Organizing Legos: Part 1 - Build Buckets

The Lego posts are finally coming!  Can I get a whoop whoop for some lego love?

"Posts?" you ask.  As in multiples? 

I say go big or go home.  We are a major lego loving family... we started out with 4+ large bins and a few smaller ones as well....

And because Legos are really one of the only things my three boys have in common, it's a big deal here.  And they can play with them for hours upon hours with giant smiles on their faces.  Just like mama used to do....

So because many hours of our lives revolve around the Lego phenomenon, I have been working away at trying to gain some order, save the bottoms of my feet, corral all of the manuals and give them a happy place to create endlessly.  So much to share!

Today I thought I would share the first Lego lifesaver.  The build buckets.

A couple of reasons I decided each boy should have one designated build bucket:

• They create and then have to stop to do things like eat dinner, do homework or take a shower, so what's a kid to do with their projects in the works?
• We share because we care, meaning all of our Legos are all of ours.  But this doesn't always work great when someone is using specific pieces that another kiddo wants or when one boy takes pieces from another boy's current build...  the horror.

So, to problem solve the sharing and creating issue, and to eliminate the boys from having to put their current projects back into the endless pit of chaotic bins, they each got their own single bucket in which they could put all of their current projects and pieces.

I found the tin buckets at Target in the dollar section, I think they were $2.50 each.

To ensure they weren't confused about whose bucket is whose, a little labeling action was in order.

It was super simple, I just used my Silhouette to cut their birth order numbers from vinyl.  Parker even helped me rub the vinyl onto the side of his bucket!

I placed the number on the front and the side of the bucket...

 
So far, the buckets have been working great.  They are perfectly big enough to hold oodles of "in the works" pieces and projects!

And because they are all labeled, there is no more bickering!  They all agreed that each bucket was their bucket only, no getting grabby with one another.

Love.

Total cost: $7.50.

How do you keep your little one's Lego projects organized {or maybe even your own}?

And who is ready to hop on board and organize Legos with me?  I think at the end of this giant project we are taking on, we should have a giant link party to celebrate and share our ideas!  Who is excited?