I taught myself to crochet while I was on maternity leave with my son, and it quickly became a passion/obsession. After bombarding my family and friends with crochet items, I was looking for another outlet into which to channel my hobby. I have a background as teacher in communities that experience complex circumstances, and have worked with many children in out-of-home care. I thought that perhaps there was a way I could contribute to supporting these children and their families and carers in a new way. I started looking around for children’s charities that might accept crocheted toys and stumbled upon Tots2Teens. I met with the beautiful Jo, and she expressed a great desire to include handmade toys in the T2T packs. We briefly discussed the idea of “trauma teddies”, but I personally wanted the children to have something that was uniquely theirs – something with no stigma attached. So, I began crafting a menagerie of animal toys for these children – each one unique, no two toys the same. My four-year-old son helps me to design them, and I’m proud of the way he understands that we are making them “for the kids”. I’m grateful to the many kind people who have donated yarn for my creations. I’ve lost count of how many I’ve made, but that number is in the hundreds. It is my hope that through receiving these toys, the children will know that someone wants them to have something special, something that is just for them – and hopefully, that toy will become a lifelong comfort and friend.
​
Dr Amy MacDonald is an Associate Professor in Early Childhood Education at Charles Sturt University, Albury-Wodonga.