Play & Learning Sessions

This week sees the start of our series of structured "guided play" sessions thanks to the funding support from the Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales. 

We start with two sessions aimed at tactile and creative play inspired by Halloween and Bonfire Night.  Our activities will include food tasting - but only if you can pick it up with chopsticks!; splatter painting - aprons provided!; mini beast hunts .... but in jelly!; craft masks and bags to take home.

Posters are displayed around the toy library and we have leaflets to tell you about the other sessions leading up to Christmas.  We are extending the taster sessions we did last term on schema, treasure baskets and heuristic play to enable you to explore further the whys and wherefores of children's learning through play.

Do come along and support these sessions which are being run during our normal play times - this seems to suit the majority of our members having tried different days and times last term.  Normal stay and play charges apply.

Many thanks for your support

WOW - NEW TOYS!

 

Following our Nearly New Sale on 6th October we have acquired a huge number of new (to us) toys, games and equipment for everyone to borrow.  We have some fantastic new puzzles and games, a new baby activity centre which I think may rival the Jumparoos for popularity!, a range of new pretend play sets, constructing kits, outdoor toys and dressing up .... and yet more!

Also we have now taken delivery of our new activity toys thanks to the Charnwood Borough Council Staying Healthy Grant - 2 balance bikes and a first motor bike!

COME ALONG THIS WEEK TO PICK UP SOME TOYS FOR HALF TERM!

CLOSED 22 - 26TH OCTOBER BUT

OPEN THIS THURSDAY 6.30 - 7.30 PM (18TH OCT)

Child Play & Development Sessions

A huge thanks to Lloyds TSB Foundation, who have provided us with the means to offer guided play sessions to support different aspects of play and development from November 2012.  We have run taster guided play sessions since Easter following our successful bid to the Shepshed and Hathern Community Forum.  We have explored aspects of communication, physical play and social interaction to support the Early Years Foundation recommendations.

We have deduced from attendance figures that most people will attend during our normal session times so we are now dedicating one session per week as a specific "child learning and development through guided play" session.  This will mean you have dedicated support from staff and volunteers who are familiar with the concepts we are promoting and will be able to discuss with you and offer suggestions of how to support your child through play.

The dates for this term from after the half term break are -

Wed 31st October - Halloween - creative and tactile play and activity session

Mon 5th November - Bonfire Night - creative and tactile play session

Mon 12th November - Physical play / Tummy time for the Under 2's

Wed 21st November - Treasure baskets / Transporting schema

Fri 30th November - Rotation Schema

Fri 7th December - Trajectory Schema

Wed 12th December - Christmas Party & Musical Bumps (Tickets £3 10 am - 3pm)

Wed 19th December - Enclosing / Enveloping Schema - wrapping presents!

All sessions except where indicated will be run from 9.30 - 12.00 and we ask for a contribution of £1 per family.  Some additional craft activities may incur a small charge to contribute to our costs.

Don't forget our Schema session on Friday 12th October which will introduce and explain all the schema we will then cover in these sessions!  1.00 - 3.00 pm.

SCHEMA - GUIDED PLAY & TRAINING

Our next guided play session on October 12th 1 - 3 pm is about schema - you may be wary about attending not fully understanding what it will all be about - let me dispel any fears!

The word  'schema' is generally used to describe patterns of repeated behaviour which children use to explore and express their ideas and thoughts through play and exploration ....

still confused ?  How about if we use examples like ...

a child in a high chair dropping things again and again - the repeated action - and your response to it - helps the child to develop meaning to what they are doing and thus extends their thinking and development.

Schemas are biological - we are born with them and they are central to how we learn and develop although they will be influenced by our surroundings and the people we regularly interact with.

Some of the schema we will be looking at are

• Rotational - fascination with spinning / wheeled toys / roundabouts etc
• Trajectory - dropping things / throwing / climbing and jumping off things
• Transporting - moving themselves or other things from place to place
• Connecting - joining and disconnecting train tracks / constructing toys etc
• Positioning - lining up objects - cars / shoes / books or putting things in groups

Perhaps you recognise your own actions in these descriptions and certainly those of your young children.

To understand more come along with the children to the play session on Friday Oct 12th 1 - 3 pm (don't worry we'll be finished in time for school pick up) or come along without the children to learn some more!

For childminders / carers / practitioners or other interested persons we are running an in house training session on Monday 1st October from 12.30pm - 2.30 to explore these avenues further.  Places are limited so please contact the Toy Library if you'd like to book a place £5 per person.

New Term - new faces

Monday 3rd September sees us open for business as usual with loads of plans for fun and exciting activities!

We have said goodbye to Maria who has moved "up north" to explore new opportunities and so are delighted to report that one of our regular members and volunteer Jodie Smith will be taking over from Maria in the stay and play sessions.

Lots of plans afoot - this term we are exploring some of our new Play and Share (story) sacks as these have all been updated refreshed and improved and we now have around 40 - 50 available for loan.

Our theme this term will be around "our healthy bodies" incorporating aspects of healthy eating - supported by a grant from Charnwood Borough Council's Staying Healthy campaign - which will enable us to provide healthy snacks and drinks in our cafe.  We will also continue our guided play sessions supported by the Community Forum bid monies with communication, schema and physical play still to come.

Our first week back we are looking at farms ... after all where does all our food come from! - with making activities, singing and story time to look forward to.  The library room has had a good sort out over the holidays with shelves looking tidy and toys easily accessed - take some time to browse and choose some great toys.

Do come along - bring a friend along and you can both benefit from our "refer a friend" scheme where if you encourage a new member to join you can both borrow a Play & Share sack for free! ( Normally £2.50)

Looking forward to a great term!

NEARLY NEW SALE - 6TH OCTOBER 2012

Shepshed Toy Library are pleased to announce their

Nearly New Sale

on

Saturday October 6th 2012

at Shepshed Toy Library, Hind Leys Campus

Children growing up fast – toys, games and clothes you no longer need? Can’t be bothered with ebay or car boot sales? Then come along to the Nearly New Sale at Shepshed Toy Library – register as a seller and take the hassle out of moving stuff on – and reap the rewards. Full information below!

• People interested in selling at the sale should contact the Toy Library – 01509 601146 or email shepshedtoylib@tiscali.co.uk for a sellers pack.

• Leave name, telephone number and e mail address for contact.

• Sellers pack £2 (cash or cheque payable to Shepshed Toy Library) to cover our administration cost & Stamped Addressed Envelope to receive your sale proceeds after the event (Your admin fee will be deducted from your sales proceeds if not paid in advance)

• You will receive a guidance sheet, sellers sheet and set of sticky labels - max 30 items per seller

• Percentage commission – 30% to toy library 70% to seller

• Emphasis on toys and games for sale – any clothes must be on hangers

• All items to be good quality / toys and games complete no pieces missing

• Sellers will be issued with a unique number and use this for labelling up items.

• Sellers can deposit items from 9am, sale will open from 11 – 2pm.

• Unsold items to be collected by 4pm

• Any remaining items will be accepted as donations to the Toy Library to either add to Toy Library stock or pass to other charitable organisations.

• Sticky labels will be removed from items as proof of sale and totalled up on the day.

• Cheques will be issued to sellers within 7 days of the event.

Nothing to sell this time?

Come along to pick up some bargains instead!

Saturday 6th October – doors open at 11am.

Thank you for your support

Still unsure - see below for our sellers guidance notes to help you decide.

Sellers Guidance

What can I sell?

You can sell baby and children’s wear (up to aged ten), maternity wear (not oversized ladies wear!), equipment, books and toys.

Clothes:

Each item sold counts towards one of your 30 items so it is best to bundle up babygrows and smaller items. We will only sell items that are of new or nearly new quality, and are clean and in good condition. Remember, this is not a jumble sale – dirty/worn-out goods will be rejected.

Toys:

Toys and puzzles must be complete. Any loose parts should be securely attached. Seal puzzles in clear plastic bag. Toys with batteries sell better if batteries are included.

Equipment:

Equipment items sell better and for more if instructions (and if you have them, guarantees) are included. Be especially careful if selling stair gates, fireguards, barriers and bed guards. These must have all the correct fittings and have no gaps where it would be possible for a baby to get its head stuck. Please include any instructions for use. (These can be duplicates downloaded from manufacturer’s website.) These, together with the fittings, should be securely attached in a separate bag.

Door bouncers, sit in activity centres and baby walkers can also be sold. To minimise the risk of accidents please ensure that door bouncers are sold with assembly instructions including a weight limit. Second hand mattresses can be sold providing they have a waterproof cover (eg. PVC) with no tears, cracks or holes.

Is there anything I can’t sell at the sale?

• Car seats

• Door bouncers (without assembly instructions and weight limit)

• Breast pumps

• Dummies

• Baby bottles

• Anything with a teat

• Baby food & formula milk

• Riding hats/crash helmets / bicycle helmets

• Hand-knitted toys

• Clothes with a drawstring around the neck

• Mains powered electrical equipment

Can I sell my pushchair?

We can sell pushchairs with or without instructions. Obviously, pushchairs with instructions sell better so if you do have them, please attach these or you can try downloading them from the manufacturers’ website.

I have a baby sling to sell – can I sell it?

Yes, but bag -style slings can’t be sold. They are the ones with a deep pouch and an elasticated edge. Whilst these products have not been recalled, they may cause breathing difficulties in young babies. The brands and products which cannot be accepted are:

Infantino sling ride Premaxx baby bag

Munchkin cargo sling Boppy carry in comfort

Lamaze close comfort Wendy Bellissimo sling

How do I make sure I don’t over or under price my items?

The guidelines are that you prices at 20-25% of the original selling price of the item you are selling. Below are some guidelines which may help you.

Please try not to overprice your items otherwise you may be surprised with the number of unsold items you are left with (particularly clothes).

Ask yourself: a) Would I buy it? b) How much would I pay? c) Do I ever want to see this again?

Clothes (according to brand and quality)

Babygrows 50p–£1.50 Shirts £1–£3 Cardigans/jumpers £1.50-£3 Dresses £2-£4

Trousers/skirts £1.50-£3; Jackets £4-£5 Pram suits £2-£4 Shorts/T-shirts 50p-£2

Socks & vests (eg 5 pairs) £1-£2 Slippers & wellies £1-£3 Swimwear £1-£2.50 Grobags £5-£10

Toys

Activity centres £2-£6 Baby gyms £2-£6 Books 50p-£2 Large Dolls £2-£5

Large Cars £2-£4 Jigsaws/Board games 50p – £2 Ride on toys (inc. bikes/scoters) £5 DVDS £1-£2

Equipment

High chairs £10+ Strollers £10+ Pushchairs with accessories £20+ Moses Baskets £8+

Travel cots £20 Cots £15 Booster seats £5 - £10 Safety gates £10+

Slings £7-£15 Backpacks £10-£30 Bedguards £5+

How do I label my items?

Only use the labels sent to you for this sale and do not exceed the maximum (30 items)

Complete the label as follows:

NO: Your Unique Seller Number for this sale

Description :Short description to help any queries (eg book / DVD / skirt)

PRICE : Realistic prices in multiples of 10p only

DONATION : If you do not wish to collect your unsold items mark a D on your ticket


• Attach the whole label securely.

• Where possible please use hangers for clothes. Smaller items may be placed in clear plastic bags.

• Items with no labels cannot be sold. Any items that don’t have a label will be placed on one side for collection at the end of the sale.

• Please consider sellotaping or cling filming toys that have many pieces together to ensure it stays as one item.

• Please do not label or sort through your items on the day – please ensure they are all labelled and bundled correctly before the day of the sale.

• To help you to monitor your items for sale, we have enclosed a list which we advise you to complete to record items/prices.

• It helps if you can use clearly labelled boxes (Name & seller number) (and not bags) to bring in your items. Any unsold items can then be quickly sorted and returned to you.

Please promote the sale – tell all your friends and ask for a poster for your child’s nursery / school or preschool. The more people that know the better the chance of your items selling!

SUMMER FUN STARTS HERE!

The first of our summer holiday sessions starts tomorrow - Wednesday 8th August from 9.30 - 12.00 noon, with further sessions on Wednesday 15th and 22nd. 

We plan to have outdoor fun - if the rain holds off for more than 5 minutes! and a range of crafts to make and take home inside.  Sand and water play, role play, dressing up and anything else you can think of!  Enjoy a drink and snack whilst the children play!

The borrowing library is open at the same time to return or renew items or select a range of toys for the rest of the holidays to keep the whole family amused once the Olympics have finished.

The stay and play session will cost £1 per child - this includes a free drink and a choice of one of our many crafts which include - pendants, bookmarks, gliders, butterfly fans, crowns or Hamma bead creations!
Additional crafts are also on offer for a small fee.

Come along and try out our new toys courtesy of the Tesco vouchers which arrived last week!

Monster Mitts - throwing and catching game!