TKDmom Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 I think I need to put up some shelves for dc to put their finished creations on. And I need bins that they can sort Legos into. Right now, they just have one big bucket that gets dumped out every time they want to find a Lego--then the Legos get tracked all over the house. The chaos is driving me batty. Is it even possible to organize Legos? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 We built shelves for the ones they don't want us to throw in the bins. We have bins that fit in a closet...takes up 4 shelves!! When they are playing, I put a large sheet out on the floor an they can dump them out and build to their hearts content. When they finish, we pick up the sheet carefully and dump them back into the bins. There are always a few strays....but a broom and dustpan can get those. It is not a perfect system....but better than we have ever had. Some manage to get pretty much everywhere....but at least the bulk is put away. Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 I think the lego storage threads might be some of the most important threads that come up. :D We use some of the wooden structures that hold different sized bins from IKEA. They pull out and off like a drawer. And then there was another container under the bed. It's always a challenge. Unless they were building in their rooms or playroom they built on large cookie trays. That way the project could be moved at any time. We didn't have legos all over the floor in every room. Ds is 15 and said he thinks he needs something lego for Christmas this year, just in case you think it's going to end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matilda Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 We also have shelves for their creations, and then we use organizers with little drawers that are meant for nails and bolts, etc that you get at the hardware store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtrmlnlabs Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 Good Luck!! I tried to help my boys keep theirs organized so they'd be easier to find. It didn't work, they have their old train table and keep the legos in the bottom drawer thing and have the top to play on. Well, that's how it's supposed to go, usually they are just all over the thing and my living room. They are only allowed to have Legos in the living room. Anyway, what I tried to do for them.... I'm cheap so I just used old peanut butter jars or sauce jars, whatever I had, preferably with a larger mouth to it and organized them by color for the most part. BIL just posted this question on fb and ended up getting some of those tool things, they have different sized drawers in them. You could also just get different bins, I'm picturing the pretty papered ones for organizing your desk, see them in different sizes. We're supposed to be moving soon and I'm going to get each kid a loft bed for their rooms, make them each a Lego table for under it, and that is where the Legos must stay... NO other toys in their rooms! AHHHHHH :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauranc Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 We bought Trofast Frames (with the drawers) from Ikea for our son to store his Lego. He has one of the large frames and 2 smaller ones that are just one tower. They have been *great*! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down_the_Rabbit_Hole Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 At one time my son had one of those shelves that hold 9 bins, each bin for a color lego. Plus two drawer organizers for the people, weapons, wheels, and clear pieces. He had a large plastic tub which he kept for pieces he was working on/playing with. I tried to organize as much as possible but there were always more legos then bins and more being played with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 we bought those plastic rolling drawer carts. I went cheap...I believe from Kmart. We started with one and now have 3. We could stand to get more. He likes the big drawers to put final creations into for when I need to vacuum his room. He has a new, larger room, so now he also has a folding card table for final creations to rest on as well. Honestly, the legos are everywhere in his room and often the house. I even sorted through them once to be 'helpful' b/c he couldn't find a lot of small pieces he wanted. We did size instead of color. nope, drove him crazy. His random method drives me crazy. But when needed everything can go into a drawer unit, including built items. The largest can sit on top of the drawer units. It's not perfect by any means but it does make them go away for the 10 min of vacuuming :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfatherslily Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 I keep ours in this kind of box. It's long enough and shallow enough that they can find what they need. However, we've only been a Lego house for about a year, so maybe it doesn't work well once more pieces are accumulated! I would not sort them in any way. I couldn't deal with it. At our house, we have a box for Lego, a box for Playmobil, a box for costumes, and a box for everything else (all thrown together). This has been the BEST system I've ever tried and the boys' room has stayed clean for 4 months now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 We have tried everything. Dh even built a shelf that holds bins and tried to help ds organize. Nothing worked. We gave up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted November 30, 2011 Author Share Posted November 30, 2011 We built shelves for the ones they don't want us to throw in the bins. We have bins that fit in a closet...takes up 4 shelves!! When they are playing, I put a large sheet out on the floor an they can dump them out and build to their hearts content. When they finish, we pick up the sheet carefully and dump them back into the bins. There are always a few strays....but a broom and dustpan can get those. It is not a perfect system....but better than we have ever had. Some manage to get pretty much everywhere....but at least the bulk is put away. Faithe I think I got the sheet idea from you a few months ago (it was someone on these boards anyway). It worked at first, but now dc spread everything out so much that it doesn't stay on the sheet--they each need their own pile, and they don't want to get it mixed up with the pile on the sheet. I ended up ditching the sheet and handing them a dustpan for scooping up Legos at night. Of course now I hear wails of despair, "That was my pile of Legos! Don't put them away!" I was thinking some sort of smaller bins might give them a way to keep track of their individual piles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted November 30, 2011 Author Share Posted November 30, 2011 I think the lego storage threads might be some of the most important threads that come up. :D We use some of the wooden structures that hold different sized bins from IKEA. They pull out and off like a drawer. And then there was another container under the bed. It's always a challenge. Unless they were building in their rooms or playroom they built on large cookie trays. That way the project could be moved at any time. We didn't have legos all over the floor in every room. Ds is 15 and said he thinks he needs something lego for Christmas this year, just in case you think it's going to end. :lol: Last night dh pulled a bunch of Lego sets out of the closet. He's been buying them throughout the year for Christmas. Considering his attitude towards Legos, I don't really have any hope that our Lego collection will ever stop growing. :001_rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted November 30, 2011 Author Share Posted November 30, 2011 We bought Trofast Frames (with the drawers) from Ikea for our son to store his Lego. He has one of the large frames and 2 smaller ones that are just one tower. They have been *great*! I have a Trofast frame for toys in dd's room, and I've seriously considered this for Legos. What size bins do you use? They have 3 different depths of bins, but then they also have some that are even smaller. I think the smallest bins are designed to go with the wall-mounted Trofast frame, but it looks like I could also use them with some of the bigger frames. It seems like slightly smaller containers would be good for keeping things separate when they are in the middle of a project, but I don't have much hope that dc would actually keep anything organized... I think I'll have to do a poll on big vs. small containers. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted November 30, 2011 Author Share Posted November 30, 2011 Oh, and one more question. :blush: Has anyone ever tried a Lego sorter like this or this? DD really wants the one that looks like a minifigure head, but I am skeptical about how well it would work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jar7709 Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 We use a very simple system. We use an old sheet spread out on the floor. All the legos go on a big pile on the sheet. When it is time to clean up, hopefully there are just a few stragglers to put back on the pile, then the whole sheet gets picked up by the corners and placed in a bucket. Works for us. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Lulu* Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 I keep ours in this kind of box. It's long enough and shallow enough that they can find what they need. However, we've only been a Lego house for about a year, so maybe it doesn't work well once more pieces are accumulated! I would not sort them in any way. I couldn't deal with it. At our house, we have a box for Lego, a box for Playmobil, a box for costumes, and a box for everything else (all thrown together). This has been the BEST system I've ever tried and the boys' room has stayed clean for 4 months now! We have two of those boxes with wheels. One holds all the regular bricks and the other holds irregular pieces, platforms, and mini figures. The wooden train table has become the Lego table and the kids display their finished creations and works in progess. Sometimes they will put something on thier dresser for short term display, but they are not huge into leaving something built. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justLisa Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 DS has a table in his room for built things on display, and a corner desk with a hutch as his "lego lab." He has a little clip on desk lamp and 2 of those storage containers meant for tools with a ton of tiny plastic drawers. Those house little pieces. The desk is the VIKA from ikea, and under it more storage. I have this with all solid white bins and he also keeps transformers in on of them. It is on wheels. For buildling or housing sets that are in the building process I use large plastic restaurant serving trays. I bought 20 of them from a restaurant supply and we use them for everything from building legos to crafts (you wash glue/glitter off etc) and I even use them to corral small pieces while I am sewing/quilting. I have seriously considered purchasing one pax ikea wardrobe unit, and converting his closet to a closet office as I have in my sewing room. Desk top built in, storage gallore. I'm not sure I could do it though because his dad bought him that corner desk and as a very sentimental kid there is NO WAY he would part with it, and it wouldn't work in the closet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauranc Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 I have a Trofast frame for toys in dd's room, and I've seriously considered this for Legos. What size bins do you use? They have 3 different depths of bins, but then they also have some that are even smaller. I think the smallest bins are designed to go with the wall-mounted Trofast frame, but it looks like I could also use them with some of the bigger frames. He has 4 of the deep/white bins, and the rest are shallow/green bins. He actually has the largest Trofast frame and 2 of the single towers for his Lego. We don't organize by color.. although he does have one bin just for technic, and one or two for Star Wars. We've had Lego storage issues since my nearly 17 yr old was little... this has worked the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaylk in tx Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 check out this blog for lego ideas! (not my blog.... only wish I was this organized!) http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/search?q=lego Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 We use a very simple system. We use an old sheet spread out on the floor. All the legos go on a big pile on the sheet. When it is time to clean up, hopefully there are just a few stragglers to put back on the pile, then the whole sheet gets picked up by the corners and placed in a bucket. Works for us. :) That method never worked for us because ds always had some sort of building project in progress. Plus that's a storage system but not an organizing system. Ds would take the time to find what he needed for the project and didn't want to have to search again next time he got the Legos out. We tried to have an ongoing project area or bin, but it didn't work out either. I don't think organizing Lego is truly possible for the kinds of kids who build with them all the time, and like to work on long-term projects. If it is possible, we never figured it out. He rarely builds anymore, but doesn't want to store them away just yet. (He plans to save them for his future kid/kids.) He still likes the occasional set, usually Harry Potter, but doesn't build much from scratch anymore. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaMa2005 Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 DS chose to sort his my size (1x2, 2x2, etc.). We use one rolling cart like this http://www.wayfair.com/Early-Childhood-Resources-10-Drawer-Mobile-Organizer-ELR-009-NY1422.html?refid=GPA49-NY1422_5867958&PiID=5867958&gclid=CP771tnx3qwCFRFV7Aod_TMfDw. Each drawer is labeled. DS is a little OCD about his Legos and keeps them sorted quite well. It has worked for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jar7709 Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 That method never worked for us because ds always had some sort of building project in progress. Plus that's a storage system but not an organizing system. Ds would take the time to find what he needed for the project and didn't want to have to search again next time he got the Legos out. We tried to have an ongoing project area or bin, but it didn't work out either. I don't think organizing Lego is truly possible for the kinds of kids who build with them all the time, and like to work on long-term projects. If it is possible, we never figured it out. That is true, it is not an organizing system, but DS's projects-in-progress or recently finished masterpieces do not have to go back on the sheet and instead get to live on a table he has in his room. :lol: I expect that in a year or two DS will want some organization to his lego system, and I don't know what form that will take because I'm going to ask him to help design it. He takes a lego building classes from a local professional and is sometimes comes home talking about how great the pro's organization system is, but I'm not going to take the initiative for him on it, since for now this seems to work well enough for us. YMMV of course. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 I'll bet we can all identify with this. (Wish I could figure out how to make it bigger.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aura Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 I am planning on getting the box LEGO sorter, mentioned earlier. It won't store all the LEGOs, but it should help them sort a bit better and then I'm planning on storing them in plastic drawers. I also have plans for a Lego center: a table with the drawers & sorter underneath and shelves above for creations. I might also put up a bulletin board to pin up instruction booklets/pictures/etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimtaxi234 Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 The Original Lego Toy Storage and Sorter Box http://www.amazon.com/Original-Storage-Winning-BOX4BLOX-Organizer/dp/B003LTYAOY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322680682&sr=8-1 We used this Lego sorter/storage for years until my son finally grew out of it. He simple has too many Legos. However, when my son is looking for a particular piece, he will sometimes throw a bunch of Lego pieces into the sorter and give it a shake. He loves that the sorter separates the pieces by size so he can do a quick scan in the right box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 The key is to get yourself a Persian rug which looks like this one: What you will find is that you can store approximately 2,000,000,000 Legos on this rug and you cannot see them. (Can you see them? I didn't think so! :D) The only way anyone will notice the Legos would be to actually walk across the rug! :001_huh: Seriously, we have given up all hope of organizing Legos. We store them. The children occasionally make attempts to organize a few of them, but not us. Our Fischertechnik, OTOH, are all completely organized in bins from a company called Zagg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted November 30, 2011 Author Share Posted November 30, 2011 I've been considering making something like this or using an activity/train table, gluing a bunch of plates to the top and using the under bed bins underneath the table. Or I just found this at Walmart, that could work. Or how about this one? DH just added it to our wish list yesterday (it's cheaper at Tos R Us, but Amazon's picture is better). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted November 30, 2011 Author Share Posted November 30, 2011 The key is to get yourself a Persian rug which looks like this one: So floridamom's picture is really a picture of you?? ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted November 30, 2011 Author Share Posted November 30, 2011 check out this blog for lego ideas! (not my blog.... only wish I was this organized!) http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/search?q=lego The pictures on her blog make me swoon with delight (and envy). :001_wub: Thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 We use those plastic rolling carts that many people use for workboxes. They are divided by color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilikemyhomeschool Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 I'm remodeling and re-organizing my kids homeschool area. My husband built this huge table and we keep all the Legos here. http://www.flickr.com/photos/55308178@N05/6320250896/in/photostream I'm doing the bottom part next (where those big 18 gallon tubs are) and will post the new picture soon. They do a lot with Legos so they like to put them back for the next project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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