Genius

Years and years ago, Charles and I attended an odd little school in the middle of nowhere. Really - in a part of the state that even historians familiar with the state don't always recognize.

One of my classmates there has started a service with his wife and the concept is pure genius. It's basically Netflix for toys. You join for a flat fee, and for that fee you get to "let" (ie, check out) a certain number of toys per month for your kid. When your little one is tired of it, or outgrows it, you just send the thing back. They wash it, then offer it out again and you pick something new.

The idea is that you can get a variety of toys without having to buy a million things and without filling your house with stuff you no longer want/need. Plus, the toys they carry all fall into that range of educational/wooden/not hideous that I love so much.

We have a big house. Too big, we think. But even with a relatively big house, we don't want Iain to populate every surface and corner with bits of plastic. And for our friends who live in smaller spaces - this would solve the problem of balancing novelty against the practical limits of square footage.

Bravo, Mac-n-Jane - a great idea and a gorgeous website.

Check it out: Rootforkids.com.

[EDIT: Turns out that you can buy the toys if you prefer - and they have great stuff - or you can join RootLets for the rent and return program. Either way, it's a great idea and a great service. And they toys are to die for.]