Lego | Imamother

seeker

Mon, Jan 17 2022, 10:37 pm

OK, I'm not asking how to organize the lego itself. I know people have whole sorting systems, I'll let my kids worry about that. My question is how do people deal when kids build whole towns of houses, schools, and stores. Not only can't they be taken apart, they also can't be stored on/in a shelf or display case like models, because they play WITH the houses/schools/stores. It is amazing when they do this because it keeps them busy and relatively peaceful for wonderful amounts of time. But the space! And the dust! These things can go on for months and they collect dust like crazy.

We're moving IY"H and planning a new setup for the kids' room and I'm wondering if anyone has great ideas. Mine is to get a trundle bed and instead of a mattress let them use the bottom for lego. This will somewhat limit the height of the structures, but hopefully not too much, and sliding under should limit dust and give us some space to walk. But I'm curious if anyone has other ideas because there are things I don't love about that plan.

behappy2

Mon, Jan 17 2022, 10:53 pm

Following.

2 ideas I did that aren't perfect. One is to have a book shelf that they could display the Lego and take it off to play. The other is to have a whole corner of the room for it. I know of a family that has a Lego room.

seeker

Mon, Jan 17 2022, 11:10 pm

They can't just take it off the shelf to play because they build these elaborate structures but not stable enough to move around.

Right now I have a dedicated lego corner but that leaves the dust issue and also feels like a lot of space that is never enough.

behappy2

Tue, Jan 18 2022, 7:47 am

seeker wrote:

Can you cover it with a sheet when they're not playing with it so it shouldn't get dusty. I never had this problem but maybe my kids don't play with the same structure for months at a time.

amother

Kiwi

Tue, Jan 18 2022, 7:51 am

There is special LEGO glue that comes off in water

When you move can you get an old square table and make that the “TOWN” for them to play with their structure

As far as dust can you give your kids a swifter duster and let them dust

amother

Beige

Tue, Jan 18 2022, 10:04 am

You can get a dedicated lego table, link below is 1 such example.
https://www.amazon.com/Tot-Tut.....=8-21

Then the entire town lives on the table and zehu. Would something like that work for you? It would make it much more portable and restrict the amount of space it takes up, as well as making the structures more stable as they are attached to the table.

LittleDucky

Tue, Jan 18 2022, 10:10 am

If you will have the space, put a little card table or square folding table in the play room or bedroom. Let them build their elaborate structures and cities. Cover with a sheet when done for the day to help with dust.
You can even use the space under the table for your preferred storage system.
Also you can use compressed air to get out dust that has already settled if you use it carefully.
We dont have the space so it stays on a bookcase. I wish I could give them a dedicated lego space!

tryinghard

Tue, Jan 18 2022, 10:58 am

I have a table in my basement which is the only place that Lego is allowed. They spend hours down there and are limited to the space on the table. So if they run out of space, they have to take something apart.

amother

Begonia

Tue, Jan 18 2022, 11:11 am

Great idea, tryinghard! This not only makes life easier for you by limiting the encroachment of children's playthings upon the rest of the house, but teaches your kids important life lessons about making tough decisions when faced with limited resources--in this case, real estate. Ultimately, all resources are limited, so in personal life as well as at work, one must learn that one cannot have it all, and at some point one must either make do with what one has, or sacrifice some of what one has to acquire something else.

amother

Watermelon

Tue, Jan 18 2022, 11:18 am

Just wanted to say that dust gathers under the trundle as well so don't think it will help too much.

Also do your kids create the structures on their own or do they follow instructions from a book?

amother

Jean

Tue, Jan 18 2022, 11:19 am

amother [ Begonia ] wrote:

I think life will teach them that...you don't need to

amother

Jean

Tue, Jan 18 2022, 11:21 am

Following, I have the dust issue

As for space , it takes up alot of the bedroom.
The stuff they build are incredible and it really keeps them creative and busy , I personally won't want to limit that bc then they won't play

seeker

Tue, Jan 18 2022, 12:05 pm

amother [ Watermelon ] wrote:

Just wanted to say that dust gathers under the trundle as well so don't think it will help too much.

Also do your kids create the structures on their own or do they follow instructions from a book?

Both.

And :-( about dust under the bed. I was really hopeful that the bed would block too much dust from settling. I guess it would still have an advantage of being able to tuck it away when not actively in use.

seeker

Tue, Jan 18 2022, 12:09 pm

amother [ Beige ] wrote:

Lol it seems I may not have adequately described the scope of this lego situation... neither this nor a card table would be nearly enough. Currently I have them confined to a rug that is approx 4x5 feet, plus shelving next to that where they are to put things they aren't in middle of using. Right now it's enough because they just cleaned up a bunch of things. But a lot of the time it gets really crowded there. My kids are a bit spoiled in the lego department perhaps but it's worthwhile in the amount of time they stay busy and productive with it.

I've done the life lesson where when they run out of space they need to choose things to do away with. I'm pretty soft about it though and often they just overrun their space. Because I know how it is.

advocate

Tue, Jan 18 2022, 12:50 pm

I like your idea of the trundle bed! I'm wondering if a true baker's rack would help. In addition to covering them when not in use, I am thinking that frequent vacuuming (Roomba?!) or using an air filter might help. Do you use the room for other purposes?

amother

Beige

Tue, Jan 18 2022, 1:29 pm

seeker wrote:

What about making your own 'lego table'? Buy a regular table (ikea make some reasonably priced tables). Glue boards to cover the table and you can also put a shelf halfway down the legs to allow them to store the additional lego there.

amother

Narcissus

Tue, Jan 18 2022, 4:55 pm

Given that my concerns are space and dust, I see how tables would help by sharing space with storage under the table but overall still feels like a very full room and dusty lego town. I wonder if I could somehow custom-build a table with a cover where one could use the top surface as a table in between lego sessions. Might be annoying for the lego-users to have to reach down into their lego land but at least it doesn't monopolize the house.

I absolutely use all my rooms for other purposes. I would love to have the kind of lifestyle that allows for a dedicated lego room. Right now my options are playroom and bedroom.

Pretty sure vacuums and roombas are not a good match for lego.

behappy2

Tue, Jan 18 2022, 5:08 pm

Other idea

You could get a loft bed and have all the Lego underneath. That would be similar to the space of the trundle idea and easier to play. However in my experience changing the linen is harder than a regular bed. Also it might be darker in that space depending on where the light fixture is in the room and the windows.