Christmas comes once a fortnight for children in the Paparoa rural area, south-east of Dargaville.
 



Paparoa’s James Borger uses toy library equipment to give his cat Holly a check-up.

Thanks to the Paparoa Toy Library, youngsters in the north Kaipara community get to play with high-quality toys, which they can take back every two weeks and swap for one of the other 200 educational playthings on offer.
Toy library secretary Hilery Poyner says 30 families have joined since it opened in February last year and numbers are growing fast as word of the service spreads.
The Paparoa Toy Library, part of the national Federation of Toy Libraries, gives families access to high-quality educational play equipment that might otherwise be too expensive to afford.
“By its very existence the library promotes the role that play has in every child’s development,” she says. “The toys provide an opportunity for all children to develop their motor, cognitive and social skills. This has a profound effect on the way a child is able to interact with the world around them.”
The library is also a place where families can meet, interact and build a supportive community network. Based in the Paparoa Community Church, it is near other groups such as the playcentre and Plunket, so visiting families can call in to borrow toys for up to a fortnight.
To get the library started, committee members approached groups such as Lions, Rotary and ASB Community Trust, while also running fundraising efforts such as cake stalls and catering.
“We take every opportunity to help ourselves to make this venture work,” says Hilery, “and although we have been operating for a year our fundraising is ongoing. As membership grows, so does the need for extra toys.”
http://www.toylibrary.co.nz

  • In November 2006 ASB Community Trust granted Paparoa Toy Library $2174 to help buy computer equipment for its administration.