East Kingdom Toybox Vision and Guidelines
The East Kingdom toy chest is a wonderful tradition that serves many purposes. We think it would be useful to state what we see as the function of the toy chest so that it is clear how it affects the donation guidelines.
The toy chest is a way to interest and involve the youth in the proceedings of court. It also helps the youth feel like they have a place in, and a connection to, the SCA. Finally, the toy chest helps to provide entertainment for the youth during court.
There are no guidelines as to who can participate in the toy chest as that is up to the individual and their parents to determine when they have outgrown the activity. Generally speaking, youth who are in the age range to be considered for a Tyger’s Cub and younger are the main participants. This means the chest needs to have a variety of items in it that appeal to children from babes in arms to young teenagers.
Here are the guidelines for donations to the East Kingdom Royal Toy Box
-Donations should have at least 12 of the item being donated
-Donations should be connected to the SCA in some way
-Donations should not be messy
-Donations should not be loud (please no bells)
-Donations should be for varied age ranges and interests.
-No religious or holiday items
-No donations that include dowels under ¼ inch diameter (Youth have been know to break thinner ones and start fight with the broken sticks)
-Donations do not have to be toys. Games, books, and accessories are all excellent items
-Donations need to fit in the box
Any toy that was gotten from a past toybox and is no longer wanted may be returned to the toybox coordinator as long as it doesn’t violate any of the above guidelines except for quantity of item
If you are not sure about an item, ask!
YIS
TRH’s Toy Box Coordinator, Lady Deirdre Grenewode