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caligal_gw

Lego hell....help

caligal
15 years ago

Ok, I live in a 970 sq ft house w/ my DH, 10 yr old son, our cat, and 100 sq ft of legos in the spare room. There are boxes and bins. There are some sorted, some not. My son builds and rebuilds all kinds of creations. They are constantly scattered and hurt like a hell when stepped on. W

I need a really, really good way to organize them. I want him to be able to create, play, and then put away. Any ideas? I have done some searches and not found much.

Comments (22)

  • marymarymaryk
    15 years ago

    Lol! I am not much help, but I can sympathize. I'd love to get some ideas, too. Right now, I use the big 40lb plastic buckets that kitty litter comes in! I just wash the bucket out, and if I'm feeling particularly inspired, I but some Contact Paper over the kitty litter label so it doesn't look so weird sitting in the middle of the playroom!

  • mary_c_gw
    15 years ago

    A 10 y-o is not likely to sort the Lego in a way which would please you. If you try to make him sort by size, color, or whatever, it's not going to work unless it's in his nature to be a bit compulsive about stuff.

    You want him to play and create. So just get a plastic bin or two, and tell him to put them away when done!

  • caligal
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    I am just looking for a way to get it a little more under control. He has a friend who builds his Legos by the book and then puts them on display. I don't ever want him to be that anal. Just looking for some neater storage ideas.

  • Adella Bedella
    15 years ago

    I have an 8 yo that loves Legos. He asked me for some of the pullout drawers storage containers because that what his friend has. I haven't bought it yet, but I need to. Maybe you could take him shopping and let him pick out what he needs. If he has a choice in the decision, maybe he will own it.

  • talley_sue_nyc
    15 years ago

    I don't think you should bother w/ sorting them, etc. This is one of those cases in which it is WAY too easy to end up w/ a storage solution that is actually more time consuming than the actual playing.

    Just insist he get them off the floor.

    Lego once sold a sort of "sweeper" that you could roll across the floor to scoop them up.

    My vote: a big dust pan and a big squeegee (for scraping them into the dust pan).

    And have some not-terribly-big bins he can dump them in.

    And maybe table w/ a short rim (nail on strips of lattice).

    Here is a link that might be useful: eBay item, lego vacuum, 8 days left

  • caligal
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    good idea, adella.

    tally, I just might need to invest in the vacuum. thanks for the link!

  • jannie
    15 years ago

    When you buy Legos, they come in a big yellow box with a lid. Seems like a natural for storage. And who "sorts" Legos? Blue with blue, red with red? He's just a kid. Let him play all he wants, but when he's done, he must pick them up and put them in the box. If he doesn't, the Legos he left out get cleaned up by Mom and put in the garbage. When the supply goes down, he will be mopre careful to put them away properly. At least that's what I did when my kids were little. As they got older, they even gave some toys away to charities. They are now 19 and 20 and the Legos went away a long time ago. I know I haven't seen any on the floor in years. This too shall pass. . .

  • donnawb
    15 years ago

    My DD has them in wicker baskets that are on the shelf. My grandson plays and when he is done he gets the basket and picks them up and puts them away. He is 4. That works for all his millions of little cars also.

  • coleen3201118
    15 years ago

    I just got (today) a thing to hopefully organize DS's Legos. It's called "Box4Blox" and there are 4 tiers to it. the theory is the larger pieces go in the top 2 tiers and the smaller ones are sifted through to the bottom. So it won't work if you're organizing by color (I could never be that organized!) but it might help when they're looking for that one certain piece. I recently was able to corral the little things in a bin I got from Target. He MIGHT pick them up and toss them in the bin. I wish that I had something that would have organized by toy or box, but we're too far gone for that now.

  • socks
    15 years ago

    Don't try to organize them. It will never stay organized.

    Does he work at a table or on the floor? Might be nice to have a table and chair set up. Put the Legos in shallow boxes so he can paw through them looking for the perfect part. Insist they not be left scattered on the floor.

    My son and I used to build the sets together. We did the castle once. It was a lot of fun. Legos are wonderful.

  • talley_sue_nyc
    15 years ago

    coleen3201118, I like that sorter!

    I think that's the only sensible way to sort Legos, is by size. If you try to get more "granular" than that, you just make work for yourself.

    I may have to look into that.

  • mommabird
    15 years ago

    I gave up years ago on the Legos and Bionicles. I just throw all the pieces in a big box. The boys seem to find just the piece the need & play with them just as much. They don't care if they are sorted or not, I'm the only one who cared!

    And my rule is - if I find it on the floor, it goes in the trash. That seems to help them "remember" to put them back.

  • sgtiger
    15 years ago

    Give him an old blanket to keep the legos on if he likes to build on the floor. When it's time to clean-up he just needs to pull up the corners of the blanket and dump the legos in their bin. If you're crafty you can cut the blanket in a circle and sew up the edges to insert a draw string cord. Or use grommets around the edge instead and thread the cord in and out of the grommets. That way after play time he just needs to draw up the cord and the legos can be stored in their own bag/play mat.

  • norcalpeetnik
    15 years ago

    My 8 year old son is a lego fanatic too. I love to encourage his creativity in taking them apart and making new ones, but have to admit that having lego pieces all over his room is hard to deal with!

    I bought a simple 3 drawer unit from IKEA (sorry, I can't find a picture online) that we try to keep most of his legos in. The bins slide out completely so he can carry them around his room. The 3 drawers are stacked vertically so it doesn't take up a lot of floorspace.

    One drawer holds a few "finished" creations at a time so he doesn't have to break them down. The others hold pieces. You might be be able to use a few of these to help conquer the lego avalanche!

  • nancyjeanmc
    15 years ago

    Talley Sue...the Lego vacuum is brilliant. Wish I knew about it when my boys were young. I can't imagine a kid not wanting to use it, at least some of the time.

  • talley_sue_nyc
    15 years ago

    I can't find that Lego vacuum very many places. eBay may be the only one.


    Here is a link that might be useful: Brick Vac

  • moegaff
    15 years ago

    I bought some clear pull-out bins (small) and have some bricks sorted by color. I also bought larger pull-out bins and they are sorted by set (if they are in the process of building they can keep them in a separate drawer) I have one small drawer for figures/accessories. There are still legos on the floor, but if they need to find a figure or certain brick, the sorting helps. Good luck.

  • Adella Bedella
    15 years ago

    I finally let my 8 yo pick out his Lego storage. He got a 7 drawer vertical storage container. So far, so good. He organized the whole thing himself and actually seemed excited about cleaning up for a change. We'll see how long this lasts.

  • OllieJane
    15 years ago

    No Lego's in my house anymore! I know that sounds like a mean mom, but, my DS, only 5yo, doesn't play with his unless it is all organized, and I'm not doing it and he apparently isn't either. Maybe my DS isn't as crazy about it as your kids, but, he is fine with it.

    I am surprised that his teacher at school says he plays with them there quite a bit. I think it is because he doesn't have them at home and looks forward to it at school.

    I broke down and bought the Star Wars Legos that he BEGGED me for, last September, and they were all in the floor, in the carpet and that is when I packed them up and they are going in a garage sale as soon as the weather is nicer.

    I will say that my DS doesn't really like any toy's that much anyway. He likes playing Ninja and Karate-type things. If he REALLY LOVED LEGOS, then, of course, I would suffer the consequences and smile (while cussing under my breath) everytime I stepped on one of things! LOL! I really don't cuss, but have come close after stepping on them!

  • sydney_b
    15 years ago

    When my boys were younger and playing with legos, of which they have 1000s, they sorted them into bins according to the pieces. A bin would be marked 2x2 for all the little square pieces, 1x6, "guys," etc.

    They liked this b/c they could build so much more quickly when it came time to raise an army and corresponding battleships. :D

    You should also have a display area for creations your son would like to save for a while.

    Otherwise, go for a display area and a big bin.

  • kkwalters2_att_net
    14 years ago

    I know this is an old thread but we have a simliar problem. Lots of legos, on the floor, tables, stairs, everywhere.

    Recently purchased a drawstring bag off of Etsy for my son's current project and a plastic chest of drawers for everything else(including the original boxes which my six yr old cannot seem to let go of). The drawstring bag is well over 30 inches in diameter, lays flat to make a play mat which can be closed and moved quickly. It can even be hung on a hook in his closet or on his door handle to keep it away from my 6 month old.

    if your interested you can find them on Etsy through a search for lego play mat. I think the storefront is called radical threads.

    For those of you who have never used Etsy--it is a marketplace of independent sellers who often make the items they sell.

  • ronbre
    14 years ago

    clear plastic bins, tins..hat boxes, tool boxes..tackle boxes..large wooden box..table with lift up top on it..