So I am a children's librarian, and the job has given me a good lesson in being frugal! A lot of our crafts/games are made using frugal finds that we save ourselves, but also through patron donations! If you ever find yourself throwing away these things, ask your local librarian (specifically someone in the children's department!) if they can use these:
-paper towel rolls
-Plastic/glass screw-top jars (like peanut butter jars!)
-Tea/cookie/coffee tins
- Medicine bottles (I don't typically use these, but another library in our system uses them to store seeds for the gardening club, so I collect them and send them off!)
-Paper grocery bags w/handles (I keep these and use them to send items through out interdepartmental delivery)
-Cardboard boxes ANY shape or size! I have used these for everything from storage, to cutting them into props, and even making games! Best thing I have made so far is a giant fold - up Lego Maze. The kids used it to race 'robots' they made from toothbrushes and watch batteries. Tons of fun!
-Gently used toys/games/puzzles/costume pieces: I get a lot of donations like this and they're wonderful! I've had patrons donate toys for the kids to play with, and a lot of the puzzles and games I will put out in the teen area for them to play with. I've also gotten new toys/figurines in the box before, and I save a lot of those as prizes for larger library events like book festivals, and our annual Comic-Con. Also, ask your library if they use Lego bricks in their programming. If you have a child who has outgrown their Legos, they are a FANTASTIC resource for libraries. I host a Lego Club at my library, and I also do a lot of STEM programming that make use of Legos.
If it helps, and your librarian is interested, encourage him or her to keep a Recycle Box near their desk so patrons can donate these kinds of materials. I have one near my desk and lots of patrons drop things off there when they come in.
January 28, 2019 at 03:25PM
