Model-plane building gives you and your child an excellent excuse to spend some one-on-one time together, and it's a useful way to help develop fine motor skills too. However, when you're enjoying your time together, it's easy to get carried away, and before long you may end up with more model planes than your kiddo's bedroom floor and dressers can handle. Fortunately, there are plenty of simple and frugal ways to store all of your youngster's creations.
Display Shelves
If your kid's been crazy about building small model planes, and every tabletop and dresser is covered with his creations, you don't have to sneak them into storage just yet. Let your child show off all his airplanes with pride by creating a display wall comprised of thin display shelves. Choose a focal point in his room and then figure out how many shelves you'll need to store all of his planes. You can purchase several of the same size shelves, or pick up a few different lengths to add to the interest of the wall display. All you need to do now is secure the shelves on the wall and then arrange all the planes on the shelves.
The best part about this storage idea is that you can make room for more planes by moving the ones on display closer together or simply adding an extra shelf. For rooms to which very small children have access, make sure you secure the shelves high enough to keep the planes safe, and firmly attach any shelving units to the wall in case your little ones try to climb them, advises Kim Estes, a child safety expert in Redmond, Washington.
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Ceiling Hanger
Store a magnificent and large model plane right out in plain sight by suspending it from the ceiling of the playroom or your youngster's bedroom. You can pick up a special model-plane hanger to make your task simple, or opt for frugal storage by making a simple hanger yourself. Cut two lengths of nylon string and make one longer than the other. The different lengths will help to make the plane look like it has just taken flight. Make a large circle at one end of each piece of string and wrap one circle around each of the plane's wings, right near the body of the plane. Tie the other ends of the strings together. Attach a ceiling hook to the ceiling and slip the tied ends over the hook to put your plane aloft.
Quick and Easy Rack
The perfect quick and simple storage idea may be already lurking in your garage. All those storage rods and hooks that are home to your shovels, rakes and other landscaping tools are the perfect in-a-hurry hangers for model planes. Simply place one of the model planes in between two of the storage rods or hooks and slide the plane down until the wings rest on the hooks. You can keep the planes in the garage if they have become a hobby of the past, or pick up a few more of the inexpensive rods or hooks and hang them around the toy room to display all of your child's aviation creations.
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Homemade Storage Boxes
When your child outgrows the need to have all his planes around him at all times, you can create a custom storage box to keep them safe in your storage room. It takes a little bit of effort, but if the planes are dear to you and your kiddo, the safe storage will be well worth the effort. Start by making a plywood box, a few inches wider and taller than the plane. You can make a lid for the box as well and secure it with nails or hinges. Add a piece of 1-inch-thick foam padding along the bottom of the box and place the plane gently on top. Now you'll need to cut out some custom foam shapes to fit around the wings and propellers of the plane. You can hot-glue these individual pieces in place, but make sure the glue doesn't touch the plane or it may end up permanently ensconced in the box. Add another piece of foam padding over the top and then secure your lid to the box. Now your child's model plane will stay in tiptop shape so he can show off his crafty creation to his own kids in years to come.
