Building Community: Neighbourhood LEGO Box
Posted by MeganL,
Brickset member Daniel in southern Indiana proves that you don't have to have a large program to make a difference....
Describe the program.
The LEGO box is a free sharing program for neighborhood kids. I have a large collection and just put whatever I have extra or duplicates of in the box at various times of the day for kids to take. I’d estimate I’ve given away over 200 minifigures, lots of poly bags, clocks, pencils, stickers, and various parts/pieces and small builds. I enjoy seeing what fun things the kids leave for me in the box. I keep some of them on a shelf in my LEGO room along with their thank you notes.
How long have you been doing this?
I installed the box in the corner of my yard in March 2019. I used an old red LEGO box from my collection and made the lid a door.
How did you/the group get started?
I got the idea after seeing several little free libraries in the neighbourhood. I thought the kids in the area would enjoy a LEGO box where I could share some of my collection with them.
How long have you (personally) been involved in LEGO?
I’ve been a LEGO maniac my whole life. My dark years were from around 2000 to 2008. I have a large collection, but not enough time to really dedicate to my hobby now that I have 2 small children of my own. I can’t wait for my daughters to be old enough to play in my LEGO room.
How many people have been reached?
I know of at least 20 neighbourhood kids that have stopped by, but I don’t really keep track. I’ve spoken to 4 parents who told me their kids love the box and are excited to see what items are in it when they go on walks.
How many volunteers are involved?
Just me, with the support of my wonderful wife who is always happy to see some LEGO leaving the house. :-)
How has your activity affected by the pandemic?
I haven’t really noticed a change in visitors but I also don’t really keep track.
What are your future plans?
I plan to keep putting out LEGO as long as kids keep coming by.
Thanks, Daniel! Do you know of an individual or an organization who should be featured in Building Community? Let us know.
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32 comments on this article
I want to do this now!
Great idea!
Such a good idea, not sure how well it would in UK!
Pretty sweet variation on the neighbourhood library box. Love it!
Oh, that's beautiful! What a lovely idea.
Might give it a go in the UK; I have a pink tub that's not always worn as a hat...
What a nice idea. Good on you!
Kudos to Daniel! This is an amazing idea!
Great, Idea Daniel! I also leave in Southern Indiana, maybe I will do one as well.
You wonderfull person, you! Amazing idea
Really awesome.
I love this!!!
This would be a great way to get rid of some duplicates in my collection.
Then I realise I live on a rural road with very little traffic so the local wildlife would probably make more use of the the box than the people XD.
This is a great idea, though I live on a private drive...
But still great Idea!
Great idea but entirely dependant on the kind of neighbourhood you live in I think.
I can just imagine the scenes if we did that in some parts of the uk. You’d need to employ guards to keep away the eBay fiends and the middle aged chancers looking to boost their own collection haha
Fantastic idea, those kids are pretty lucky to have you in their neighborhood!
That's so sweet. Kudos.
This is the coolest idea I’ve seen in a long time. I want to do something like it.
Amazing idea!
Those kids must have willpower if one of them hasn't greedily taken it all for themselves. Like trick-or-treaters taking all the candy from those houses that just leave out a bowl.
Great guy for doing this.
Very kind and generous.
Great idea!
@thefirst said:
"Great idea but entirely dependant on the kind of neighbourhood you live in I think.
I can just imagine the scenes if we did that in some parts of the uk. You’d need to employ guards to keep away the eBay fiends and the middle aged chancers looking to boost their own collection haha"
This :'( Where I lived as a kid, everything movable disappeared overnight. People were even digging out flowers that were planted next to the sidewalk....
I love it. So simple and great! :)
@inversion said:
" @thefirst said:
"Great idea but entirely dependant on the kind of neighbourhood you live in I think.
I can just imagine the scenes if we did that in some parts of the uk. You’d need to employ guards to keep away the eBay fiends and the middle aged chancers looking to boost their own collection haha"
This :'( Where I lived as a kid, everything movable disappeared overnight. People were even digging out flowers that were planted next to the sidewalk...."
Yeah, I’ve known people who had planters/hanging baskets/gnomes (lol) stolen from their gardens.
Someone I work with had Christmas decorations nicked off their front lawn. Giant, illuminated reindeers...
Last year someone broke into my car to steal the airbags... the airbags... never heard of it before.
I’ve also witnessed first hand, the shocking sight of people fighting over reduced (soon to expire) veg in my local supermarket. They were like a shoal of ravenous piranhas! Poor girl wheeling the trolly out didn’t know what hit her. Shredded lettuce leaves flying through the air. Potatoes rolling on the ground. A truly shocking scene haha
So just the thought of leaving a box of Lego outside any house in the uk (even the nice parts) is quite funny. If it wasn’t set on fire by vandals, it would be plundered by opportunists or filled with dog faeces (or worse). One can only imagine.
Nice if you have a time machine to go back to the fifties or live in a futuristic utopia though lol
@thefirst:
I think I've read about the airbag thefts (not your specifically). Airbags go off with any impact that's hard enough to trip their circuit, and they're a one-and-done design. After they've deployed, they're garbage, and you need to replace them with new airbags. The cheapest source of new airbags is...other peoples' cars. Truck tailgates are a common theft item, too, just because it's stupidly simple to steal many of them. Owners don't keep the tailgate locked if the bed is open, since you can't keep anyone out by doing so. All you have to do is open the tailgate, and you have access to everything you need to reach to pop that sucker loose. And with people having their tailgates stolen, there's a booming market in replacement tailgates (funny, that).
But the craziest I've heard of is a former coworker said she went out into the parking lot of the apartment complex she was living in at the time, and there was a car with no wheels just sitting on the ground. No blocks, no jacks, no jackstands. I mentioned this to my dad, and he said they'll get a crew of four and a big vehicle. Each of the four removes all the lug nuts on one wheel. Then two of them bounce one end of the car enough to get the tires off the ground while the other two yank the wheels off. They do the same thing to the other end of the car, throw the wheels in the back, climb in, and bolt. And you're left there figuring out how to afford four wheels and tires, and how to raise the car off the ground high enough to put them on. And that's assuming nothing broke when it landed on the ground.
This is a great idea, but there's a good chance that someone might clean out the entire box for their own personal gain.
We have a LEGO Minifigure Free Library here in the Overlook neighborhood of Portland, Oregon.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/wiredforsound23/42409854242/
We would probably participate. But there is nothing like this in germany. well there are boxes for sharing books and food. But haven't seen this for LEGO or toys in general.
Fantastic idea, I love it !
What a kind initiative. Kudos for doing this and sharing this with us.
Maybe our admins can do this with their free review copy's...
@tomenadi said:
"Maybe our admins can do this with their free review copy's..."
or get some extra sets for free from Lego for Contest with Prize draw.... :)
Any resemblance to an existing website would be purely coincidental.