Toy drives to ‘banish playground boredom’

Erin Pearson
SUCCESFUL toy drives will help stimulate the minds of children in five schools around Geelong’s northern suburbs, according to a teacher.
Corio Primary School’s Amanda Baulch said hundreds of new toys from the drives would banish boredom from playgrounds.
“The art of imaginative play is something that is lacking in a lot of children’s play. We’re aiming to be proactive by giving children things to stimulate this type of play and language development,” Ms Baulch said.
“In many schools across the Geelong region recess and lunchtimes can be a difficult time for children as they wander around the school deciding what to do.”
“Children are outside for 90 minutes a day, so why not take learning outside and let them use this time to develop their language and cooperation skills and their imaginations.”
Ms Baulch said Geelong Men’s Shed and students from Bellaire Primary and Geelong Grammar middle schools made or gathered the toys.
“Through these wonderful organisations our classrooms will be filled with lots of imaginative writing and talking.”
Ms Baulch hoped to spread the program across the region with the help of others schools and businesses and community groups.