Tuesday Tips - Let's Play!

Sam Jones is the Youth Services Librarian at the Beaver Dam Public Library. She shares tips to make your job easier in her Tuesday posts.

There's a fun, new toy in our children's area!

When I got this job last May, the library didn't really have much for a play space. In June, I brought back puzzles that were not out due to COVID, but I knew I wanted more of a playspace. My boss was totally on board and encouraged me to find something. Over the past few months, I had been casually looking for something that would encourage imaginative play. On Facebook, I'm in a bunch of librarian groups where I looked for what others have suggested. I believe it was in the ALA Think Tank group where I found what we needed- the KidKraft Let’s Pretend Wooden Grocery Store. 

The store is very portable. You can fold it and easily move it to a different location. It also doesn't have a large footprint, which helped a lot when figuring out where to put it. Another plus is that the store came with groceries. Some of the groceries are made of cardboard boxes, which probably won't last a long time, but work great in the meantime. I'm currently looking at some Melissa and Doug food to provide more long-term options. My favorite thing about it is that you can move the conveyor belt! The kids love rolling food off of it. 

So far, we have had a great response to the store. There have been many positive Facebook, Instagram, and in-person comments. I also got interviewed by the Daily Citizen, our local newspaper, about it. This was super exciting because it was my first newspaper interview. Overall, I'm very pleased with the store and can't wait to add more play items to the library.