It's completely different these days - there's so much available; a child can create anything they like with a little imagination and plenty of patience.
Homeschoolers, both parents and children, like Lego. There's plenty of educational value in them there bricks. We know that because.... well, we simply do. But what about when your child becomes obsessed with Lego? What about when you want him (or her) to learn some math or history or art and all s/he wants to do is build fighter jets? How can you divert their attention towards other subjects?
How about you just don't?
Maybe it needs to be looked at in another way?
Lego is fun
Lego is a fantastic toy. Its amusement potential is infinite. Depending on the child of course - not all of them like it but those who do tend to like it a lot. Lego can keep a kid quiet for hours. Bliss.We like our children to play with Lego too. It feels right. We are confident that they are using their imagination and able to make more and more complex models which they bring to us proudly for exclamation and praise.
However, there is so much more to this activity that meets the eye.
What is going on here?
Lego as an aid to development
As he plays with Lego, exploring how it fits together, working out what pieces work best to create his model, the child is developing his fine motor skills. Some of those pieces require quite intricate manipulation. These many manipulations will be repeated over and over again. This will help with writing and all kinds of other abilities in the future. At the same time he is developing other skills too, which may not be apparent, such as logic, co-ordination and problem solving.In turn, these intense activities are causing synapses to fire in his brain creating new neural pathways. Even while he sleeps, if he's had plenty of stimulation during the day, this process will continue to take place.
One thing that occurred to me when I saw my son get angry and frustrated because he was unable, at that point, to build the Lego object he could clearly see in his imagination, was that this process was also helping him with his emotions and thought processes. Sometimes he does get cross and throws the offending half-finished model across the room, but pretty soon he has worked through the problem and maybe learned that a little time spent musing over his options is more productive than losing his temper.
A Lego education
As a (mostly) unschooler the educational value of Lego for my son is tremendous. Let's see:Maths: Spacial concepts, calculation, geometry, pocket money (when working out if he can afford another set), trading (recognising value) with a friend, buying/selling on eBay (er... only buying so far).
History and Geography: Alex can tell you how Lego came to be invented, by whom and when. Where the first factory was, where the major factories are now. He knows how the product was developed and new lines manufactured. He knows what Lego is made of and he has watched videos of it being made.
English: He has learned how to follow instructions, he avariciously reads Lego magazines and newsletters. He sits on the loo and reads the catalogues (he keeps every quarterly issue).
IT: He's a member of the Lego Club. He learned how to upload photos of his Lego and Bionicle creations. He searches the web for Lego information. He reads Lego blogs. He trawls eBay constantly.
Presentation skills: Not only the creation of the models but also the stories which accompany them. As he is building, he is also planning the story, which is the reason why he is building. After finishing a model or a scenario, he comes and presents it to us, explaining in meticulous and eyeball-glazing detail what does what and who does this and why.
Media studies: He is learning how to photograph his models to best advantage. He desperately wants to make Lego videos and has even created storyboards with his ideas for future productions.
Social interaction: if he can persuade one of his friends to sit and 'Lego' with him, Alex is the happiest boy on the planet. He'll settle for his Dad at a pinch. There is chat, suggestions, co-operation, teamwork, observation and a good dollop of bonding in there too. He had a friend here last year (the family have moved now, unfortunately) who was as enthusiastic as he is and they would collect their various boxes and sit outside in the garden all day, happy as sandboys.
Field trips: to Legoland Windsor. Castle? What castle?
All play and no work
= a human being under construction.
All about Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts. Lego bricks can be assembled and connected in many ways, to construct such objects as vehicles, buildings, and even working robots. Anything constructed can then be taken apart again, and the pieces used to make other objects. The toys were originally designed in the 1940s in Europe and have achieved an international appeal, with an extensive subculture that supports Lego movies, games, competitions, and four Lego-themed amusement parks.
Lego Timeline
19th century
1890s
* 1891: April 7 - Ole Kirk Christiansen, founder of the Lego Group, is born.
* 1895: The woodworking shop, "Billund Woodworking and Carpenter's Shop", which would eventually evolve into the Lego company is founded in Billund, Denmark.
20th century
1910s
* 1916: Ole Kirk Christiansen purchases the small woodworking shop in Billund.
1920s
* July 6, 1920: Godtfred Kirk Christiansen was born.
* 1924: Ole Kirk's shop burns down when a fire ignites some wood shavings. Ole Kirk builds a larger workshop, renting out most of the space, and using the rest for his own shop.
1930s
* 1932: Ole Kirk Christiansen's shop nearly goes bankrupt in the depression. With a lack of normal carpentry jobs, Ole Kirk starts producing toys, many of which were wooden pull toys.
* 1934: The company name Lego is coined by Christiansen from the Danish phrase leg godt, meaning "play well". Coincidentally, "Lego" also means "I assemble" in Latin.
* 1935: The Lego Duck is featured.
* 1937: Godtfred Kirk Christiansen starts creating models.
* 1939: The company grows to 10 employees.
1940s
* 1942: A fire breaks out in the factory, forcing the company to rebuild.
* 1943: The company grows to 40 employees.
* 1947: Ole Kirk purchases the first plastic moulding machine in Denmark, and the company begins manufacturing plastic toys. The Christiansens are inspired by samples of the "Kiddicraft Self-Locking Building Brick", a design patented by the Briton Mr. Harry Fisher Page.[1]
December 27 - Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen is born.
* 1948: The company grows to 50 employees.
* 1949: Lego begins producing similar plastic bricks, calling them "Automatic Binding Bricks."
1950s
* 1951: The first ever film about Lego is shot. The photographer is Chistian Lund, and the film is black and white with no sound.
* 1953:
* Automatic Binding Bricks are renamed Lego Mursten, or "Lego Bricks."
* First baseplates are created.
* 1954:
* Godtfred Kirk Christiansen becomes junior managing director of Lego, and soon has the idea to turn Lego bricks into a toy system.
* Lego windows and doors are introduced.
* The word Lego is officially registered in Denmark.
* First beam bricks are released.
* 1955:
* Lego releases its first toy "system" of the Town Plan.
* Lego bricks begin selling better, but are not yet the core Lego product.
* Lego first exports toys to Sweden.
* Godtfred Kirk Christiansen demonstrates the Lego bricks at a toy fair in Nuremberg, Germany.
* First Lego trees are released.
Learning through play
Sprig Toys Eco-Truck Loader
Amazon Price: $12.09 (as of 11/24/2009) 
Sprig Toys Eco-Truck Dump Truck
Amazon Price: $12.09 (as of 11/24/2009)
LeapFrog Scribble and Write
Amazon Price: $21.99 (as of 11/24/2009)
LeapFrog Fridge Farm Magnetic Animal Set
Amazon Price: $11.99 (as of 11/24/2009)
VTech Preschool Learning Tote and Go Laptop
Amazon Price: $23.60 (as of 11/24/2009)
Lego...love it or hate it?
Is Lego the best thing ever or an invention of the Devil, especially when stepped on in the dark?
Do you love your kid playing with Lego, or do you have to prise it out of their sweaty fists to take them shopping?
Can you see Lego's infinite potential, or do you curse it as it rattles through the vacuum cleaner with that sickening sound?
Educational toy par excellence or lethal 'Lego carpet'?
And... how do those kids manage to negotiate it in the dark?
-
Reply
- WritingforYourWealth WritingforYourWealth Nov 9, 2009 @ 9:14 pm
- I had zillions of legos as a kid (the castle set was my favorite!). Fun to see they are still around.
-
Reply
- Momtothezoo Momtothezoo Nov 8, 2009 @ 6:06 pm
- My granddaughter is obsessed, too, and I get caught up in the fun!!
-
Reply
- Tiffany Tiffany Oct 27, 2009 @ 4:57 pm
- Great pictures!!!
-
Reply
- Mickie_G Mickie_G Oct 13, 2009 @ 6:20 pm
- Legos skipped a generation at my house. My grandchildren just love the legos that belonged to their mom! Mom did not particularly play with them; she liked the Light Bright better!
Nice work and congratulations on graduating RocketMoms#3. You have a really good start on making Giant Squid.
-
Reply
- kimmanleyort kimmanleyort Oct 4, 2009 @ 5:46 pm
- Love this. My kid was obsessed with Lego too. it takes a special kind of mind for this obsession. Now he is 18 and applying to Architecture schools!
-
Reply
- CherylK CherylK Sep 20, 2009 @ 7:18 pm
- Super lens! I love how you illlustrate all of the things kids can learn by playing with Legos. Like how they can be an aid to development...working through problems. Brilliant! Our kids always loved Legos, too. In fact, they were often the centerpiece of a family project on a rainy or snowy day. A perfect tool for bonding with children.
-
Reply
- CDT CDT Sep 15, 2009 @ 5:32 am
- WOW - loadsa Lego info :D
My children are grown up but have kept their Lego - that says it all :)
This is a FAB lens - lensrolled to my Legoland Windsor lens (the Legoland theme parks are heaven on earth for Lego devotees) :D
-
Reply
- MarinaKuperman MarinaKuperman Sep 7, 2009 @ 4:47 pm
- My boy loves legos so we always have soe around, but i didn't know they could be that good for him... great lens, i fved you ad fanned you :)
-
Reply
- WindyWinters WindyWinters Sep 3, 2009 @ 1:55 pm
- Fun Toy Lens. My brothers and I loved playing with Legos. The windows and doors so cute! My son had a lot of fun playing with Legos. Great Educational Toy for little and big kids, too. Thanks for the memories. :)
-
Reply
- LakeMom LakeMom Sep 2, 2009 @ 11:18 am
- Great informational lens on Legos! My daughter loves the Harry Potter Legos! They have belong to the First Lego League at their school. Great lens!
-
Reply
- hlkljgk hlkljgk Sep 2, 2009 @ 8:34 am
- oh, legos are just fantastic! lensrolled to my building blocks lens.
-
Reply
- theraggededge theraggededge Sep 1, 2009 @ 2:39 pm | in reply to KarateKatGraphics
- Thanks! Have returned the compliment!
-
Reply
- KarateKatGraphics KarateKatGraphics Sep 1, 2009 @ 2:31 pm
- ps rolling this to my son's lens, squidoo.com/best-lego-star-wars :)
-
Reply
- KarateKatGraphics KarateKatGraphics Sep 1, 2009 @ 2:29 pm
- Two longtime Lego obsessive kids here, plus one more who likes select kits (e.g., Spongebog). Eldest saved up and just got himself the programmable robotic set. I love that it keeps them off TV and video, but the house is always a disaster thx to Legos!
-
Reply
- Treasures-By-Brenda Treasures-By-Brenda Aug 31, 2009 @ 7:39 pm
- Beautifully done tribute to Lego; blessed. My boys love it, the only disappointment is that the advanced kits they are intrigued by as teenagers are sooo expensive. Having said that, we still have little bits of lego here and there...
-
Reply
- poddys poddys Aug 27, 2009 @ 3:33 pm
- I was expecting an interesting lens here. What I found was a fantastic riveting lens with lots of great information on Lego and it's history. 5***** well deserved. It's nice to see that you realise how much your son is learning from Lego, and having a hobby like this can't be bad at all. maybe he will grow up to be a designer or architect, who knows...
The only sad thing for me these days with Lego is that all you get are figures and vehicles really. I loved the days of buying Lego sets full of regular blocks from which you could build houses, and practically anything else too. We used to create ships, that turned into spaceships, that might end up as a gun, and then something else. It's all part of the transformation process as you add more pieces and let your imagination run wild.
-
Reply
- theraggededge theraggededge Aug 24, 2009 @ 6:16 pm
- Thanks for some great comments and suggestions! I love the self-cleaning toilet, Mer!
-
Reply
- Mer Mer Aug 24, 2009 @ 5:08 pm
- My son loved Legos and made the most amazing things, from space craft to complex buildings. I remember once he described his self-cleaning, single use, public toilet--one that has been available for a few years now. But it was before 2000 that he told me about it. (You can imagine how proud I was of him!)
Anyhow, add civil engineering and invention to your list.
-
Reply
- capriliz capriliz Aug 23, 2009 @ 12:11 am
- Legos are so much fun. My sons played with them, and now my grandson plays with them. I think his dad has just as much now with them as he did when he was a boy.
-
Reply
- clouda9 clouda9 Aug 22, 2009 @ 12:14 am
- You made a lot of really great points here. Your comment: "Lego can keep a kid quiet for hours. Bliss." made me smile. Legos also equal a mommy break :)
- Load More
About the Ragged Edge
My Bio
Writing, blogging, Squidooing, tarot reading, art journaling, Zentangling, home educating mother of three. Living in a small village in South Wales... for the time being.
"Life is a series of delicious moments." Abraham-Hicks
Check out these great lenses...
-
- Zentangle
What is a Zentangle? In a word, a doodle. A structured, contained doodle. The term 'Zentangle' was invented by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas when, one day, Maria described her experience, as she created her art, as feeling timeless, free and... view lens -
- Hairy Men are Gorgeous!
Hairy Men are Gorgeous! Humans are covered with hair, even the most fair-haired, pixie-like person has body hair unless they are suffering from a medical condition. Androgenic hair (hair that appears post-puberty) is due to the male hormones present... view lens -
- Things That Make Me Happy!
A completely self-absorbed page about all the lovely stuff that thrills and inspires me. Join in the gorgeousness by adding your comments below. Right at the bottom of the page you'll find a list of my other Squidoo lenses where you will find e... view lens -
- My Passion for Art Journals
There is nothing I enjoy more than messing around on my laptop But when I'm not at my computer or looking after my kids or cooking or working or cleaning house then I'll be playing with my glue, watercolors, pastels, pencils and scissors. I love to... view lens -
- BLT - The Perfect Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Sandwich
The BLT - Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich is one of our perennial favourites. Purists would argue that the perfect BLT is just that: bread with perfectly cooked bacon, succulent slices of tomato and crisp lettuce leaves with maybe a hint of mayo.... view lens
If you liked this....
...then you'll love these RocketMoms lenses.
-
100 Cute Cupcake Recipes
-
If you count the number of recipes on each page I'm betting there's close to 500! On behalf of the Cabaret Squidoo Best Recipes Blog, I've collected the best cupcake recipes from the pages of Squidoo.com right here on this page, where it's easy for...
-
My Family Life Lenses
-
Welcome to my family lensography! At the time of writing this, England has just celebrated National Family Week. This lens sums up all of my lenses in a way that demonstrates my belief in the upholding of family life. I hope that it will help you to...
-
How I came to Love Teaching Math
-
Math has always been easy for me but it wasn't until I started taking classes to get my teaching certificate that I came to truly love math. Both my mom and dad loved to play card and board games. They taught my sister and I many mathematical concept...
-
Lensography: Me, Myself & I
-
Since I tend to spend inordinate amounts of time muttering to myself and running around like a lunatic (wishing there were 3 of me) this title and photo seemed the perfect fit. This is the final assignment for the Rocket Moms, which has been an absol...
-
Natural Mom Lensography
-
Who Am I? I am a thirty-something mom of three. I have been married for 11 years. I am a freelance writer, newspaper journalist, blogger, photographer, Squidoo Rocket Mom, and work at home mother. I enjoy what I do professionally and make a nice livi...
Lego on Amazon
LEGO Ultimate Building Set - 405 Pieces
Amazon Price: $28.23 (as of 11/24/2009)
LEGO Community Workers Set
Amazon Price: $39.50 (as of 11/24/2009)
LEGO City Advent Calendar (7687)
Amazon Price: $29.99 (as of 11/24/2009)
LEGO® Road Construction Set
Amazon Price: $39.99 (as of 11/24/2009)
LEGO Brick Box
Amazon Price: $15.97 (as of 11/24/2009)
Lego bargains on eBay
Make sure your kid adds in the postage before he tells you how much (improves addition skills no end!)
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
by theraggededge
Explore related pages
Artist Study -- Charlotte Mason Style- With most things CM (Charlotte Mason), once you get accustomed to her methods an...
How to Give Homeschool Grades- How do you give a grade for a class if you haven't given a test? What is the dif...
The Lighter Side of Home Education- Given the recent media attention to the growing movement of home-education in th...
Hearth & Homeschool- who are dedicated to educational excellence, fostering an eager thirst for knowl...
A Homeschool Family?- No home schooling family is an island unto itself. Whether you want to be or not...
Home Education Adventures- Home schooling in the UK is a growing movement. More parents are taking control...
