The Early Childhood Project Toy Library
"A wide selection of carefully chosen resources that reflect family life and diversity and uphold an anti-bias approach to play, care and education for young children, their parents and carers and those working with them in Brighton and Hove."
https://toylibrarybrightonandhove.org/

#SolarPunkSunday #ToyLibraries #Hove #Brighton #BrightonAndHove #Play

#PhiladelphiaPA - #RutabagaToyLibrary lets families sign out toys a month at a time

NPR | By Buffy Gorrilla
Published June 2, 2025

"The sharing economy comes for us all, including kids. Reporter Buffy Gorrilla takes us to Philadelphia in a paid library for toys that hopes to keep playthings out of the landfill."

https://www.mainepublic.org/2025-06-02/rutabaga-toy-library-lets-families-sign-out-toys-a-month-at-a-timex`

Welcome to Rutabaga Toy Library!

A #ZeroWaste solution for eco-conscious families.

Serving Philadelphia families with children ages 0-8.

Household membership costs:
Borrow only: $45 / month
Play and Borrow (includes use of Playspace): $65 / month

FMI:
https://www.rutabagatoylibrary.com/

#SolarPunkSunday #ToyRentals #ToyLibraries #PlaySpace #Philadelphia

#PlayCycle - What is a #ToyLibrary?

"Toy libraries are community resources to help children learn and grow through play. Similar to a library of books, a toy library enables families to check out toys, enjoy them, and return them before borrowing more. Toy libraries benefit children, families, and communities by:

ENCOURAGING PLAY- The American Academy of Pediatrics says that play is essential to development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth (Ginsburg 2007). Toy libraries help facilitate imaginative play by providing access to hundreds of toys that children might otherwise not encounter because of limitations due to finances or space. With a toy library, children can borrow toys that spark their imagination and simply return toys when they are ready to explore something new.

SAVING MONEY AND PREVENTING CLUTTER- According to a Toy Industry Association report, the average family spends $581 per year on toys. One fifth of households surveyed had over 100 toys. A toy library allows families to save money on buying individual toys and also reduce clutter by returning toys to the library when they have finished enjoying them.

REDUCING WASTE- The lifecycle for toys after purchase usually involves play for a few weeks or possibly years, followed by being thrown away or donated. Toy libraries help reduce toy waste and promote a circular economy. Toy library toys have their useful lives extended by years while they are enjoyed by children from multiple households. They also reduce the number of toys that each household needs to buy and store.

It is estimated that there are over 300 toy libraries in the United States, but they can still be hard to come by. Toy libraries are found all over the world, sometimes supported by local government bodies or as part of local public libraries. One thing they all have in common is the mission to encourage growth and development through play. We are thrilled to join the assembly of toy libraries making play accessible for children all over the world."

Learn more:
https://www.playcycle.org/toylibraries

#SolarPunkSunday #CircularEconomy #CircularToyEconomy #SharingToys #SharingEconomy #EncouragingPlay #ToyLibraries #MorePlayTimeLessScreenTime

#Ireland - #SwapAndPlay Events

"Local Authorities and Conscious Corporations from all over the Republic of Ireland, together with The #ToyLibrary, are offering their communities the space and the time to adopt a new consumption paradigm: the #CircularEconomy.

Our Impact So Far

The global social impact we achieved with Swap&Play in-person events alone, and their equivalents.

♥️ Participants - 3,032
🧸 Rehomed Toys - 5,982"

Learn more:
https://www.thetoylibrary.ie/p/events

#SolarPunkSunday #RehomedToys #ToySwaps #ToyLibraries #CircularToyEconomy

2nd Event scheduled for Sunday, April 12th!

#Ireland - #ToyLibrary launches #Sensory #SwapAndPlay events for children with additional needs

By avondhupress - April 10, 2026

"A social enterprise set up to help reduce and recycle plastic toys, has launched sensory swap and play events for children with additional needs.

"The first such event from The Toy Library, took place in the Aula Maxima in University College Cork (UCC) with a second event scheduled for the Kilnamanagh Family Resource Centre in #Dublin on Sunday, April 12th.

"The Toy Library is the country’s first digital toy-sharing platform and has hosted swap and play events around the country for the past 18 months. It has successfully reduced the amount of plastic toys being disposed of with figures recorded at the end of 2025 showing 4.78 tonnes of plastic have been saved so far.

"The sensory events offer families and children with additional needs a safe and welcoming play space with structured layouts, quieter zones and access to carefully selected developmental and sensory toys. The initiative was set up in response to feedback from parents within the Toy Library community."

Read more:
https://avondhupress.ie/toy-library-launches-sensory-swap-and-play-events-for-children-with-additional-needs/

#SolarPunkSunday #DubinIreland #ToyLibraries #SensoryToys #AdaptiveToys #SensorySwapAndPlay #AccessibleToys #Accessibility

What a great idea!!! #Adaptive #ToyLibraries - #FairPlayLibraries

"Our Adaptive Toy Libraries provide children with disabilities the opportunity to experience the joy of independent play. Typically including 3-10 switch-adaptive toys, our toy libraries are a vital resource for child-focused facilities such as schools, clinics, and daycare centers. Our toy libraries are available at-cost or at no charge, removing financial barriers so that every child has the opportunity to learn, play and grow. Since 2020, we have provided over 90 facilities with a variety of accessible toys.

We have adaptive toy libraries across the US, Canada, and Australia. To see if there's a toy library near you, see our list of participating facilities."

Learn more:
https://www.fairplaylibraries.org/libraries

#SolarPunkSunday #Accessibility #AccessibleToys #AdaptiveToys #AdaptiveToyLibrariesUS #AdaptiveToyLibrariesCanada #AdaptiveToyLibrariesAustralia

So yeah. #ToyLibraries are on the #SolarPunkSunday agenda. If you know of a toy library, or #LibraryOfThings that lends out stuff for kids, let us know!!! I'll be sharing listings of items for #NatureBackpacks, with some suggested materials.

#MoreGreenTimeLessScreenTime! #MoreToysLessApps!

So, here are a few #SolarPunkSunday topics that I plan on tackling in the near-future:

- #Rainbarrels, #Cisterns, #Graywater use and systems
- #ToyLibraries (in the US and elsewhere)
- #SolarPanels and #Farming
- How to make #Lime and #LimeMortar from scratch
- Dealing with #Batteries and #HazardousWaste while #SpringCleaning
- Seasoning #CastIron pans.

I would love to hear suggestions for future SPS topics! Feel free to chime in!

cc: @BrambleBearSnoring and @MaQuest