Everything was all together in a big box, so we waited until Mia was down for her nap, then I tipped it all out and let Harry rummage through it. I also received a large folder of instructions, although unfortunately the manual for building the train was missing. Luckily I discovered this fantastic website - Let's Build It Again - where I was able to download and print out the instructions (and then laminate them, as is my wont when it comes to Lego instruction manuals).
That evening I was able to build the train, and I'm really pleased with myself. I'm also surprised that most of the pieces were there, although I had to improvise in places, and annoy my siblings by e-mailing them lists of the pieces that I needed and asking them to search through their boxes.
It had been adapted to run as a battery powered train that went round by itself, but I seem to be missing some of the vital components, something for me to investigate. Since I set the train up, Harry was been playing with it constantly, it is a massive hit.
I also found the instruction booklet for a set of technical Lego that I received one Christmas. I remember being absolutely thrilled with it, and showing it to my bemused Grandma who had no idea what it was. I was delighted to find another website - Peeron - where you can download inventories for all the Lego kits. I had no idea that there were so many Lego resources online! I didn't have many of the pieces for this one, so a bit more tracking down via my siblings is required.
The problem I have now is that I am torn. Most of me wants to keep the Lego in its sets, neatly stored in boxes with the instruction manual and inventory to check against so that I can make sure that nothing goes missing. I already do this with the one Duplo set that we have. But another part of me wants to encourate creativity in my children, and allow them to make up their own models and creations without being limited to the pieces in a kit, especially as we have a lot of plain bricks and pieces that don't go in kits anyway.
How do other people organise Lego? Keep it in individual sets? Just lump it all together in one box? Organise by colour? By type? Or am I just obsessing over it unnecessarily? I'd love to know what you think.
We keep ours inside our lego playmat/storage bag (instructions for making it here http://knittymummy.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/lego-playmat-tutorial.html) Its got plenty of room to move all the pieces around to find what you want, but when you want to tidy away you just pull the cords and its tidy. No faffing around picking up a thousand little pieces. Mixing them up is good. My friend's boy has the 'lego ideas book' and he loves muddling up sets to make other things. If you try to keep the sets seperate you'll have a lifetime of pain trying to put them back together when they do get muddled.
ReplyDeleteThat Lego storage bag is a brilliant idea, as even just scooping pieces up with the hands is hard work. I did sort out the pieces a bit today and I found it easier to make things when the pieces were sorted, but it was a bit of a faff to put them away again, and perhaps hunting through is part of the fun.
DeleteI am very much on the mix-it-all-up side. You'll drive yourself mad trying to keep all the sets together.
ReplyDeleteI know, I'm sure that when we were little everything was just thrown in together and we managed.
DeleteMy parents have also kept mine and my sisters childhood lego. Now my two girls play with it. It's one of those toys that are timeless.
ReplyDeleteWe have some at home too, and both are in a box just jumbled up; we like the hunt to find the pieces that will fit and match in colour.
It is great isn't it, most of it is still in great condition! I think that mixing it all up is probably the way that we're going to go...upsetting my OCD tendencies!
DeleteI am glad you found most of the pieces, but I wonder what happened to the instruction book for the train?
ReplyDeleteVery mysterious. Not to worrry though, I found it online. There was another instruction book in the box but that was for a different train with lots of pieces that we don't have!
DeleteAre you sure it was the push-along train? We seem to remember it coming as the battery one, with a separate carriage which took the batteries. Doesn't one of the carriages have push connectors for the electrical bits?
ReplyDeleteI've got the separate battery carriage and a couple of electrical bits, but no instructions and I think there are bits missing. I need to investigate!
DeleteI love Lego and how it never really dates, my Grandparent's have loads of it still at their house from when my Uncles used to have lots of sets, and my parents still have a huge tub (with it all mixed in), it does make it a nightmare when you can't find that ONE piece, but I think that's all part of the fun at the end of the day. We kept all our instructions in a folder, some of ours are very messed up/ripped from when we left them loose but we tried to have a good sort out a few years back to make some of the sets and managed to tape a lot back, so would definitely recommend keeping the instructions save if you have any.
ReplyDeleteWho knows you're Grandkids could be playing with this train in many years to come! :)
I laminate new instructions so keep them nice, I remember how quickly they fall apart! I do hope that the grandkids will be playing with it one day! It is a bit fragile though, it has been very well played with.
Delete