I have friends visiting from New Zealand and they told me about Toy Libraries there.
What a cool idea!
It is basically a library for toys that parents sign up for and pay about $15 per year. They can check out toys for their kids for a week for free (there are late fees like a regular library for books) and the toys range from kiddie books, and simple building blocks, up to electrical powered vehicles, video games, etc.
I just thought this was a major cool idea…but maybe they already do this here in the States. If not…jump on the idea in your neighborhood!
They have been running in the UK for a number of years now. They are especially useful in poorer neighbourhoods where parents might not be able to afford a wide variety of toys to stimulate their kid but i think they are a great idea for all kids. Parents pay a small sum (plus an initial deposit).
If people don’t have one and want one then maybe think about getting a small grant to start one up in your area. All you really need is storage space for unused toys and a good organisational head to keep track of what is where.
Our local public library also does this. If your thinking of starting one, then you have to be very strick about the condition the toys get lent out in and the condition they get returned in. Unless you do so, the toys deterioate very quickly.
They do around here, sort of. The local community action has a toy library, but it’s for the use of home daycare providers and out-reach programs rather than individual families - for no fee, though. It’s pretty neat, our program borrowed some puppets, but they had all sorts of things, like those kids kitchen sets and the kiddie coupe toddler cars. Puzzles, games, dolls, musical instruments, you name it, they have just about anything for creative play. (but not electronic things, generally)