Community Kids Brainstorming

[windinthemaples]

So I'm reading this book about how modern children don't interact much with other children. There isn't the neighborhood playtime that I experienced as a child where we all got together, impromptu, for summer evening games of kick the can or whiffle ball. Children are more likely to be indoors watching television and playing computer games than playing with a friend. It is just the way we operate now. This, combined with my dawning "commerce is at the heart of our troubles" realizations and I had this sudden vision for what I'd love to see in my own community.

I'd love to start a non-profit and rent out a large storefront somewhere. My motto would be something like, "Don't buy toys--borrow ours!". So to reduce toy purchase/manufacture, I'd operate a free toy library. There'd be a laminated photo 'card catalog' in the front that kids and their parents could flip through to find the toys they were interested in borrowing. Those toys'd be stored in a back room, out of sight. The large portion of the space would be for community gatherings, playgroups, arts and crafts, and other free activities for children and their parents. So it would be a space where parents and their children could meet and interact with other parents and their children under some friendly supervision and direction. The available toys could be unabashedly hand picked to emphasize imaginative play, non-violence, education, and sustainable materials. We could also, as a non-profit, accept donations of used toys from families that have outgrown what they purchased or just want to share what they have with others. There could be activity areas--like an arts and crafts corner where the activities and supplies/materials laid out change frequently, where getting messy is encouraged, and communal play areas with toys from our rental collection that we'd change out regularly to make each visit feel different and fresh. Every couple weeks or month, we could center activities and open toy play on a different theme. So like, you could walk in one month and be surprised to find colorful scarves and tents suspended from the ceiling forming a fairy court or a jungle of potted ferns and dinosaurs out to play with. I'd also have shelves of board games available to check out for family game nights and a safe area for infants to crawl and kick. Volunteer specialists could come teach classes, like children's yoga or pottery, and we could have regular times for age-specific playdates. Parents like me, with children underfoot, could come volunteer their time and/or work with their children at their side.

I spent some time talking it over with Daniel and he's super supportive. It fuses a lot of my desires and ideals. Daniel says it also utilizes my skill at being non-profitable. ;) Ha! (He also, not-quite-jokingly said my biggest expense would be in disinfectant.)

Why doesn't something like this already exist? Does it? Has anyone encountered a free family community space and toy lending library? I know of the concept but have never seen it in action outside of small grassroots mom groups getting together. Clearly, I need to do some research. Edited to Add: Who knew? There is an entire Toy Librarian's Association here in the States? Wow. How cool. Still, not much, if anything, is as ambitious as what I have in mind but it is nice to not have to reinvent the wheel for some of the functional considerations.

This isn't a matter of "if" but really a matter of "when". If I build it, will families come out of their homes and get together? Will people borrow expensive toys instead of feeling the need to purchase them? Could it even the playing field, so to speak, across socioeconomic lines and encourage a sense of community belonging and family fun?

I'm willing to take the risk to see. It won't be this year and it probably won't be next year, but I feel confident saying within five years one will exist and it will be a spectacular experiment in trust and idealism and togetherness.

Comments

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it is daunting to think of all the paperwork and red tape and unexpected expenses that are going to try and crush the good intentions right out of my idea. Like, is it any wonder that people don't fight to get out of the system too much? Eeeeegh.