Right Now: What are your kids collecting?

photo credit: lego.comSo I'm sifting through the boxes my parents periodically leave me and finding all things cute and odd from my childhood. Along with a thick Hello Kitty collection, I also found my childhood stash of character pencils and erasers. And a binder filled with unused stickers. Also? Strawberry Shortcake and her aromatic pals (yes, they still smell!) cruising in a Snail Cart.

I'm so grateful my parents saved these collections for me. I'd forgotten how many phases I went through as a kid.

And now with two little guys of my own, I'm fascinated by what they choose to amass. For my littlest guy (he's six), it's all things LEGO, but specifically? LEGO minifigures. Star Wars minifigures get bonus points. He manages to incorporate the little yellow-headed dudes (and some dudettes) into any type of play. They'll be in a wooden block tower, in a cardboard box, on a toy ship, in the car, on the couch, and just about anywhere an adventure is to be had in the mind of a six-year-old boy.

I think his current phase will last at least through Christmas -- at least I hope it does -- but I'm also equally excited to see where his interests take him.

What types of things are your kids collecting? What phases have they gone through over the years?