King Country

Wairarapa

Tauranga

Dunedin Regional Report:

We had a good evening attended by 14 people. Lisa Taylor talked about Toy Express

and showed us some of the latest toys, and Irene gave a powerpoint presentation of Lucie

Ozanne‘s research into toy libraries, which generated good discussion. Samples of the

proposed new Toy Library Bags were shown and tested for suitability with toys from the

Parent Centre library and all agreed that they would be useful for families to use.

Successful fundraising ideas included:-

Mystery Envelope Appeal – each member donates a $5+ item and other items are

purchased or businesses approached for donations. Then set up a stall outside a

shopping centre and sell $5 mystery envelopes to the public.

Playhouse Raffle – a granddad offered to build a playhouse which was then able

to be displayed and raffled off to the public.

Thank you to Dunedin Parent Centre for hosting this evening.

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A NATIONAL STUDY OF TOY LIBRARY USERS

Lucie K. Ozanne1, Julie L. Ozanne2 and Paul W. Ballantine3

The following is an abridged summary of the report into NZ toy libraries. If you would like a copy of the full report, please contact the Office. Our thanks to Lucie for undertaking this research and providing us with her findings. Abstract

Communities throughout the world generally hold that children have a fundamental right to

play. In fact, a long history of public policies and laws seek to promote play by providing a

range of financial and material resources. Toy libraries are an important resource that can

provide children with vital developmental tools for play by allowing families to borrow toys

in a process similar to public book libraries. A two stage study, including both a qualitative

and a quantitative stage, was conducted in New Zealand to explore the range of meanings

and benefits provided to toy library users. In the qualitative stage, nineteen in-depth

interviews were conducted with parents, and supplemented with fifteen brief interviews

with children, who frequent toy libraries to explore how families use the toy libraries to

gain a variety of benefits and construct different social meanings. In the quantitative

stage, the authors use quantitative data from 397 toy library members to explore why

members choose to participate and to determine their level of satisfaction with toy library

services in New Zealand. The quantitative stage reveals four groups – Socialites, Market

Avoiders, Quiet Anti-Consumers and Passive Members. The Socialites enjoy the social

benefits of active participation in their library. The Market Avoiders also perceived social

and community benefits, are interested in sharing, and are the least materialistic of the

groups. The Quiet Anti-Consumers feel a sense of belonging to their toy library and hold

strong anti-consumption, frugality and sharing values. The Passive Members are not socially

involved, nor did they hold strong anti-consumption values.

The right to play is a child's first claim on the community. Play is nature's training

for life.

No community can infringe that right without doing deep and enduring harm to the

minds and bodies of its citizens.

David Lloyd George (1926)

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Introduction

Lloyd George asserted that children‘s right to play is a fundamental right of citizenship

(Powell and Seaton 2007). Children‘s right to recreation was formally affirmed by The

Declaration on the Rights of the Child (UN General Assembly 1959). Play was again

acknowledged as a basic right of children worldwide in the United Nations Conventions on

the Rights of the Child (UN General Assembly 1989), which by the end of 2008 was signed

by 192 nations. Thus, communities throughout the world generally hold that children have

a fundamental right to play. In fact, a long history of public policies and laws seek to

promote play by providing a range of financial and material resources. Toy libraries are an

important resource that can provide children with vital developmental tools for play by

allowing families to borrow toys in a process similar to public book libraries.

Although toy libraries have been in existence since the 1930‘s and New Zealand has one of

the highest numbers of toy libraries in the world, second only to Switzerland, very little is

known about the benefits of participation in toy libraries. In order to address this gap in

the literature, a two part study was undertaken.

Limitations and Conclusions

Although we attempted to capture a range of experiences with the toy library, by sampling

a range of large and small libraries, our findings are likely more representative of lower

middle class to upper middle class families. Families of lower socio-economic levels may

utilize toy libraries in different ways and derive different benefits. For instance, research

in the U.K. conducted in areas of economic and social disadvantage found that parents

valued the toy libraries as a ―gateway to other opportunities‖ and an accessible form of

work experience (Capacity and Play Matters 2007, p. 15). However, additional research is

needed to understand how toy libraries impact the relationship to the marketplace for

consumers with fewer resources.

Public policy makers who are concerned about levels of materialism and the negative impact

of the marketplace on children‘s lives should find these results useful (Linn 2005). The

qualitative results suggest that parents are concerned about the intrusion of the

marketplace on childhood, but they have attempted to restrict that intrusion through

their use of the toy library. Also, based on the many benefits reported by parents, toy

libraries offer a potentially valuable community resource that should be more widely

available. Public policy makers should recognise that toy libraries can provide access to

toys that are well suited to support children‘s intellectual, physical, and social development

particularly in communities marked by concentrated economic disadvantage.

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In terms of recommendations for those responsible for operating toy libraries in New

Zealand, first they should be commended for the very high degree of satisfaction

reported by the nearly 400 respondents who completed the national survey and the

interviewed parents. Respondents report a high degree of satisfaction with the fees

charged by toy libraries, the number of toys they may borrow and the length of borrowing

period, with the duties required of them as toy library volunteers, and most importantly

with the condition and selection of toys they may borrow. Parents also feel they may save

money by utilising their toy library, can access a large number of toys and can try toys

before they buy them. Many also report feeling connected to their toy library and that it

is fun to participate in the duties of their toy library.

However, the results of both stages of this study suggest that toy libraries could more

effectively target toy library users. For example, toy libraries could communicate to

Socialites the social benefits of participating in a toy library. Conversely, by recognising

that these social aspects are not as important to Passive Members, toy library members in

this group may find it desirable to pay a higher subscription fee if it allowed them to forgo

toy library duties.

As Neil Postman (1982, xi) states: ―Children are the living messages we send to a time we

will not see.‖ Local community toy libraries support our youngest citizens‘ first claim on the

community—the right to play. Moreover, toy libraries extend this right to include the right

to play with diverse material objects that challenge children in a safe environment with

significant social interaction, which are all important for early childhood development.

In conclusion, our findings suggest that parents are actively engaged socializing their

children by using toy libraries to mediate the influence of the market on their children.

These parents find the toy library to be a stress-free alternative to buying in the

marketplace providing their children with greater influence to pursue a wide range of toys

and develop diverse skills. While past research suggest that children are becoming more

market savvy (Gunther and Furnham 1998) and sophisticated consumers (Valkenburg and

Cantor 2001), our findings suggest that parents intervene to diminish the impact of the

market on their children. Parents appreciated the non-commercialised space of the toy

library that offered a safe haven for exploration and growth through the sharing of

collective goods.

While strong yet different ideological themes were found throughout the qualitative data,

they represent the parents re-appropriating the original meaning and the more traditional

benefits espoused within toy libraries (Dockrell and Wilkinson 1989). Moreover, these

findings suggest a potentially more relevant and invigorating direction that toy libraries

and other communities of sharing might use to attract a broader and more committed set

of patrons.

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Employment Matters

Employment Agreements

The Act has underlined the company‘s requirement to keep a signed copy of each and

every individual employment agreement or current terms and conditions, and be able to

provide one to any employee who requests it. Non-compliance will result in a penalty (after

a 7-day opportunity to rectify it). The only sensible way of doing this will be to keep the

copy in each individual‘s personal file.

If you, or anyone you know, do not have these agreements in place you need to put a process in place before 1 July.

Holidays Act Cashing in leave

An employee may now be paid out up to 1 week‘s leave, every entitlement year, out of their

minimum entitlement (currently 4 weeks per annum). There are various rules:

it must be requested by the employee and genuinely agreed to by the employer;

the employee cannot be required to request it, nor can it be included in an

employment agreement;

it must be out of an entitlement (not accrued), so no-one can be paid out any leave

during their first year with an organisation;

it is paid out at the same rate as if taken in the week paid out;

an employer is allowed to have a policy that they will not consider such requests in

all or a part of their business;

if leave is paid out when it was not requested, the leave balance will not be

reduced.

You need to be clear when the entitlement year finishes for each employee. If you close down over Christmas, the start of the closedown is the entitlement anniversary – otherwise it will usually be the employee’s start date. If you agree to such payouts make absolutely certain you have a signed request.

Minimum Wage:

The Minimum Wage increases to $13.00 hour as from 1st April 2011.

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Funding Application Hints Attracting Funding

Read the criteria for every funding application carefully. Be sure that the funder fits your needs and can provide the funding you need for the costs that you cannot meet.

Find out what you have in common with the funder - what do they consider a good result. Every funder measures certain outcomes as their indicator of how well they are doing. If you can show that your goals match their goals you are more likely to be funded.

Check the funding deadline and make sure you can complete your application by that time - early if possible.

Ask how long it will take between applying for funding and receiving money if you are successful. This will have a substantial impact on your planning.

Ask the funder how good they think your chances of success are. This will help you with your risk management.

Find out how much detail the funder wants. Some funders want a one page summary, while others want as much detail as you can provide. Feel free to add appendixes to short applications, but be aware that the funder may not read them.

Find out how strict the funder is on the filling out of application forms. Some require every box to be filled in full with no mistakes whatsoever, whereas others are satisfied with 'n/a' or 'see attached'.

Be very clear about how much funding you are requesting, over what period and what it is for.

Provide a cash flow forecast for EVERY year that you are requesting funding and potentially for the year after if that is needed by the funder.

Be very clear about what will come out of your project. Who will your project help, how will it affect your community? Make sure that you are able to measure these results clearly. A project that creates a 'happier community' is hard to measure compared to a project that creates a 'happier community' by providing 4 community events and temporarily employing 4 people.

Talk to the funding provider, many regions have information meetings. Ask them how your plan can improve its chances of receiving funding. Take any advice at face value. Funders have a lot of experience in this field - make use of it.

Try not to put all of your eggs in one basket. You have not succeeded in attracting funding until the money is in your bank account. Most funders have a limited pool of money and even projects that they feel should be funded can be declined due to a lack of funds.

Try not to be discouraged if you do not attract funding. Get advice from your funding provider about why you were declined and use that advice for any future applications.

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What a Good Idea! This is the page where you get the opportunity to share all

your good ideas and tips with everyone else!

For toys with small parts, I went to all our banks in town and got new coin bags, BNZ

had some bags which were a little longer, perfect for the tiny pieces of Lego.

Thanks Thames for this good idea.

Rangiora held a Prenzel tasting and charged a $5 entry fee (pure profit). Prenzel

give a raffle pack to the organisation (which depends on the sales). We then gave

every member 10 tickets to sell, which they did and some wanted more, and we

raised over $750 and it was a fun night for members to get together.

Well done Rangiora

When preparing your budget and/or putting in a grant application for wages,

remember to add on about 10% to the gross wage to help account for other

employment related costs such as holiday pay, sick leave and ACC levies.

Keep wooden jigsaw pieces in place using stockings. This speeds up checking, assists

in presentation and helps keep the pieces in good condition.

WAATL newsletter Sept‘10

Board Members are only too happy to

offer suggestions and advice or to lend a

listening ear to any library.

So if you want to talk over, or find out

how to deal with, an issue, please contact

do contact the Office.

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Toy Express

Providing help and advice in choosing toys, advice including

where to get the best value for money. Our business is

helping toy libraries, not making money. We only add on a

small margin to keep the service operational. For your toy

buying needs, please contact us by email or phone advising

your toy library‘s name and if ordering, delivery and invoice

addresses.

Purchasing toys Many catalogues carry the same products; however the prices can be very different. Toy

Express keeps up with the changes and generally know where to source toys for you at the

best prices. Once you have made a list of the items you would like to buy, contact Toy

Express and we will do the sourcing, ordering and delivery to your doorstep. If it is better

for you to deal direct with a supplier we will advise you. We aim to have regular specials

throughout the year, so look out for these, which are often sent via email, and try and get

your committee to allow you some discretionary buying power so that when that super deal

comes up, you can order it without having to wait for your next committee meeting.

Toy Express has direct access to many wholesalers which means our prices are often

well below retail. We work with many of the toy companies in New Zealand (and some in

Australia) to access high quality toys at reasonable prices for you. We are able to source

most major brands.

Toy Express can place orders for you from many suppliers including Modern Teaching Aids

and Play n Learn.

Toy Libraries ordering direct from both Teacher Direct and Every Educaid will receive a

10% discount (Every Educaid orders need to be over $100.00 to receive a discount). Please

contact Toy Express first as we can often find the same toy at a better price.

Quotes

Contact Toy Express for your quotes. Simply give us a catalogue reference, page number,

code and description. There is a form you can download from the Toy Library Federation

of New Zealand website or just email your list. Please allow at least 7 days for quotes to

be completed. A freight component will be added.

Please note our new logo

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Freight Some suppliers will only send to Toy Express. We wait until we have a number of orders

before placing a bulk order with the supplier. By doing this we can often get freight free

to Toy Express, or spread the freight between several libraries. We do our best to keep

the freight as cheap as possible for you. Some suppliers send direct to toy libraries and

most seem to have reasonable freight costs.

Invoices Lisa Ross, a TLFNZ Board member does all of the invoicing to toy libraries voluntarily,

doing this around her part time job and family commitments. When paying into the Toy

Express bank account please note the invoice number as a reference. Contact Toy Express

with any queries regarding invoices.

Balance Bikes

At a recent Dunedin regional meeting of toy libraries we discussed the best balance bikes

and the general consensus was that the Kettler 10‖ Speedy is a great little balance bike

for 2-4 years. A popular bike for the next size up is the JD Bug. The Y-Bike is fairly new

on the market for 18months – 3.5 years and I‘ve had very good feedback so far from toy

libraries who have purchased this.

JD Bug

Y-Bike

Kettler 10‖ Speedy

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Best Selling Toys for January/February 2011

1. Eurotike Fire or Police Tandem Trike

2. Pop Up Co Adventure World 3. Little Tikes Festival Kitchen

4. Little Tikes 30th Anniversary 5. John Deere Classic Tractor & Trailer

Cosy Coupe

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6. John Deere Mini Digger 7. Quickfold Fun Slides

8. Turnstyles 9. Junior Trampoline

For more information and prices on these, or any other toys, please contact:

Lisa Taylor, Toy Buyer

[email protected]

Ph 0800 148 699 or 03 4821 370

Office Hours: Monday-Thursday 10am-2pm

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From the Manual...

In each issue of the Link, we will be including a section from the Operations Manual.

9.5 HANDOVER – AND OUT!

It may seem a little premature to be thinking about handing a project on when you are still

in the planning stages, or even when you have just joined a committee. However, consider

how you can make a smooth transition in the event of new committee taking over, which will

ensure your toy library continues to thrive and offers continuity of service for your users.

There is often a high turnover of volunteers in toy libraries, many committees‘ flounder at

the point of changeover. This is often because there is insufficient information available

to the new team. Difficulties arise when:

Records are patchy or cannot be found

There is a poor or non-existent ―handover period‖

New volunteers are inexperienced, untrained or unsure of their responsibilities

Policies and procedures are not clarified.

To help ensure the continued success of your project in the event of committee changes

have:

A clear management structure

Clear written guidelines for the running of your toy library and procedures that

everyone can follow.

A handover period for all new staff/volunteers.

An induction programme for all new staff/volunteers

Information folders for all new staff/volunteers

Clear records of your toy library including committee members‘ correspondence,

fundraising applications etc.

Training available for new staff/volunteers.

9.6 DON‘T DO IT ALL YOURSELF!

The motivating force behind the setting up of a toy library has often been one person with

a vision! However, it is important to involve others from the very beginning. Set up a small

steering group and allocate the various jobs to different individuals. In this way you will

share the burden and draw on the differing expertise of other people. In the long term

this will create a healthy and sustainable project with accountability. If you go it alone –

what will happen when you need to move on?

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As with any team, it functions effectively only so long as the positions are clearly defined

at the outset and respected in their execution. Teams stumble when there is:

an imbalance or concentration of power;

a lack of accountability;

unclear definition or understanding of the roles and responsibilities; or

a lack of focus on the critical issues.

It is the human resource which is unique to the organisation and it is the human capability

and commitment that they bring to the organisation, which leads to success.

“Volunteering - every minute counts" will be the

theme for the 2011 Volunteer Awareness Week

which will take place from 19th - 25 June.

The theme will highlight that volunteers provide an invaluable contribution to our society

and that every minute of their work counts. For those who manage/organise volunteer

programmes this means they need to consider how they can be flexible in how and when

they involve their volunteers so as to enable everyone possible - even the busiest - to have

the opportunity to volunteer. For everyone who is considering volunteering, it means that

every moment of their busy life they can spare for volunteering is valuable because

volunteers all contribute no matter what amount of time they give.

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Sound Familiar? From the latest Exult Magazine:

―We‘re a relatively small club and we only have a handful of committee members who do all of the work. We‘re continuously asking other members to get involved but I feel like I‘m banging my head against a brick wall. How do you get people to do their bit?‖

Kerri says:

In every organisation there are people who

make things happen and I‘m guessing that

you‘re one of these people. You don‘t need to

be told what to do – you just see what needs

doing and get it done right? You are vital to

the success of your organisation, but not

everyone thinks (or acts) the way you do –

and usually that‘s what causes the

frustration.

Consider that in every organisation there

are 3 types of people: Drivers, Passengers

and Hitch-hikers. The drivers (that‘s

probably you) make decisions, co-ordinate

plans and get things done no matter what

they have to sacrifice along the way. While

drivers are usually happy to take the lead,

they can quickly get frustrated if they feel

like everyone else is just there for the ride.

This is where a change in mindset can make

all the difference.

Most of the people in your organisation will

be passengers. Yes, they are there for

whatever benefits your club provides, but

contrary to what you may think, passengers

are also more than happy to help out when

they‘re needed. However often times,

passengers don‘t even realize that you need

help or if they do, they don‘t know

specifically what you need help with.

Passengers are different to drivers. Drivers

jump in boots and all, whereas passengers

need to feel sure they are able to complete

the task before they volunteer. They need

to know exactly what they are required to

do, who they‘ll be doing it with, when, for

how long, and for how often. Passengers are

usually not as confident as drivers, and

drivers tend to forget that. Drivers tent do

treat passengers like they are drivers in

disguise-but they‘re not. You need to

approach them differently.

If you want more passengers helping out, be

specific in your requests, invite them to be

involved face-to-face, and buddy them up

with someone who can show them what to

do. If you don‘t get enough helpers for a

specific activity or event, go back and ask

again. They need to know if you are still

looking for help. If you continue to fill the

gaps yourself, passengers will assume that

you ended up with enough helpers after all.

And for hitch-hikers? There are usually less

of these than you think, but it‘s hard to tell

until you get all your ‗passengers‘ actively on

board. Once this happens the hitch-hikers

become less frustrating, because you don‘t

feel like you‘re doing it all on your own.

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Why Won't More People Help Out?

So many times we hear people complaining that it's the same people doing the same jobs all

of the time - but it doesn't have to be that way. If you want more people in your

organisation to get involved, chances are there are a couple of things you're missing. Next

time you find yourself sighing, consider these top reasons why people aren't helping out:

1. They don’t know what you want them to do

People want to make sure they are completely capable of doing a job, before they

volunteer to do it. When making requests for volunteers, tell them exactly what you need

them to do, when it needs to be done, how long it will take, where it needs to take place,

and who they will be working with. It is easier for people to say yes, when they know what

they are saying yes to.

2. You haven’t asked them personally

If you ask for volunteers in a newsletter or via a bulk email, you will usually only get replies

from your hard-core volunteers. The remainder will assume that with so many people

reading the request, somebody else will put their hand up to help. When you ask for help

one-on-one, people know they are needed.

3. They have offered to help before and you turned them down

People volunteer to help out because they want to be of service, and if they are not being

of service to you, they will go and be of service to somebody else. As soon as someone

shows a desire to volunteer – find them a job – even if you have to create one!

4. They have helped before and they weren’t appreciated

Very few people are so saint-like that they will continue to volunteer despite lack of

reward or recognition. If they didn‘t feel appreciated the first time, chances are they

won‘t volunteer for a second.

5. They CAN’T not WON’T

Not everyone has the skills or confidence to do certain tasks. Be sensitive to what people

might be thinking or feeling, and offer opportunities to make it easier for them. Perhaps

they need some extra training, or there is a different task which is better suited.

-Article added to the Exult Website January 2010

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Showcasing Play the Old Fashioned Way –

That‘s What Toy Libraries Do Best

By Judy Iacuzzi, Executive Director, USA Toy Library Association

The New York Times in January ran a story about play. No big news to us in the toy library

field, you may say, but it is a big deal in the world today.

The story talks about how a mom is offering costumes and toys to her kids and her kids‘

friends and letting them ―have at it.‖ Go ahead and make up some fun, was the message she

gave as she offered the scarves, hats, marbles and balls and let the living room get messy

as the children began to play.

The idea of free play, this winter of 2011, is challenged by so many devices. Devices with

buttons you hold in your hand and select. Up pops an image on a ready-made screen and off

you go – playing alone with your programmed, tell-you-how-to do-it, handheld device. These

devices – and the time spent with them (7 hours and 38 minutes a day on average per child,

according to the Times, which was quoting a Kaiser Family Foundation study in 2010)

actually challenge imaginary thought processing, an area of the brain that needs

stimulation early on to work later on in life. And that‘s not the only part of the cranium

that may be stultified.

We asked our play expert, one of several on the USA-TLA board, Rhoda Redleaf, to

respond to this story from the Times. We asked her directly about the issue of the

interruption of play in modern life, particularly the lives of children. We asked her what

toy libraries could do to offset the trend.

―Toy libraries should first and foremost get copies of the story from the Times,

(http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/garden/06play.html?emc=eta1) and think about

hosting a play day. That would be an excellent project for an early childhood organization,

like a toy library or like-minded group, to encourage play and build awareness and

momentum. By focusing on games, open-ended toys like balls and blocks, and using sand,

mud and other elements of nature with play potential, the event might open some eyes to

its importance and encourage other play events. The whole point is to challenge the

ubiquitous Internet, the Xboxes and other technology devices that take up so much time

today.‖

The other aspect, said Ms. Redleaf, an author and respected educator of child care

workers, parents and teachers of young children, is to build awareness of this issue. ―Make

available to parents and members of the toy library and even boards of directors

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information that play is being dwarfed, is losing out to less imaginative, cooperative, skill-

building, risk-taking activities that are valuable aspects of unprogrammed, self-directed

play.

―Emphasize blocks and puzzles and Lego-type toys, trucks and dolls and other materials

that encourage problem-solving and skill-building and sorting out situations together so

everyone has fun. These kinds of opportunities have been disappearing from our homes and

schools,‖ said Ms. Redleaf, who is the founder of Toys 'n‘ Things in St. Paul, Minn., one of

the original toy libraries in the USA.

―With rare exception, a major problem with all the technology is isolation.‖

Said the founding member of the USA-TLA and current emeritus board member of

Resources for Child Caring, a distinguished social service and training program in St. Paul,

―Recently there have been a number of articles on the value of outdoor play for children.

If toy libraries took up the idea of making parents aware of how to encourage outdoor

play, it would balance the indoor play with more physical, imaginative activity good for

overall health throughout one‘s life.‖

Ms. Redleaf knows whereof she speaks. She is the author of best-selling books on

handmade toys and creative field trips. Some of her more popular publications include Busy Fingers, Growing Minds; Open the Door, Let‘s Explore More!; and Learn and Play the GREEN Way.

―In fact, I have noticed younger children bored with their technology devices around when

they don‘t have the latest game to play or application to use.

―I don‘t remember my kids being bored,‖ said the woman who always had a bag of Play-

Doh™ and a plastic bag with shaving cream and food coloring around to fuel the play action

with her kids at home.

Ms. Redleaf, who has a children‘s room named after her in the Hennepin County Library in

Minneapolis, recommends discussing the idea of boredom with toy library patrons.

―Discuss how to counter its effects. There is a problem that when the technology is

absent, kids may not know what to do with themselves.‖

Perhaps there‘s an opportunity for toy libraries to rearrange their toy inventory to

showcase toys that encourage more free-form play, create ―toys of the month‖ that have

nothing to do with technology and everything to do with figuring out how to play with other

children. And encourage the parents to lay down their Blackberries™ and sit on the floor

with their kids and start playing, too, she added.

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Effort to Restore Children’s Play Gains Momentum

By HILARY STOUT Published: January 5, 2011

A version of this article appeared in print on January 6, 2011, on page D1 of the New York edition.

Ruth Fremson/The New York Times

Sarah Wilson (shown with Benjamin, 6, and Laura,

3) of Stroudsburg, Pa., says, ―There‘s no

imaginative play anymore, no pretend.‖

SARAH WILSON was speaking proudly the other

day when she declared: ―My house is a little

messy.‖ Ms. Wilson lives in Stroudsburg, Pa., a

small town in the Poconos. Many days, her home is

strewn with dress-up clothes, art supplies and other

artifacts from playtime with her two small children,

Benjamin, 6, and Laura, 3. ―I let them get it messy

because that‘s what it‘s here for,‖ she said.

Ms. Wilson has embraced a growing movement to

restore the sometimes-untidy business of play to the

lives of children. Her interest was piqued when she

toured her local elementary school last year, a few

months before Benjamin was to enrol in

kindergarten. She still remembered her own

kindergarten classroom from 1985: it had a

sandbox, blocks and toys. But this one had a wall of

computers and little desks.

―There‘s no imaginative play anymore, no pretend,‖

Ms. Wilson said with a sigh.

For several years, studies and statistics have been

mounting that suggest the culture of play in the

United States is vanishing. Children spend far too

much time in front of a screen, educators and

parents lament — 7 hours 38 minutes a day on

average, according to a survey by the Kaiser Family

Foundation last year. And only one in five children

live within walking distance (a half-mile) of a park

or playground, according to a 2010 report by the

federal Centers for Disease Control, making them

even less inclined to frolic outdoors.

Behind the numbers is adult behavior as well as

children‘s: Parents furiously tapping on their

BlackBerrys in the living room, too stressed by

work demands to tolerate noisy games in the

background. Weekends consumed by soccer,

lacrosse and other sports leagues, all organized and

directed by parents. The full slate of lessons (chess,

tae kwon do, Chinese, you name it) and homework

beginning in the earliest grades. Add to that

parental safety concerns that hinder even true

believers like Ms. Wilson. ―People are scared to let

their kids outside, even where I live,‖ she said. ―If I

want my kids to go outside, I have to be with

them.‖

Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, a developmental psychologist

at Temple University in Philadelphia, concluded,

―Play is just a natural thing that animals do and

humans do, but somehow we‘ve driven it out of

kids.‖

Too little playtime may seem to rank far down on

the list of society‘s worries, but the scientists,

psychologists, educators and others who are part of

the play movement say that most of the social and

intellectual skills one needs to succeed in life and

work are first developed through childhood play.

Children learn to control their impulses through

games like Simon Says, play advocates believe, and

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32

they learn to solve problems, negotiate, think

creatively and work as a team when they dig

together in a sandbox or build a fort with sofa

cushions. (The experts define play as a game or

activity initiated and directed by children. So video

games don‘t count, they say, except perhaps ones

that involve creating something, and neither, really,

do the many educational toys that do things like

sing the A B C‘s with the push of a button.)

Much of the movement has focused on the

educational value of play, and efforts to restore

recess and unstructured playtime to early childhood

and elementary school curriculums. But advocates

are now starting to reach out to parents, recognizing

that for the movement to succeed, parental attitudes

must evolve as well — starting with a willingness

to tolerate a little more unpredictability in

children‘s schedules and a little less structure at

home. Building that fort, for example, probably

involves disassembling the sofa and emptying the

linen closet. (A sheet makes an excellent roof.)

―I think more than anything, adults are a little

fearful of children‘s play,‖ said Joan Almon,

executive director of the Alliance for Childhood, a

nonprofit pro-play group. ―Some people have a

greater tolerance for chaos and have developed a

hand for gently bringing it back into order. Others

get really nervous about it.‖ Megan Rosker, a

mother of three (ages 6, 3 and 2) in Redington

Shores, Fla., has learned to embrace the disorder.

She set aside the large sunroom in her home for the

children and filled it with blocks, games, crayons,

magazines to cut up and draw in, as well as toys

and dress-up clothes. ―I think a big part of free play

is having space to do it in, a space that isn‘t ruled

over by adults,‖ she said.

―The other key is not to instruct kids how to play

with something,‖ she said. ―I can‘t tell you how

many board-game pieces have been turned into

something else. But I let them do it because I figure

their imagination is more valuable than the price of

a board game.‖

The Ultimate Block Party play event in New York.

But, Ms. Rosker added, ―I won‘t claim any of this

has been easy for me or my husband,‖ noting that

her husband used to be ―a total neat freak.‖ She said

they have learned to live with disarray and to take

other difficult steps, like strict limits on screen time.

Ms. Rosker has also campaigned, although

unsuccessfully, to bring recess to her son‘s

elementary school. But school officials were too

worried about potential injuries, unruliness and

valuable time lost from academic pursuits to sign

on to her idea and, she was surprised to find, many

parents were similarly reluctant. ―They said: ‗I‘m

not going to sign that. I‘m sure there is a good

reason why this is good for our kids — our school

has good test scores.‘ ―

To try to reach more parents, a coalition called Play

for Tomorrow this fall staged what amounted to a

giant play date in Central Park. The event, known

as the Ultimate Block Party, featured games like I

Spy, mounds of Play-Doh, sidewalk chalk, building

blocks, puzzles and more. The National Science

Foundation was closely involved, advising

organizers — and emphasizing to parents — the

science and the educational value behind each of

the carefully chosen activities. Organizers were

hoping to attract 10,000 people to the event. They

got more than 50,000.

―We were overwhelmed,‖ said Roberta Golinkoff, a

developmental psychologist at the University of

Delaware and a founder of the event along with Dr.

Hirsh-Pasek. They are now working with other

cities — Toronto, Atlanta, Baltimore and Houston,

among them — to stage similar events, along with

making the Central Park gathering an annual one.

The goal, in some ways, is to return to the old days.

―When I was growing up, there was a culture of

childhood that children maintained,‖ said Jim

Hunn, vice president for mass action at KaBOOM,

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33

a nonprofit group that is a leading voice in reducing

what it terms the ―play deficit.‖ He noted that he

learned games like Capture the Flag from other

children. To revive that culture, he said: ―Parents

have to reassert themselves in this process and

teach them how to play. It‘s critical that parents

take some ownership and get out and play with their

children.‖

But promoting play can be surprisingly challenging

to parents. Emily Paster, a mother of two in River

Forest, Ill., a Chicago suburb, tries to discourage

screen time and encourage her children to play

imaginatively. That usually works fine for her 7-

year-old daughter, who is happy to play in her room

with her dolls for hours. But her 4-year-old son is a

different story, especially in the cold weather when

he‘s cooped up.

―If he wants to play, he always wants me to play

with him,‖ Ms. Paster said. ―This child has a

million toys. Every kind of train you can imagine.

But he really wants a partner. If I‘m meant to get

anything accomplished — dinner, laundry, a phone

call — then it‘s really difficult.‖

Encouraging brother and sister to play together only

goes so far. ―It seems like there‘s a ticking time

bomb,‖ Ms. Paster said. ―Someone‘s going to

decide they‘re done before the other one‘s ready.‖

Sometimes, a video screen is the unwelcome but

necessary alternative.

―If I want to get anything done it‘s like, ‗Here‘s the

Leapster,‘ ― she admitted, referring to a Leapster

Explorer, a video-like device for preschoolers.

But once they‘re used to it, Mr. Hunn said, children

will direct their play themselves — a situation Ms.

Almon recalls from her own childhood. ―Our

neighborhood gang organized a lot of softball

games,‖ she said. ―There was no adult around. We

adjusted the rules as we needed them. Once the

adults are involved it becomes: Here are the rules,

and we have to follow these rules. It still can be a

good activity but stops being play.‖

In the vast world of organized children‘s sports, a

few parent-coaches are getting that hands-off

message. Ms. Almon knows of a soccer coach who

started allowing children to organize their own

scrimmages during practice while he stood silently

on the sidelines, and a hockey coach in Chicago

who ends practices by shooing all the adults off the

ice and letting the kids skate as they please.

There are more formal efforts, in addition to the

Ultimate Block Party initiatives. The US Play

Coalition, a group of doctors, educators and parks

and recreation officials, plans a conference next

month at Clemson University on the value of

outdoor play. KaBOOM has built 1,900

playgrounds across the country, most in low-

income neighborhoods, and in September helped

organize ―Play Days‖ in 1,600 communities. It also

has added do-it-yourself tools on its Web site to

help parents organize and create neighborhood play

spaces themselves. Another Web site scheduled to

start this spring, LearningResourceNetwork.net,

aims to create a broad educational source for

parents and teachers.

―Our first big push will be on play,‖ said Susan

Magsamen, the executive director of the group.

An important part of the movement is teaching

children themselves how to play. The average 3-

year-old can pick up an iPhone and expertly scroll

through the menu of apps, but how many 7-year-

olds can organize a kickball game with the

neighborhood kids?

Toward that end, at the Central Park event, parents

were given a 75-page ―Playbook‖ outlining

research on play and offering children ideas for

playful pursuits — things that generations past did

without prompting and that may evoke in today‘s

parents feelings of recognition and nostalgia.

―Climb on the couch with your friends and pretend

you are sailing on a ship to a distant land,‖ reads

one idea. Another, from the section on construction

play: ―Lay a toy on the floor and figure out how to

build a bridge going over the toy with blocks.‖

―Make paper doll cutouts from old newspapers and

magazines,‖ a third suggests, ―and let your

imagination fly!‖

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34

Finding it hard…..

Membership issues?

Committee issues?

Fundraising ideas needed?

Librarian/employment issues?

Just want to chat with someone?

Then LET US KNOW….

the solution may just be around the corner….

We Would LOVE to help YOU

So contact the Office today! phone: 03 388 4793 or 0800-148-697

email: [email protected]

Share your news with the rest of us. Send your photos and

articles into the Office for inclusion.

Volunteer your Library as a venue for a Regional.

Check the website and forum regularly.

Use forum and market place areas on our website to ask

questions, advertise your fundraisers and buy/sell toys or parts.

2011 AGM and Regional Meeting in Nelson – love to see you

there on 9 July!

Start saving for Conference 2012 in Wellington.

Keep the Office informed of any changes of contact details by

completing and returning the database forms sent out in

Jan/Feb.

Subs will be due end of March/beginning of April. Invoices will

be sent, so please advise how many members you have.

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Housekeeping

Operations Manual

The updated CD was sent to libraries in February. If you download it onto your toy library computer then you

will have it at your fingertips at all times, and the disk can then be stored somewhere safe. Remember to

often refer to it for help or ideas.

Have you sent in your Annual Return to the Charities Commission?

If your library has registered with the Charities Commission then you need to send in your Annual Return

within 3 months of your AGM. This return includes your financial report, along with any changes in

Committee. If you have change of Officers during the year, you should also file the changes.

Insurance:

175 Toy Libraries currently take part in the Insurance Scheme offered through the Federation.

We are pleased we could help many toy libraries save money and make insurance cover simple to arrange.

Toy Libraries can join the scheme at any time. Please contact the office on 0800-148-697 if you have any

queries. Toy Library Bulk Insurance cover runs from 1 August 2010 – 1 August 2011.

Funding Applications & Letters of Support: Remember to get your Funding Officer to check Fundview (free access through your local library databases)

for possible funding sources and closing dates in your area. Most of the main funding providers have their

own websites, so bookmark these and check them for close-off dates. Contact the Office if you would like a

letter of support for your funding applications.

Publicity Resources:

We have Publicity Kits, Banners, Tear Drop Flags, High Visibility Vests, and a Video Tape commercial

available from the Office for you to hire for your promotional events. For more details see the Resources

page on our Website or contact the Office.

Stationery:

We still stock a wide variety of stationery, labels, certificates, pens, posters and pamphlets. For more

details see the Resources page on our Website or contact the Office.

Toy Boxes:

Toy Boxes currently available for hire. A great way for small libraries to increase their toy stock. And a

Great way to have a change of toys to offer to your members! More details check out our website under the

Toy Library Resources pull down menu, or contact the Office.

Forum:

Find out and share information with other toy libraries – access through our website, www.toylibrary.co.nz

Make sure you check it regularly, and post your queries, hints or answer others.

Buy-Sell-Exchange:

All libraries, toy repairers & buyers especially, should try using this feature of our website. It‘s easy to put

your own ad onto the site whether it is for a piece you need, or something you no longer need.

Check this section of the webpage regularly to see if there is anything there of interest to your library.

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NEWSLETTER CIRCULATION LIST

Date Received:

Please read, then circulate;

Name Sign as Read Date

_______________ _____________________ ________

_______________ _____________________ _________

_______________ _____________________ _________

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NOTES OF INTEREST

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