Ok, I am biting the bullet and buying DS some LEGO. Where do we start?

[MmeLindt]

He has never really been interested in it until DH brought him back a LEGO plane and he just loved it. He put it together with hardly any help from us and then took it apart to make other stuff with it.

It is pouring rain here so I thought we would go into town and get some LEGO - one of the bigger boxes that he and DD can make stuff with.

What do we go for?

He is 6yo and DD is 8yo (but less interested)

I would go for the creator stuff, you can get a kit to make three types of car or aeroplane out of the same blocks for example. Or a kit such as 6191 - a fire man with car and front of a building. And buy some general bricks and a large plate so you can make up the houses.

You can get a starter bucket for 12.99, which has basic bricks. You prob need a baseboard and some wheels for the sake of interest. If somewhere is doing an offer, get a basic starter set and a model kit for a particular vehicle? WHSmiths doing buy one get one half price, tescos prob have an offer too.

Oh and remember you can use knex and bionicle stuff too; always worth getting a cheap stash from a charity shop!

And also, youll reget it A million fiddly bits, takes forever to build and always needs adult help

for examplethis one is quite easy

and something like this that makes three different air crafts

I would go for the basic bricks rather than the kits - as a lot of them have very specialised bricks that don't lend themselves to rebuilding something different.

Although I see your DC are older than mine, so maybe supplement with a couple of the smaller kits?

DS got something similar to this for his birthday and it has been really worth the money.

Just one more thing, be prepared not to walk barefoot if you are introducing lego into the house!

and you came get boxes of windows/doors/wheels which are quite good to add to the basic blocks.

I know, I know. I have been so smug that the DC have not liked LEGO or Playmobile. My feet are safe, my house free from tiny plastic swords.

Tbh, we have tons of the bloody stuff, but ds1 much prefers his magnetix when playing without an adult. He loves the lego once he remebers what he can do with it, but he's more naturally drawn to other things.

Ebay...

eBay sounds great but we are in Switzerland so the postage cost would be too high.

Big box of basic bricks with some other bits e.g. wheels, doors for interest. Or one big set to make/cannabalise. DD (who admittedly is only 5) has both mine/my cousins' and DH's childhood lego. We tried to make one of the sets yesterday but we couldnt find all the necessary little bits, but left alone DD has made the most fantasticly weird policestation/moonbase which is covering our dining room table, which has kept her occupied for about three days now.
Do it in a room without carpets though if possible-much easier to avoid stepping on little bits!

Get a really big box of basic bricks. they often come with little booklets ofideas what to build.

That's how my ds's got started and now we are drowning in a sea of the stuff. Lego City, Castle stuff, Star Wars sets galore, it never ends

I love Lego, I really do, I love it come Christmas or Birthdays when one of them wants some help to build a big set but blimey, it gets everywhere....

We have a playroom in the cellar so it will be restricted to down there but the big blanket is a great idea.

just prepare yourself for the agony of stepping on a bit with bare foot. Been doing it for 15 odd years now and it still bloody hurts.

What about having your child use crayon legos? These are kinda cute www.etsy.com/listing/45868081/recycled-crayon-legos-and-men-set-of-8

That wouldn't be an advert, ArtsyMary? Since it was your first and only post. If not, then thanks but my DC are 6yo and 8yo so slightly past the crayon stage.

You might not know this, but MN have a section for small business owners to place adverts for a small charge. It is frowned upon to spam the threads.

Ok, got a big box of Creator starter LEGO, house one, some wheels and an extra wee car for DS. They have been in the cellar since we got home and it is quiet quiet quiet.

Thanks all for the advice.

That's great! Lego is fab. Lego crayons, not so fab, really do not see the point in them.

Try and get your dd into lego as well - there is some lovely stuff around, such as the lego campervan and horse and box, which isn't too girly.

DD is not at all a pink girl, she hates pink but I thought about looking for something that she might like. It was all pirates and Star Wars.

The Lego City stuff is fun - police stations, fire engines etc, plus some construction stuff - and with varying degrees of difficulty. I love Lego - am not a particularlyfully involved with the imaginary games sort of parent, but I do enjoy Lego-ing with the DCs.

MmeLindt- No, that was not an advert, as I am not a business owner. Just thought that they were cute. I am just learning about the forums and trying to contribute. My niece is 10 yo and still loves crayons, so I thought it may be an option.

Ok, sorry. Welcome to Mumsnet.

you might have to look around but there is some great lego around, for boys and girls. Stay away from Belville though which is pink and hideous.

As someone else says, city lego is very good for girls.