Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Library's Big Busy Boxes help families whose summer plans took a turn

Shauni James
By Shauni James
Rotorua Weekender reporter·Rotorua Daily Post·
13 Jan, 2022 05:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
A sneak peek at some of the fun contained within each box. Photo / Supplied

A sneak peek at some of the fun contained within each box. Photo / Supplied

Summer holiday plans may have been dashed for some families needing to isolate as part of the Covid response.

However, Rotorua Library worked hard to ensure they could still have fun and learn.

Building on relationships with health and social services, Rotorua Library's Youth and Early Learning team obtained funding for 500 Big Busy boxes for Rotorua families with children affected by the Covid response.

This included families who tested positive, or were close contacts of those who had tested positive to the virus, and were required to isolate from family and friends.

A hundred of these activity boxes were for children under 5 and the other 400 for children 5 and over.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

They were to be distributed by health outreach services in the community to those assessed as being in need.

Youth and Early Learning lead Kylie Holmes says Big Busy Boxes have been given out to families who are isolating as part of the Covid response.

She says the library's contact in the community has let them know the families are excited to receive something that showed others were thinking of them.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Many hands made light work assembling the Big Busy Boxes. Photo / Supplied
Many hands made light work assembling the Big Busy Boxes. Photo / Supplied

Each activity in the Big Busy Box is not only fun, but creates opportunities for language growth and learning.

Kylie says the boxes contain a library programme in a box and everything you need to complete the activity.

In the boxes targeted at preschoolers there is a wearable dinosaur tail and lion puppets, and in the ones for young people there are STEM challenges and art and craft activities.

Each box contains extra paper, a book and stationery, so the young people or their parents can write and keep memories in a safe place, she says.

Discover more

Aquabots fun and learning: Rotorua regionals a success

02 Dec 08:26 PM

Removing vaccination barriers for ethnic communities

18 Nov 07:35 PM

Kiwi tourist spending in Rotorua up $8m on pre-pandemic levels

10 Jan 05:05 PM

Zizi Sparks: Orange brings freedom but not complacency

29 Dec 07:00 PM

Some boxes include a book supplied by award-winning publisher Gecko Press.

Kylie says, "Thanks go to the Wright Family Foundation who funded the books and Friends of Rotorua Library for all the other goodies in each box".

"They are both so generous with funding that supports projects that benefit Rotorua tamariki."

She says, "Often over summer the days can be long and hot, so it is nice to have quiet activities to do indoors too.

"The activities will encourage young people to think and play in different ways.

"They are all fun and many can also be taken outside to test, like the paper planes and a 'hoop flyer'."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save
    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Q&A: Rotorua ward candidates name their key issues, 10-year vision

Rotorua Daily Post

Home CCTV captures alleged jet ski thieves in act

Rotorua Daily Post

The first-timer and the stalwart: Meet two people helping make Aims Games happen


Sponsored

NZ’s convenience icon turns 35

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Q&A: Rotorua ward candidates name their key issues, 10-year vision
Rotorua Daily Post

Q&A: Rotorua ward candidates name their key issues, 10-year vision

Quick takes from Rotorua Lakes Council candidates on their priorities if elected.

05 Sep 05:00 PM
Home CCTV captures alleged jet ski thieves in act
Rotorua Daily Post

Home CCTV captures alleged jet ski thieves in act

05 Sep 06:20 AM
The first-timer and the stalwart: Meet two people helping make Aims Games happen
Rotorua Daily Post

The first-timer and the stalwart: Meet two people helping make Aims Games happen

05 Sep 04:33 AM


NZ’s convenience icon turns 35
Sponsored

NZ’s convenience icon turns 35

02 Sep 09:23 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP