by Emma Rose Rowan Public Library
Most people are very familiar with Rowan Public Library’s materials that can be read, listened to, and watched. But did you know that the library also has Skill Toys – items that you can throw, catch, spin, kick, twirl, and more? Skill Toys are a variety of hands-on props that improve participants’ hand-eye coordination, sense of balance, and reflex speed and accuracy.
Anyone between the ages of 11 – 17 years old is eligible to check out a Skill Toy from RPL’s collection. The Skill Toys available at Rowan Public Library include yo-yos, flower sticks, hacky sacks, the Kendama, juggling balls, spinning plates, jitter rings, and the Diabolo. Most of these items include an instructional element such as a DVD, book, and/or booklet explaining how the skill is performed. To check out a certain Skill Toy, simply visit your nearest Rowan Public Library branch and let a children’s or teen’s staff member know that you would like to browse through the collection. Skill Toys may be checked-out for two weeks.
Skill Toys, also known as Variety Arts Toys, were introduced at RPL through a North Carolina-based group called Flow Circus, which promotes active learning and play through the juggling arts. Mastering a skill toy not only provides gentle exercise and improves rhythm, but it can also give you an entertaining act to relay on for community events, parties and talent shows. In addition, this type of stimuli improves personal development and brain functioning.
Developing positive habits that can increase brain health and functioning is invaluable to young adults as their brains mature. Skill Toys can aid personal development in many ways, providing a sense of achievement upon learning new things, improving problem-solving skills, increasing concentration ability, building self-confidence, and provoking an interest in life-long learning. They can also directly benefit physical health. For example, studies show that juggling has a positive impact on the brain’s structure.
According to a study published in the science journal “Nature,” “Mastering the skill [of juggling] increases the amount of grey matter in areas of the brain that process and store visual information, proving what was not thought possible – that new stimuli can alter the brain's structure. A comparison of brain-imaging scans of non-jugglers and other volunteers before they learned to juggle and three months later, revealed an increase in grey matter in certain areas of the newly trained jugglers' brains.” Skill Toys offer RPL patrons an opportunity to experience these health benefits firsthand.
Aside from the aforementioned benefits, Skill Toys are just plain fun. This is especially true if you enjoy acting and other performing arts. Those interested in Skill Toys might also check out some of these other items available at Rowan Public Library that can help in any and all endeavors to amuse and amaze:
“Balancing magic and other tricks” by Ormond McGill.
“Performing arts” by Z.B. Hill
“Comedy scenes for student actors : short sketches for young performers” by Laurie Allen
“Circus Skills” by Stephanie Turnbull
“Crafty Juggling” by Nick Huckleberry Beak
“The Kids' Guide to Magic Tricks” by Steve Charney
“275 Acting Games, Connected : A Comprehensive Workbook of Theatre Games for Developing Acting Skills” by Gavin Levy
“How to Make Art : A Book of Ideas, Inspiration, Theory and Practice” by Mel Elliott
Work Cited
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/01/22/offbeat.juggling.brain.reut/
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