tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4839413630623850301.post341265003820889635..comments2023-11-03T09:34:09.373-04:00Comments on Building Cathedrals:: How we handle little Legos...A follow-up to the paper clutter conversationJuris Materhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01717212659724234395noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4839413630623850301.post-77875695612577661672008-10-12T21:33:00.000-04:002008-10-12T21:33:00.000-04:00Aaahh, the great Lego clean up conundrum! My need...Aaahh, the great Lego clean up conundrum! My need to figure out how to clean up Legos, in fact, led me to this blog posting. I also found a site called Box4Blox designed specifically for Legos and other Lego-type toy pieces. It's ingenious--it sorts by size, largest on the bottom with sorting sieves in between the four boxes. In any event, I know what it's like to be merrily moving through the house barefoot only to step on the smallest, most pointed Lego piece. However, I too, am thankful that my son is interested in Legos to work with them for hours at a time, so I will endure the mishaps due to the inexplicable proliferation throughout our house.SmallBizMomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16566123049467774028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4839413630623850301.post-16601965532141227342008-08-30T20:14:00.000-04:002008-08-30T20:14:00.000-04:00Great tip, thanks!Great tip, thanks!Mary Alicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05245101141100590754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4839413630623850301.post-55591470324023283282008-08-30T18:37:00.000-04:002008-08-30T18:37:00.000-04:00I have found a way to deal with the picture books ...I have found a way to deal with the picture books that may help someone else. I bought cat litter boxes that are about the width of most of the picture books. I can fit three of the litter boxes across one shelf in my playroom. Instead of putting the books with the spines out, like in a library, I put the books in the litter boxes (or whatever other cardboard or plastic box fits your space) facing out so the kids can thumb through the books and see the covers. I fit more books per shelf this way, and the youngest children are better at putting them away. I was really tired of the bookshelves being a wreck because the kids just stacked the books haphazardly on top of the books and that would crash, etc, etc. <BR/><BR/>I did this several months ago and it has taken very little maintenance. <BR/><BR/>Hope this helps someone!4ddintxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09077143790221131280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4839413630623850301.post-32373369106596560082008-08-29T00:15:00.000-04:002008-08-29T00:15:00.000-04:00Kat, you have come up with some great strategies! ...Kat, you have come up with some great strategies! I too have noticed lately that helping the kids really makes them more cheerful and gets the job done very quickly, and I just have to keep telling myself that it will only take 5 minutes, even though I feel like I "don't have time" to clean up their rooms with them.<BR/><BR/>Speaking of time, and since you mentioned racing, a timer might help, it is fun to have a time to beat and also to see that the huge job really did only take five minutes.<BR/><BR/>For distraction, music really helps! Laurie Berkner has a great clean up song and there are others, and so if we have a huge job we will put on the song but if not we will often just sing it ourselves. I think promoting the "whistle while you work" mentality is good for them, and me!<BR/><BR/>Oh, and I have not had Legos until now because I was scared of the little kids choking, but hearing how much fun C has makes me think I should get some. Also, I always struggle with the mess they make when they play, we are having a no-TV week, and there are alot more toys to pick up!<BR/><BR/>I have taken Red's approach before and I do find that having too many toys can be part of the problem -- if 1000 legos are dumped all over the floor they are hard to clean up and you might have just as much creative fun (or more) with just 100? This is hard because when a kid is into something you do want to encourage it and so they seem to multiply quickly.<BR/><BR/>On that note, I have just determined that we have too many picture books! Seems impossible, and the thing is that they are all good, so it is really hard to cull, but the shelf is over flowing and they don't get put away. I was going to move some up to the playroom but I am thinking of just moving them to the basement for now, and then if we don't miss them in six months giving them away. One problem is that we now have so many different age groups, we have board books for baby, short picture books for preschoolers and longer picture and chapter books for the oldest kids, if we keep having babies then the books and toys on the young spectrum never go into storage, but the older kids keep developing, so workmen who come to our house actually ask if I am running a day care! We have bouncy chairs to knock hockey and everything in between!Mary Alicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05245101141100590754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4839413630623850301.post-14396691707123647102008-08-28T20:19:00.000-04:002008-08-28T20:19:00.000-04:00Wow Kate, what a great product, thanks for the tip...Wow Kate, what a great product, thanks for the tip!<BR/><BR/>Anonymous, I don't have an answer for you on the environmental impact of Legos - I'm assuming that you're talking about the impact of manufacturing them? I tend to think of them as environmentally friendly in the sense that they usually get passed down from generation to generation since they are unbreakable, and their appeal crosses generational boundaries! Any thoughts?Kathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16361232588380298159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4839413630623850301.post-38612147527187199552008-08-28T19:52:00.000-04:002008-08-28T19:52:00.000-04:00Does anyone know what the environmental impact is ...Does anyone know what the environmental impact is for Legos? I've always avoided them for my kids because I'd assumed they weren't environmentally friendly. And, I remember from my younger siblings, they are incredibly painful when you don't notice them in the carpet!!! But I remember how much fun they were and I feel bad depriving them of the joy of Legos...can anyone assuage my guilt???Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4839413630623850301.post-72669753237724564182008-08-28T15:41:00.000-04:002008-08-28T15:41:00.000-04:00What can I say, I'm a librarian and find it imposs...What can I say, I'm a librarian and find it impossible to avoid research.<BR/><BR/>The item I mentioned is called a<BR/>"Block-o-dile" it is no longer available in the US (but try your local independent toy store, because I know my old store had them for a while)...and a bunch are for sale on ebay.<BR/><BR/>They come with Duplo blocks but will pick up regular lego blocks.<BR/><BR/>Again, don't know how well it works, but it looks like so much fun.Kate E.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14211351684708181083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4839413630623850301.post-72127975773485363432008-08-28T15:34:00.000-04:002008-08-28T15:34:00.000-04:00Kat, I am not at all sure if this product still ex...Kat, I am not at all sure if this product still exists and/or works very well but I just had to share. Lego used to make an alligator with a handle on top and rotating wheel in it's mouth that you could roll over all the legos and they would get pushed inside the alligators body. It seemed like such a fun idea, if it doesn't still exist then someone should reinvent it!<BR/><BR/>Other then that I can't give too much concrete advice. Our guys is 2.5 and our general plan is we tidy up before nap and before bed or before a playdate. We sing the "tidy up" song which is pleasantly reinforced at his preschool (tidy up time, tidy up time, put your "blank" away, now we finish play...or my personal favorite "i know a little dusty gnome who says it's time to clean our home").<BR/><BR/>We tend to do things that you are already doing...give him a specific item to pick up, give him the bin to put it in. He likes to pick up "numbers" of things while we shout encouragement. Like pick up 6 books and put them on the shelf, ok 5 to go, 4 to go, etc.Kate E.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14211351684708181083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4839413630623850301.post-62723460020737588402008-08-28T14:51:00.000-04:002008-08-28T14:51:00.000-04:00The thing is that I am often not nice about cleani...The thing is that I am often not nice about cleaning up at all, and that's one of the reasons why I've been trying to brainstorm ways to make the process go more smoothly! I really dislike losing my cool with C, when I usually end up yelling, "Okay fine, C, if you can't clean up your Legos then you're not old enough to play with them, and we'll put them away." I don't think that there's anything wrong with putting toys away if kids consistently refuse to clean them up - we've done this several times with different toys. I also don't think there's anything wrong with reminding children that if they can't clean up their toys, then we'll give them away to some other children who will appreciate their toys. However, what I don't like is when I lose patience and raise my voice, which isn't productive for anyone! Hence, the brainstorming :)Kathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16361232588380298159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4839413630623850301.post-72337028813835970202008-08-28T14:12:00.000-04:002008-08-28T14:12:00.000-04:00We have had this problem around here...but I haven...We have had this problem around here...but I haven't been quite as sweet about it as you ;-)<BR/><BR/>Recently, we started moving toys down to the basement (storage) that our children were regularly "unable" or refusing to clean up. They still have plenty of toys upstairs, but some of their most cherished toys (such as Legos and dress up clothes) were moved to the basement. Soon they will be able to "earn" these toys back by keeping the playroom clean.Right Said Redhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03000769740954672341noreply@blogger.com