How do you keep playmobil?

[WatchingThemGrow]

We have a lot and need some ideas...farm, boats, pool, nativity, Dino and adding the rock concert plus an obscene amount of 2nd hand pirate stuff. I'm scared to give it to them without some organizational strategy!

[Simon]

We allow some sets to mix: rescue items (fire, police), knights from many sets, and I think that's most of our collection. They just live in a dresser drawer.

[elliput]

I tried to keep it organized. Gave up almost immediately as I realized it was my issue and the kids didn't care.

[athompson]

I put them in a pretty canvas bin (or bins) and call it a day.

[acmom]

We use a mix of different plastic storage containers (scrapbook paper size down to index card size) for different categories. There are 2 big ones, one for girl people, one for boy people, which helps DS and DD find the person they are looking for. Then we have some categories based on sets (eg. pirate, construction, etc) and some more general categories (eg. food, furniture, etc.). Each bin is labeled with both words and some pics I printed off playmobil's website. Its far from perfect since we often end up with tons of little pieces all over the basement floor and I have to help them do a big sort. But we have so many sets, I think it might be impossible for them to find anything if we threw it all together. We are getting to the point where I think I should really rotate the sets since we really have too much to be out at one time, but they like to build "cities" where the people travel or vacation to different places. Plus I have a feeling i would never actually do the rotation and therefore some just wouldn't get used.

I'd love to hear other ideas too though as I have a similar thought that when we add to it at Christmas, I may be pulling my hair out!

[jgenie]

I put them in a pretty canvas bin (or bins) and call it a day.

:yeahthat:

[KpbS]

Plastic bins on shelving (in theory!) The knights and pirates live downstairs in the playroom and the police/spies/rescue guys etc. are upstairs.

[robinsmommy]

In a larger plastic bin with bigger (people-size and up) pieces in it, and a couple smaller bins with lids inside that for the itty bitty stuff. Otherwise they end up dumping all the big stuff out to get at the little bits.

[brittone2]

We kind of kept sets together in the beginning, but it is a free for all now. They build elaborate houses, etc with Lego and use their PM in them, so even worse lol.

[Thatchermom]

Large pieces in Rubbermaid tubs. All smalls in a large fishing tackle box with a zillion layers and compartments to sort into.

[acmom]

For those of you who sort small vs larger pieces....do your kids clean it up themselves regularly this way? And can they find the prices they are looking for or do they dump the buckets to find something? I have debating making our bins have less categories so pick up is easier in theory but I'm not sure it will actually help...

[WatchingThemGrow]

Large pieces in Rubbermaid tubs. All smalls in a large fishing tackle box with a zillion layers and compartments to sort into.
THIS is what I haven't tried....off to look for a tackle box on sale. The idea of having the mice and the scaredy cat and the revolvers and the feathers easier to access sounds good.

Anyone seen a tackle box that would be good?

[american_mama]

I have a 5 drawer plastic storage cart like this, but the last drawer is deeper:
http://www.amazon.com/Sterilite-20758004-Clearview-Drawer-4-Pack/dp/B001OM2NGW/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1419027907&sr=8-6&keywords=rubbermaid+5+drawer+cart

I probably got it at Kmart, but it may have been Big Lots, Target or Walmart.

The deeper bottom drawer is Big Stuff (building supports, roof parts, staircase, motorycle, small camper or police car). Other drawers are Accessories, People/Clothes/Hair, Furniture, and Animals and Their Stuff. Those categories covered our needs. I had to get a plastic shoebox for Trees and Rocks which I usually put on top on the cart. I labeled each drawer with words and photos of things that belong in there. The plastic drawers are not the kind of storage I usually choose, but it seemed best for the high volume and small size of the items.

I don't have a great solution for big stuff like firetrucks, police station, firehouse, big camper, etc. but it was the little stuff that was getting underfoot and creating problems. The big things tend to go on toy shelves or the floor. Once in a blue moon I set up a few big items on a play table and let the kids use that as their play and display surface, although that still only uses up some of the big stuff.

When my kids clean up, they used to put things away in the right drawers, but have not been for doing it several months. DH doesn't do it. But, I am not sweating it. The kids aren't screaming to me when they can't the right thing anymore, so if they don't care about organization, I'll just focus on the cleanup.

DD2 likes to gather an assortment of things for a particular scene and then doesn't want to put it away. Sometimes we just move that to the edge of the room and call that good enough, sometimes I have an empty plastic shoebox handy and tell her she can keep her scene in there.