BE ORGANIZED Lego my LEGO LEGOs on the Floor are Torture. What can we do? BY JHONEÉ FILLMORE Man, LEGO building sure is awesome. My two young boys absolutely love them and I must confess I love building with them. We love to build from kits as well as freely. A LEGO is always on a wish list for gifts or a trip down the toy aisle. They are great for the minds of our young ones, fine motor skills and creativity. They are a blast! Let’s be honest though about the other side of these awesome toys…… they are tiny, they are sharp (our feet know this) and they roll and creep into every crevice of our house. No doubt it is hard to keep these bricks contained. Here are some ways that our family attempts to make sense of the LEGO world and how we best enjoy them.
SORTING:
When we are building from a LEGO kit we like to presort the bags. We use a serving platter, silverware organizer or drawer organizer that has compartments to sort the different colors and/or shaped bricks. Bowls or food storage containers will work great as well.
KEEPING THEM FROM ROLLING:
If building at our dinner table or the floor we like to build on a cookie sheet
with lip to prevent the bricks from rolling away and getting lost.
You can also grab a book and send them directly into a dustpan.
USE A TRAIN TABLE:
BROKEN LEGO KITS:
In our playroom we have repurposed our train table for LEGO building. We normally do free build here. The train table is awesome because it has a lip around the edges so that the bricks stay on the table. Also, when it is time to clean up we simply open the drawers and slide the bricks right into the drawers.
BUILD YOUR OWN TABLE:
You can purchase a roll or squares of LEGO base to stick on top of any surface or table.
TRANSPORTING AN ASSEMBLED LEGO:
You can place the entire creation or a part of the creation in a Ziplock bag. Seal the bag about ninety percent and then blow into the bag filling it completely full. Seal the bag. You now have a safety bubble.
QUICK CLEANUP:
We have also been known to lay a sheet on the ground and build on top. When we are done we lift the sheet and can easily dump the bricks into a tub.
When we have built a LEGO from a kit and it becomes broken into many chunks (surprise that these break easily), we normally capture all of the pieces into a Ziplock bag along with the manual. Sometimes we just repair the chunks if we can and sometimes we will break it all the way down and start fresh for fun. If we are not interested in repairing right away we save this for another day. A great rainy day project.
MANUALS:
We have vowed to never toss a manual. We save them all. These can be organized by type of LEGO such as City, Creator, Star Wars, Harry Potter, etc.
3 IN 1 LEGO SETS:
Some sets come with three manuals and you choose which of the three creations to build. Not all of the LEGO bricks will be used for the one creation you choose. We store the remaining bricks and all three manuals in the same Ziploc bag.
CATEGORIES:
We have organized our LEGO creations into categories such as: in progress, to be repaired, LEGO figurines, etc. We keep the sets to be repaired in Ziploc bags with their manual so that we can repair with all parts and ease.
LEGO STORAGE CONTAINERS:
Find what works best for your family. Some prefer to have items separated by color in compartments while others don’t seem to mind a mix. Many ways are useful for storing bricks such as drawers, containers or a clear, plastic shoe holder for the back of your door. (LEGO actually makes a stand that holds a handful of removable plastic sealing containers that come with a fun LEGO head on them.) Some folks prefer to have clear containers so that they can see what is inside while others choose a solid tub so they don’t have to see. Just remember to label! However you choose to LEGO, enjoy! Need a more specific suggestion? Email me at hello@thedavenportcompany.com Jhoneé Fillmore | Owner, Missplaced Organizing | The Davenport Company | TheDavenportCompany.com/missplaced
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FEBRUARY 2021 | Growing Up in Santa Cruz
