National recognition for toy library

We have received recognition nationally and locally for the value of the services we offer to families throughout Charnwood. Grants have been received from The Big Lottery Awards for All fund and Charnwood Borough Council.

These will enable the toy library to deliver 12 months of its popular and stimulating Guided Play Sessions, and continue to lend toys, games and puzzles to families and childcare organisations.

The Guided Play Sessions were piloted at the beginning of the year and generated much interest and support among our members. Parents commented on how engaged the children were with the various activities, and how these helped develop language, social and motor skills. The sessions introduce the children to a range of topics that help them understand the world around them. Families can then borrow a range of toys to further explore the topic at home.

Since September we have developed the theme of pets including a pretend-play pet shop, vets sessions, crafts and dough modelling. After half term we will move on to an Autumn-Winter theme. Sessions run twice a week from 10-12am.

New dates for Guided Play Sessions

We have a great timetable of seasonal activities lined up for our Guided Play sessions. Spiders, fireworks and snow men can all be expected to make an appearance.

Sessions run from 10-12 on the following dates:
Thurs 28th Oct (evening session 6:30-7:30)
Fri 29th Oct

Weds 3rd Nov
Fri 5th Nov
Mon 8th Nov
Weds 10th Nov
Weds 17th Nov
Fri 19th Nov
Thus 25th Nov (evening session 6:30-7:30)
Fri 26th Nov

All welcome

Toy Library gains recognition for stimulating play sessions

Recently we were visited by a production team from Capacity Builders. They came to see how we work, and how we had utilised a grant from Voluntary Action Leicestershire over the last 18 months. Here is what they said:

"Shepshed Toy Library made a successful application to the Grassroots Grants programme, enabling it to promote play for all children in Shepshed and the surrounding area by providing a large variety of toys that can be loaned out and offering a stimulating play area for children.

Alison Jones, who runs the toy library, explains "VAL helped us to access funding and extend the number of play sessions we offer. We've also been able to expand the multicultural range of our toys - so our pretend play toys include cooking sets with different kinds of foods like noodles and dumplings, which the kids love to play with. It's really important that children have props that are culturally relevant to them that they can use as a starting point to explore the world and their place in it."

The play services that we offer include our "guided play" sessions. The next of these will run on Monday 4th, Weds 6th, Weds 13th and Fri 15th October from 10:00-12:00 and will continue our theme of "pets". Come along and give them a try.