In this blog post we delve into the details of The KarmaBazaar’s toy library – what it is, what it costs, and how it works.
“Play is the work of the child” ~ Maria Montessori
The importance of play for children cannot be overstated. However, may I be so bold as to suggest that it is also important for us parents to be able to enjoy having homes that are not overflowing with toys? How can we balance our children’s desire for novelty and variety with our desire to reduce clutter, not contribute to landfills, and spare our wallets?
The answer is: the Toy Library . The Toy Library allows members to explore new toys hyper-locally and free of cost.
What is the Toy Library?
It is a collection of toy boxes created by parents that can be borrowed by members of the toy library. Each toy box belongs to a particular postcode and contains toys for a particular age.
Let’s take a closer look at one of the boxes in the toy library.
Every toy box has associated with it a size, which is the minimum number of toys in that box, and the cost, which is the based on the size. The cost determines the amount of karma needed to borrow a toy box. When a toy box is donated to the toy library, we calculate the cost based on the number of toys in it. When members borrow the box they can add and remove toys from the box – but when they return the box to the library it must have at least the minimum number of toys in it.
How is a Toy Box added to the library?
Toy boxes are donated to the toy library by members of The KarmaBazaar. A member fills in the donation form describing the box. The member earns karma based on the size of their donation, and this karma is credited to their account.
When a member donates a toy box they can choose whether or not they want to be a member of that toy box.
Becoming a Member of the Toy Library
Users fill in a form to become members of a particular toy box type (i.e. a toy box for a particular age in a particular postcode). When you ask to become a member you are added to the member queue of the toy box if
- you have enough karma to afford the box and
- the box has room for new members. We limit the number of members for each toy box to ensure that members don’t have to wait too long for their turn to receive the box.
If the box does not have room for new members, you will be put on the waiting list for that toy box type. When capacity opens up, you will automatically be moved to the member list and notified.
You can earn the karma you need to become a member either by donating a toy box yourself, or by donating at any of our other bazaars.
You can become a member of more than one toy box type. For example, you may want to be a member of the two year old box and the six year old box in your postcode, to get toys for both your kids. Or you may want to be a member of the two year old and three year old boxes in your postcode because your child is transitioning to playing with more advanced toys.
Borrowing and Returning Toy Boxes
The toy box circulates among the members of the toy box. When a member returns a toy box, that member moves to the end of the member’s queue and the toy box passes to the next member in the queue. Members are notified in our Facebook group when it is their turn to pick up a toy box.
There are no deadlines associated with borrowing a box. When it is your turn to have the toy box you can keep it for as long as you like to try out the toys in it, and to decide which, if any, of the toys you want to keep. The idea behind having no deadlines is that life is stressful enough without having to worry about returning the toy box ‘on time’ – maybe you receive the toy box two days before you go on vacation, maybe you get the toy box and the whole family gets sick one after another – life happens, and when it does, we don’t want you to worry about toy box deadlines. However, while you are free to keep the box for as long as you like, do be considerate of the fact that there are member’s waiting for their turn when you are done.
When you borrow a toy box from the library you can:
- Play with the toys for a while and then pass the box on to the next member
- Choose to keep one or more (or all!) the toys from the toy box before you pass it on
If you decide to hang on to some of the toys in the toy box you must replace what you took with toys of your own so the next member gets a toy box with at least the minimum number of toys in it.
A Toy Box Type Can Contain Many Toy Boxes
The ‘type’ of a Toy Box is determined by its postcode and age. A toy box type can ‘contain’ many actual toy boxes.
In the gif above we see a box type for post code 1098 for 2 year olds that contains two toy boxes. Box 1 and box 2 matching this box type were donated by two members. These two toy boxes circulate among the members of the toy box. Then a third box of this type is donated. This increases the capacity of the box type and members are moved from the waiting list to the member queue. Now all three boxes that match this type will circulate among all the members.
Large Toy Boxes
When a user donates a toy box, we ask if the box contains large toys. Examples of large toys are: a toy kitchen or a doll house. Typically, a toy box can be picked up by a single adult on foot, using public transportation or on a bike. Picking up a large toy box may require a bakfiets, a car, or more than one adult to help carry it. Not all members are able to pick up large toys. So, when making a toy box donation we ask that large toy boxes be labeled as such, and when a user becomes a member we ask if they are able to pick up large toy boxes or not.
Giving up Membership
You may want to give up membership to a toy boy type for a variety of reasons. You may want to leave a box for a 2 year old and join a box for a 3 year old. You may want to leave a box for a particular postcode and join one in another post code because you moved. To give up membership you fill out this form. You cannot give up member while you ‘own’ a toy box. You must return a borrowed toy box before you give up membership of it.
Conclusion
“Play is the beginning of knowledge.” ~ George Dorsey
I hope you are as excited about the possibility of having toy boxes floating around your local community as I am. I can’t make this happen alone – all I can do is donate a toy box to my postcode. If you want this to be a reality for you, join the KarmaBazaar community today and help make it happen. If you have feedback about how I can make the toy library better, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.