Toy Storage Issues

I glanced at a few responses, and I agree with PICTURES! I like the scrapbook idea! My thought before I read any responses was to stop buying Legos. If he runs out, he will have to dismantle the older ones to create new ones. Plus, if you take pictures and dismantle all of them, think of how big the brand-new thing could be built!

I remember what that was like! I'm now a grandmother but remember how I solved that issue based on an article in Good Housekeeping (probably circa 1980 or so)but still a great idea. PHOTOGRAPH the masterpieces. Make a big deal out of it and do it with your child. Pretend like you are a professional and take several different views of the project. DO NOT tear down the project until you have printed the photos. I put the photos in frames, all the same kind, and hung them in their room. Forever remembered!

Hi M.,

I can relate to children and their lego masterpieces. My children never were that extreme though. Here is a thought. Why not photograph these masterpieces and incorporate them into a photo album. That would be a great way to capture your childs special acheivements without all of the dust bunnies. If you had a digital camera that would work better. Then you can store them on a disk. Hope that helps. I had learned that taking a photo idea from my sister in law. Her kids had stuff from childhood that they liked but it had no real purpose other than a memory. Once you take the photo it makes it easier to let go of the item itself.

K.-mother of soon to be 7 :)

We have this problem as well at school with my students. What we do is take a picture of the masterpiece that they have made and then they write next to it what it is or wjatever they want and then we add it to our building book, which is a 3-ring binder.

Hi M.,
My name is T.; I am also a mom of a creative child and I am A preschool teacher. One of the things we have done with our mini engineering masterpieces has been to take pictures of them and keep a photo album in the area where the children build. We have the child(ren) stand by their creation and we date the picture, sometimes name the building, etc. This helps the child feel acknowleged for their creativity, but allows them to eventually put the toys away to build with another day. The cool thing about keeping the pictures is your son could go back and look at the buildings he has made and then recrate the best one for his contest. This book of photos can be fun to bring out when his friends and/or relatives visit because he can tell thtem all about what he has made. If he still seems reluctant to clean up, ask him to help you write a story about his creation and put it with the photo. Write down his words as he says them and then read it back to him. he will love the attention you are taking in his projest and you in turn get a wonderful memory maker as akeepsake of this precious age. I hope this helps.

M.,
I have had the same problem. We solved this by taking several pictures of the Masterpeice. These pictures are placesd in a simple album. Then the Legos can be reused without losing the Masterpiece.

We take digital photos of my daughter's "masterpieces" and then take them apart. We have fun keeping a book of all her art work and this is a fun addition. This would also be a good way for your son to look back on what he has done to make a choice for the contest. Good Luck!

Perhaps you could start a special photo album of their "masterpieces". That way you can hang on to those memories without it becoming a nusiance.
Plus, it might be fun for them to look through the album after they've grow up.

M.,
Use your digital camera, take a picture, load the picture on your computer, and either use it as your screensaver, or send it to a photo developer and have it developed in a large format (not that expensive) and display in his room. I would also consider reaching an agreement with your son about how many masterpieces you will take pictures of. Perhaps, you can take pics of all, but he has to choose which one he will have displayed in his room, according to the agreement you have made with him. Once you have reached an agreement about how to deal with this issue, I would remove the legos as a play option if there is any "push back" from your son.
D. - mother of 17, 14 year old sons and a 9 year old daughter with pics of my kids projects in my computer.

Have the family and your oldest son pick the 2 very best items to keep. Then as more are made choose the best 2 of all again. this way he can have fun trying to build better than what he has, and Mom has less storage to deal with.

:} C.

I have two boys (8 and 5). I have the same issue. They love building legos and now magnetics. Oh, the little metal balls everywhere.

I bought a few big Rubbermaid storage boxes, one for each type of toy. I allow them to leave out the toys for a few days, then they trade out those creations for new "bigger and better" ones. If they have a "special" creation that they can't part with, I take a picture for them. They always want to show other friends and family. It's much easier to store the photos and they are proud of them.

Hope that helps!
T. M

Hello - I have yet to deal with this, but why not have a contest monthly instead of yearly. This way they don't feel the need to keep them as long.

Maybe you could try taking pictures of each of his masterpieces and putting them in his very own scrapbook. That way he will be able to go back and look at them whenever he wants. He could even wright a little something about each one, like why he built it or what he likes so much about it.

Show them how to take pictures of their art and make a record or scrape book. This can also be use as a reference to rebuild.
Then tell them that if they take apart "The Masterpiece" that they can then build one even better!
By doing this you will be encouraging their creativity not only
with Lego's but also in two other forms of art. Photography and scrapbooks.

A. M.

Why don't you try limiting the number of masterpieces they can hang on to? Maybe they can have 2 at a time & then they have to take one apart if they want to store another one. And for the big ones maybe you could take a lot of photos & they could help make some sort of scrapbook page for it.

Well, I've seen a lot of people suggested taking pictures. I've found that when my little guys (6 & 3) insist that the masterpiece must stay whole forever, it really means about a week or so, until they're ready to take it apart and build something else. The key is that I am not the one to take it apart. I usually keep it around on display for a week or so, then it 'makes it's way' back to their Lego table where they find it and play with it or take it apart. There are so many of these, I can't imagine taking a pic each time. Hope this helps!

I'm with the take a picture and create a photo album. My brothers would make whole cities with their Legos (way back in the 70s and 80s), leave them up for a few days in one of their rooms, then make something else. It was never an issue of keeping their creations forever. You can't possibly store all of them, and to buy new sets? You'll be broke.

C.

Take a picture of the "masterpiece" then let them tear it apart & start all over. You could scrapbook the pictures or make a collage on posterboard for their rooms.

One possibility would be to take photos and have a special scrapbook just for Creations. Let the masterpeice be displayed in a special place for a week then taken apart so the pieces can be used for more masterpeices. Having a photo may satisfy the need to be able to see the creations longer. A bulletin board may work, too. They could rearrange the photos as they like.

I can relate! I found that taking pictures of the kids w/ their masterpieces was a big help - put them in an album for them to show off or a bulletin board or make into a movie on the computer.
I know Lego used to have a thing where you could send pics of the kids & their masterpieces in & they'd put it in their magazines.
Remind them that they will have that many more pieces to use if they disassemble!
Another hint. . .make them dust them every week!
Good luck!

I'm the same way with artwork!! I save a ton of it...although it is easier to save! You might try lettting them come up with the idea to take it down. If it is their idea they aren't so heartbroken. So tell them that if they have more space then you will have more room to play "simon says" or another game that takes up space, but if they leave them there than you won't be able to play. Or set a limit, one creation a piece, that way they have to decide which is their favorite and really have to think about it. These tips also work for husbands! LOL!!

started the lego collection 34 yrs ago with my daughters has grown yearly with them and grandchildren. masterpiece stays on top of the storqage for one week than destroyed.take pictures and blow them up for detils if neccessary

I can relate. My son won two Lego contests and one of his creations is a gigantic chess set - 1 yard square, with some of the chess pieces being at least 12 inches tall! It's really hard to part with masterpieces, but you know what? This is a good problem to have! We've kept many masterpieces, taken pictures of some. And sometimes, when the kids really want to play with Legos and they don't have enough, then they decide that some masterpieces are ok to dismantle. We have Lego creations stored everywhere and anytime we clean up and open boxes, it's wonderful to see them again and have the memory of when they made them. We put up wall shelves in my son's room to hold them all (except for the gigantic chess board). When he got older, around age 16, he paired them down himself. He has hung on to the ones that really meant a lot to him, put others in storage and some he dismantled. I say, when they are playing with Legos, they are using their creative, math and design skills, and they are not watching tv, playing video games or getting into trouble! So we encourage Lego play as much as possible. I think to help them part with creations is let the supply run low. Then they'll naturally decide some creations can come apart. Or, instead of buying more Legos, ask the kids which ones are most important to them and let them keep those. Good luck!

I would recommend taking a picture or 2 of each creation, and letting them make a scrapbook of their artwork. Then they could tear it down and start over without the sorrow of never seeing it again. I feel your pain!! Ha Ha!

We have the same problem with two grandsons who visit. We live in the same community, so we see them often. What we do is they can have them on the shelf for one month, then have them consider making something else, maybe bigger and better. So far this is working, they are 16 and 7. Now they are trying to out do each other. What is nice is, the 16 yr old stops and trys to help the 7yr old and there is alot of brother time. The two sisters think its neat, since they leave them alone...

I agree with Kim L's suggestion of taking photographs.

Another thing that you could do is have your kids draw up "plans" and "blueprints" of the masterpieces so that they can recreate the best one for the contest next year. They can then put these "documents" in the scrapbook right next to the photos. Maybe even start an online blog as a place where your kids can show them off to relatives.

You can turn it all into a learning experience by talking about architects and maybe even checking some books out of the library about achitects, building, construction, designs and blueprints. Maybe even get some books about tearing down old buildings.

I would designate one space where they can always have their latest creation displayed, but when they start a new one, the old one has to come down.

Good luck and congratulations on having such creative children!

J.
www.MindBodyBabyStL.com

How about taking a picture and putting it in a special album or scrapbook. Make sure to take a picture with your child in it as well as his creation.

Hi M.. I'm sure you've already heard this answer but just take a picture of the masterpiece and then make an album. You have a record of their handiwork and maybe they won't mind so much to take it apart and make a new one!

Good luck!
Jenn

You could take pictures of the creations! Then have them disassembled daily or weekly? You and the children could decide on the time frame, be consistent and stick to your decision. You could also pick 1 or 2 ?? to save for the contest. Storage bins work best for the little pieces! I hope this helps, GOD BLESS.
L. G

We take snapshots of them, then post them on the wall of my daughter's room. That way, all the LEGOS are free to be used again and again to make more masterpieces.
PS: We keep 10 photos on the wall. The rest go into a small photo album we keep in the LEGOS tub to get more ideas.

This plan works well with any "masterpiece" you might have.

Hi M.,
My boys used to want to save every little "thing" they made, it drove me crazy! Then I decided to take several digital pictures of them and store them in their own folder on the computer. They can look at them any time they want and see it from all angles and there is no more clutter.
Keeps everyone happy!
Hope this helps! :)

You say they "want" to leave them intact after building their masterpiece> My question to you is, who is in charge? Mom or the Kids?? If you are the one doing all the cleaning etc of your home and these items are being in the way tell them they may leave one of their creations out and all the other legos have to be picked up on a daily basis and put away. If that don't help quit buying legos then in order for theim to make a new creation they have to tear the old one down.

Well I wish I had this issue. My kids never want to build anything but something that came to mind was pictures. Can you talk the kids into taking a few pictures of the masterpiece and making thier own scrapbook. Then they can carry thier work with them to show off.

If you want to display and not have to dust them, you can buy acrylic cases at places like Michael's and Hobby Lobby. My dad used to buy these for his collectible cars and planes and had them everywhere! Good luck...guess, I know what I have to look forward to in a couple years...LOL.

My son is 5 and doesn't like to take his buildings apart, especially if his dad is traveling. We have solved the problem by taking a digital picture of the creation. My son just likes to show them to his dad and sometimes his Nana off the computer or by e-mail, but you might want to get a small photo album for your kids and actually print the pictures (about fifteen cents at Walmart) so they can keep a record of what they build! Hope this helps :)

Make a scrapbook with a picture and a special award certificate with their name on it. You can display the picture and take down the towers.

why not have him take a picture of it and start a "wall of honor" and have himn see if he can beat his building from the time before. My son has legos but is not quite into the major building yet. Depending on what it is...though you hang it from the ceiling in his room. My hubby has a lot of the Star Wars sets and we had them hanging from my son's ceiling.

Maybe give him fewer Legos? That way, when he wants to build something else, he has to take the first creation apart!

Take a picture and dismantle. If you don't take things apart you can never use the blocks again which is a bad idea. It can even be a challenge to see if you can build it again, or build it better. Also you can only but so many legos. I think the can understand that. It's not the structure you it is the building of it. Talk to them then act.

Enjoy
Nelda C
M. of 5 nearly all grown kids.

My husband is an avid lego fan so I completely understand how you feel. I have managed to talk him out of keeping everything he makes, but there are a few special ones.. like the Ferrari that took him 6 hours to build. I'm not terribly sure about how you should talk to your children about keeping the lego structures, but for those you do keep, clean them with canned air or a quick brush with the hose on your vaccuum.

I would not store them. I would make a LEGO Scrapbook of Photos of him with his creation. Then I would allow him to help me chose a cool piece of paper to put the photo on and put it in his portfolio or scrapbook. I would then encourage him to take the masterpiece apart and see what else he could create with those legos.

Be sure to use acid free paper from a craft store so the photos are safe.

My first thought was to buy him his OWN disposable camera just for his Lego creations.....When you develop the film, let him pick out his OWN photo albumn to keep the pictures in....That way it is ALL his...Then after he takes his picture, he can salvage those legos to make another creation, but still remember what he had already made....Let him keep a few REALLY special ones, and maybe get him a special shelf for his room JUST for those special ones (like 2-4).

~A.~

Take a picture of your boys masterpieses then take it apart

Hi, I'm a mom with 6 & 8 year old boys & a little girl from China on the way.
I know all about that toy "storage" problem & the masterpieces. I don't really have a problem with the art (I mean all the 8x10 pictures they make), I put them all over the kitchen & just take some down when it gets too full. I am a scrapbooker so I put my favorites in with the photos. But the 3-D projects can be a problem. What we have come up with is they have a Thomas the train table & they don't play with so much now, so we put all the train stuff in a big box they can get out if they want. Whatever they are working on has to go on that train table (it is HUGE anyway, so they just have to make it all fit). If there is not enough room, they have to find a home for it. Of course they have stuff all on the top of their dressers, but same thing, if it doesn't fit, they have to find a home. This is not perfect because they never want to get rid of anything -- I think it is way too crowded on their dressers, but they are happy with it. So I guess I'd say as mom you have to pick where it's OK to stuff the "masterpieces" & then let them figure out how to fit it. If they leave it on the floor, mom will have to move it, & it might break. :-) I know your kids are younger so it is harder, but I hope that helps a little.

Hi M.,

This is the same problem I have with art projects that my daughter brings home from school (and I always want to save each and everyone :) and we just take picures and make a mini photo album that she can carry around with her and show off her talent!! Also I have seen where you can make picture books with photos too and they could have fun writing a sentence below each picture and telling what it is. Hope this helps.

I am a stay at home mom with a 13 yr old and a 2 1/2 yr old.

S.