Things that Kids Say, An on going post.

These things have been said to me (or in the room) in the last month-ish:


Me: "Isaiah, don't throw the babies!"


One kid to another: "Eat goldfish nuts"


Two boys were asking me random questions. If I knew anyone from Turkey (because of the Turkish Festival). If I had kids, or a boyfriend and then to top it off: "Meghan, do you have a dildo?" 


And from the same kid last month: "Meghan, is it true... that... you give as much as head as shampoo?" He was messing up the line as he was saying it. I replied with go away. 


Aren't they cute?!?!

Toy Story

So, I am not a big fan of movies based on books (especially when the screenplay comes out at the same time as the book like Dan Brown) Or movies remade 20 years after the original (Hairspray). Or... movies that are remakes of movies made in other countries (Death at a Funeral). Not that I'm a movie snob or anything :-)

On the other hand, I do like movies based on toys. It is kind of hard to believe that the original came out 15 years ago. I was young enough at the time that it was "cool" to watch it. That same year it came out, I think I wanted a Mr. Potato Head for Christmas. And it was because of the movie.

I find it exciting to see toys that have been in not only my life, my my parents life (and soon to be my niece's or nephew's life!) as characters in movies. I don't think that kids quite grasp that... that it was a toy before a character. And it's not that it even matters that they get it, but in hindsight it is pretty cool.

The other reason I really liked this movie is that the characters (and the toys) are still popular. Disney hasn't created too many sustainable movies and/or characters since Toy Story. The seem to be popular for a bit and than vanish into memories. I grew up in the Disney Princess era of Disney. The princesses are still popular. I am not going to say if the movies were better or worse than now. They are a whole lot funnier now!

I have a little boy who comes in here with his parents. He is 3 years old, his two brothers are over 10. He is absolutely in love with Woody and Buzz.(You should have seen his face when I showed him a new Buzz Lightyear toy with a spaceship!) I have a Woody doll behind my desk on display. Without fail, when he comes in, it is the first thing  he asks for. I asked his mom how he knew who Woody was... a valid question considering the movie came out over 10 years before he was born... and it was from his brothers who continued to watch the movie with him. Then I realized how much of a classic it had become...

Games that Adults Play

So for once, instead of talking about kids and toys, I will talk about adults and the games we like to play. And by "we" I mean my little world of people.

Apples to Apples has been a favorite in my household for a while now. There are red cards and green cards. At least 4 people are needed to play, but it's really more the merrier. Each person is dealt 7 red cards, and then one person, each round, is picked to be the judge. They pick up a green card and put it in the center of the table. The others all place a red card down from their hand trying to pick the card with the best association to the green card. The judge then picks he winner. It is a simple game of word associations, but what makes it fun for us is the strategy of knowing the person well enough to guess what they would pick. Hilarity typically ensues.

We used to play LCR at family picnics and parties. There are chips shown as score keepers, but we used to play with dollar bills. You would start with $3, and if you rolled the dice and it came up "L, C and R", you would put one to the left, one in the center and then one to the right. The black dot meant you were safe and could keep it. You take turns clockwise around a table until there is only one left still rolling (and they kept the pot).

Another dice game that I just learned how to play recently is Greed. There is an official game with "greed" dice but I played a simpler version. All you need are 6 dice and the set of scoring rules. It is easy to learn. And highly competitive towards the end.You have to roll 500 to get on the scoring board and then we played up to 10,000, but you have to score 10,000 exactly, no going over.

My family is not allowed to play Taboo anymore. It's been over 5 years now, and no one can really remember why we're not allowed to play... maybe us girls were cheating? I guess that shows how competitive we are. Anyway, this is another word association game, but you're not allowed to say one particular word. You're trying to get your team to say it in a designated amount of time. There is a buzzer involved, which can get quite obnoxious, but I have never played this game without laughing hysterically.

I would be maimed if I didn't mention Euchre. I actually forgot about it until I went and asked the circulation desk what games they typically play. I will admit right now that I don't know how to play. I have been taught a couple times. Every party we have at our house turns into a Euchre game. It is one of those games that people take so seriously. I have pictures from the Euchre games. The look on the people's faces is ferocious. It is one of the most competitive games I have ever witnessed. And this is why I fear playing again. I'll stick with my Connect Four.

And now, I want to know... What are the games you play at parties or gatherings?

A Guest Blogger

Repairing toys at the Toy Resource Center
 - a blog entry by Art Whitfield  5-21-2010

For over 14 years I’ve been repairing toys for the Toy Resource Center (TRC), formerly called the Rochester Toy Library.  There is tremendous satisfaction in bringing home a pile of broken toys that were destined for the trash, and returning a few weeks later to the smiles of children, parents, and staff.  Due to the TRC, I’ve made some wonderful friends, met striking people who touched my life, and watched children look with wonder when they watch me repair a beloved toy in the library.  Now how cool is that! 

So what’s up with repairing toys?  Most often, its simply gluing a wheel back on a wooden train, or replacing a broken bolt on a tricycle.  But other times, in the quiet of my basement workshop, it’s a real challenge - technically and mechanically to complete a toy repair.  While not all of my repair attempts are successful, most are.  When a toy has broken too severely to be saved, I’m not distressed because it was going to be tossed anyway had I not been there to try.  Some repairs become tests of my home-shop manufacturing skills.  Other repairs become a test of my engineering skills and diagnostic skills.  Especially the electronic toys, where the failure is not obvious and I don’t have all the circuit details available.  Sometimes these challenges take hours of investigation, and clearly more time than the toy is worth.  But a success is a learning experience for me, and often a private victory.  The staff at the TRC have often listened patiently while I describe, in no doubt boring detail, how I completed a challenging repair.  I’m grateful for their patience and willingness to listen.  Then again, they are used to working with kids!

Some repairs are not fun.  If it’s a toy that I truly dislike, sometimes it’s difficult to make the same effort as with a toy I like.  In those times, I need to remember that there are probably many children who love the toy, and that my opinions don’t matter.  Again, here’s where I totally trust the toy librarian and other staff.  They know the toys in ways that I never will.  Thinking on this, no doubt I know the toys in other ways (mostly how they work and what they look like inside) that most will never know, or perhaps ever care.  Also in the “not fun” category are the toys that break repeatedly.  Most often this is due to a poor design.  The play value may be there, but if it’s always broken, it’s difficult to see past that to the merits of the toy. 

In closing, I want to restate what a pleasure it is for me to repair toys on behalf of the children, parents, caregivers, and staff of the Toy Library.  You all trust me with the toys unquestioningly, and are always beaming with pleasure when I bring them back.  It’s a mutual sharing of affection that touches me deeply.  I will always treasure my time spent as the “toy doctor”.

Budget Crisis, As Per Usual

I have to say, I am kind of proud of working for the City of Rochester....

• All branch libraries will remain open and some hours will be extended. We are not closing a firehouse, nor are we reducing the number of police officers on the street.

For as long as I have been in the library system I have never cut in employees or a library close. I think that is pretty great. We may cut hours once in a while but then something like this happens... and it's kind of like a glimmer of sun. 

"Library hours are expanded from 36 hours to 70 hours per week at the Sully Branch Library located in the new Thomas P. Ryan Center enabling youth to enjoy physical activities in the evening at the Thomas P. Ryan Center and then go down the hallway and read in the Sully Branch."-City Budget

I kind of giggle at the idea of kids going from the rec center to the library to read a book. I was visiting there last week. As per usual with any library, there was way more going on than just reading  :-)

The Frustrating Part

I have a lot of dreams about the toy library. They often involve decapitated toys strewn around the room. I don't know why... The other dreams involve children heartily dumping out bags after bags of toys. That one is more of a nightmare to me than the first one.

One of the big rules in here is to clean up after yourself. It is also the rule that is most broken. I am trying to figure out a way to fix it... Especially since school is ending soon and thus begins our super busy season. Apparently me telling kids "only one bag/toy at a time" or "clean up!" doesn't work. There are two reasons why this is officially a problem.

Problem number one: the boss lady has actually commented on the "mess" twice. I am slightly ashamed of that. I am a pretty good about keeping on top of the things she comments on so she doesn't have to mention it again. Problem number two: it is a never-ending-revolving cycle of mess. I clean it up, put the bags happily back onto the shelf and the next day, or an hour later they are back on the floor all sorts of mixed up.

I want children to come in here and have fun... and the fact that I worry about them playing with more than one toy at a time shouldn't stress me out. But all I can think about every time I see a child dump out a bag full of toys is not being able to find matching hamburger roll pieces when I have to put the toy back together in the bag. I spent 10 minutes looking for a matching set or forks, knives and spoons.... don't even get me started on trying to separate puzzle pieces.

 I have a wacky work schedule here, two days of week I am here for seven hours. and two days I am here for three. On the long days I usually get about two hours of quiet project/clean-up time. The morning is busy with groups + families and once the kids get out of school (around 2 pm-3 pm) I can't get a whole lot more accomplished. I have to pay attention to what they're doing and saying.

So during my discussion with boss lady about "the mess" for the second time in over 4 years I couldn't come up with an immediate solution. Because not letting children come in here to play to their heart's content isn't an option. It's what this place is meant for...

Global Toy News

Quite a while ago I figured out that there isn't a whole lot of information "out there" about toys and play. There are plenty of books, but it is a very small niche that people blog about it. The good news is that motivates me to write this blog in the first place. The second good part is that whenever I find another like minded blogger I like to plug it as much as possible. Richard Gottlieb is that guy. I have been following him for over a year and every time he posts something interesting I like to expand upon it. He has started a new magazine entitled Global Toy News which I have immediately started reading and have began following his guest bloggers.

Enjoy!

Art Whitfield, Toy Doctor Extraordinaire

So I have mentioned one of the Toy Resource Center's volunteers, Joyce. She comes in once a week and helps me out with getting the toys back on the shelf after being returned. BUT she also has this fantastic knowledge of early education, play and learning so she helps out parents, providers and teachers who come in. There is another person who helps out here tremendously. His name is Art Whitfield and we call him the Toy Doctor. I could now mention the countless other places he volunteers his time and skills and how awesome he is, but, I think that may make him blush.

He has made a visitor site for the toy library which soon, we will probably put to better use, especially because it is coming up on the 25th anniversary of the Rochester Toy Library (10 years as Toy Resource Center this month at Lincoln!) Here is the link: Friends of Rochester Toy Library

He also blogs about all sorts of smart stuff like lightning, music and general technology. Here is his blog: WindWorks Design.

One more plug, courtesy of Art who also has this video posted. Dave Eggers did a talk on engaging children and teens within tutoring centers. This kinda touched my heart a little bit, since I work with the same age group:

"Some of these kids just don't plain know how good they are, how smart and how much they have to say. You can tell them." 

By the way, I'm addicted to TED now, thanks Art!

And speaking of games changing...

Article from Time Magazine: Why Has Scrabble Changed Its Rules?

Thankfully it is for a separate game called "Scrabble Trickster" and it won't be sold in the U.S.... but still, why simplify such a great game?

Baby Toys

This entry, as most entries, began as a conversation with my (fabulous) volunteer Joyce and I.

I asked her, quite simply, what is a good baby toy. I forgot why I asked. My guess is that it was a branch off the never ending complaints of battery powered toys. (Simply put, toys that have batteries for no reason are annoying. Toys, at one point, weren't electronic and we all grew up just fine.) Or it was probably the confusion of what toy companies call a baby toy and what we like to see babies playing with.

As for the battery portion, I did a tidbit of research. On the Fisher Price website, the toys they suggest for 0-5 months, less than half (19 out of 42) are battery free. And only 40% (55 out of 132) are battery free when you get to the 6-11 months category. Fisher Price is a highly regarded toy company. If I didn't know as much about toys as I do, I would trust what they tell me and what they sell as an infant toy. I am not trying to say that Fisher Price isn't fantastic and innovative in it's own right, but, why does a tea set need batteries?

Toy companies call a lot of toys "infant toys". And not to further harp on Fisher Price, but when you look at the recommendations for 6-11 months, a lot of them were bracketed for 6-36 months. There is a huge difference between the two. Companies try to pass off toys that teach the alphabet and numbers baby toys. Babies don't know those concepts. And this is where I am torn. Some would tell me it is never to early to introduce those concepts. But I see this as more than a introduction, I see it as a premature learning because the toy is talking/teaching you. They will have plenty of schooling when they get to school.


These are the types of toys that we like to see infants play with: Discovery Toys-Infants. They are tactile, cause and effect, color and shape, movement toys and they all make REAL noise, if they make toys at all. No batteries, no talking toys, no inappropriate concepts being taught. They are, and I really don't mean to pun, toys that infants make discoveries with. One other great company is Whoozits! by Manhattan Toy Company. They toys are brightly colored, textured and simple, just the way baby toys should be. This list also isn't bad: Baby Zone. The only electronic toy is the jumparoo. If I owned it, (and take this as advice) I just wouldn't put the batteries in it!