Little Lego Library

I'm the instigator, the manager, the Lego Library Lady.

I love LEGO. I loved it when I was 8, building Robin Hood's Hideaway - and I love it now, when I get the chance to play with it!

But my real love began when I watched my then 4yo build her first real LEGO set all by herself. My girl has dyspraxia, a motor coordination disorder that affects her whole life. I realised as she clicked one brick to the next; as she referred again and again to the part call out to find the right piece; as she flicked back and forth over the page to "spot the difference" - that, that was when I realised I had stumbled upon one of the best Occupational Therapy tools we would ever use. She never knew she was working hard - it's LEGO! A toy! What fun! But her brain made more connections that day than you could shake a stick at.

LEGO made a difference for her, and it can make a difference to others too. OT tools are expensive - so is LEGO. But by pooling the resource and sharing we can make it accessible to all.

Welcome to the Little LEGO Library!

The Little LEGO Library has just begun in Paekakariki, north of Wellington. We are fundraising for some initial capital to help us buy bulk lots of used LEGO sets and other set up costs. We are currently accepting donations of LEGO, A4 paper and Sistema containers. Please email us or message us via Facebook for more info!

littleLEGOlibrary@gmail.com

FUNDRAISING GOAL:

$400 - one large bulk lot of LEGO!

LEGO sets sell for roughly $35 a kilo, so for $400 we hope to get 10kgs of used LEGO sets!

Who are you?

My name's Alexandra, and I love LEGO. Watching my then 4yo build her first ever set with intense concentration I knew something special was happening. LEGO has helped my girl in more ways than I can count, and so I wanted to do whatever I could to help others get access to this incredibly valuable tool. So I came up with the idea of a Little Lego Library!

Why LEGO?

There's more to those bricks than some ABS plastic. Alongside the amazing creative possibilities, LEGO has been credited with increasing and supporting:

- fine motor skills

- working memory

- spatial awareness

- concentration

- story telling

And more! LEGO is an ideal supplement to an Occupational Therapy programme for kids with special needs. The cost of specialist OT equipment can be prohibitive and so for some, LEGO is an affordable option. But even LEGO is expensive - so the Lego Library aims to put it into reach for every child.

What are your aims?

1) For children to have free and fair access to LEGO

2) To provide LEGO sets as Occupational Therapy tools

3) To be self-sustaining

What will you do?

To achieve those aims, I plan to:

1) Have free play with bulk lots of LEGO bricks, here in Paekakariki village (and eventually other locations) on our regular open days.

2) Develop occupational therapy based programmes using LEGO as the primary tool. These programmes/sets will be provided free* (or very affordably) to families with children who have learning difficulties or other high needs that will benefit from such a programme.

3) To hire out LEGO sets on a subscription basis.

How can I help?

Lots of ways! If you have LEGO you do not want or need, please donate to us. We can help pay postage costs, and are even looking to buy affordable bulk lots at $30 a kilo. You can also donate:

- reams of A4 paper for printing

- large plastic A4 sized ziplock bags

- Sistema containers (please contact for sizes needed) that have not been used for greasy foods, please.

Thanks all for your interest, and support!

*To families with a Community Services Card or otherwise in financial difficulty. The Little LEGO Library is not endorsed or officially recognised by The LEGO Group.

FUNDRAISING GOAL:

$400 = one large bulk lot of LEGO. $800 means 2 large bulk lots of LEGO!

LEGO sets sell for roughly $35 a kilo on TradeMe, so for $800 we hope to get 30kgs of used LEGO sets plus have some funds to order replacement parts. We also need funds for printing costs and hall hire.