You love that your kids love LEGOs—they make for such imaginative and tactile play! But when those primary-colored, sharp little bricks cover your house like a (very painful) carpet, or your little builder needs new inspiration, it’s time to try one of these awesome, local LEGO activities. video credit: Movies by Kids At MBK Studios’ LEGO Animation Workshops kids 7 & up make all of their LEGO scenes and help their created worlds come to life, literally. Instructors offer kids hands-on help in writing, building (LEGOs provided!), directing, and recording their visual masterpieces. Locations: Los Angeles and Irvine (See website for workshop details.) Kids won’t even know they’re getting an education this summer at Play-Well TEKnologies’ Engineering With LEGO camps and classes. In a curriculum designed by engineers and teachers, kids 5-11 gain engineering and architecture skills using over 20,000 bricks (that’s a lot of bricks). Locations: Various locations around Los Angeles and Orange County, check website for details.
photo credit: Orsolya D. via yelp Mini-Build Events at LEGO Stores On the first Tuesday of every month, at 5 p.m., LEGO stores around LA host a specially-themed “mini-build” event (for example, February’s theme is Space Shuttle). Models used for class are not available for sale, so your 6-14 year old gets not only a free set, but a special, limited edition one! If you can’t get to a build event and want the instructions for what was built, step-by-step instructions are posted here. Parent tip: These lines get long. Like really, really long. (Because, free LEGOs, duh.) So make sure you arrive early, with snacks and something to keep them occupied while they wait. Locations: Glendale, Canoga Park, Anaheim and Mission Viejo Brick-building enthusiasts turning 4-10 will think “everything is awesome” when you arrange to have Play Party bring LEGO-mania to their next birthday party. And you’ll think it’s awesome that they do all the work. Play Party brings four play stations (more for groups bigger than 20), tables and chairs, they oversee the activities and then swoop it all out like a magic party fairy.
Locations: They come to you! photo credit: Doug Kline via flickr Discovery Cube OC LEGO Exhibit From January 17 to May 10, 2015, check out the LEGO Travel Exhibit at Discovery Cube OC. At this hands-on event kids can build vehicles, view model sculptures by Master Builders on display for inspiration (including a kid-size LEGO racecar!), and create virtual LEGO vehicles that can move through various terrains. It’s an afternoon in LEGO paradise. Location: 2500 N. Main St., Santa Ana LEGO at the Library At participating Los Angeles public libraries, join other LEGO lovers for free Game Days (which include LEGOs plus other board games to enjoy as a family), or the LEGOs-only Bricks 4 Fun, Block Parties and Brick Building Clubs, where kids 2-11 can build to their heart’s content using the library’s collection. DUPLO are often offered for the youngest builders. Location: These activities are offered at multiple locations, check with your local branch or online to find the participating library nearest you.
LEGO Mindstorms Robotics Class LEGO Mindstorms, if you haven’t heard of it yet, is a brand of LEGO that you can assemble and then program to do really cool stuff like go over all kinds of terrain or wrestle. It’s super expensive to buy (these bots are really complex!) so the best way to try them out is to take a Mindstorms class from a seasoned facility like Rolling Robots or Bricks 4 Kidz. At Rolling Robots, ages 4-14 can enroll in their “Bots with Brains” classes that are offered mid-day for homeschoolers, as well as afterschool and on weekends. Bricks 4 Kidz offers preschool and afterschool programs for 3-13 year-olds. Locations: Los Angeles, Glendale and Rolling Hills Estates Locations: Brentwood, Hacienda Heights, Huntington Beach, Eagle Rock, South Pasadena, Sherman Oaks, Thousand Oaks This wouldn’t be a complete list of SoCal LEGO fun without mentioning Legoland, which is easy driving distance away in Carlsbad. Your family will ooh and ahh over the ever-growing and changing LEGO village featuring full, often animated replicas of scenes and characters from Star Wars to Washington DC to Las Vegas.
Kids (especially those under 10) love the many age-appropriate LEGO-themed rides, and in the summer everyone enjoys getting wet at the water park. Location: 1 LEGOLAND Dr., Carlsbad Read our in-depth tips about visiting the Legends of Chima Waterpark or staying at the Legoland Hotel. Have we missed any spots that thrill your little LEGO-Maniac? We’d love to help you celebrate! Choose from one our party packages. Please schedule your party at least 7 days in advance. To reserve your time, a $50 non-refundable deposit must be paid up front. Please pay the remainder the day of the party, before the party starts. Number of children (including birthday kid): Each additional child (up to 15 total): $10 Utensils, Plates, & Napkins Invitations (print or online – your choice) Dedicated party room with backdrop for group photos 1 free minifig from our build-your-own table for each child attending the party. 1 extra minifig for the birthday kid!
We set up and clean up! Food and drinks (Drinks must be boxed, pouched, or bottled. We provide the Bricks and the Room, you design the party! The party will be 90 minutes total 60-70 minutes: play time with Lego® Bricks We have a variety of activities to spark your imagination! You can change the activity times as you like, as long as the entire party is 90 minutes We host, you sit back and relax! This party includes everything in the “Awesome Brick Party!”, plus one of our amazing Party Hosts will run the party for you! The host will coordinate and run games and activities for 60-70 minutes, and facilitate the flow of the party. You can enjoy the party or relax outside our party room on a couch! Want to host an event for adults? No problem – we can work with you to develop something great! Prices are subject to change. Make your reservation soon – our space fills fast! Prices and available times are subject to change.Star Wars: Battlefront 2 teases loads more new content
Star Wars: Battlefront 2 teases loads more new content Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild reviews round-up Is THIS a hint that Borderlands 3 is on the horizon? Best games of 2017: What's best to play and when New Lord of the Rings game Shadow of War unveiled With the launch of the excellent Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, we thought we'd take a look back over the illustrious Lego video game series and pick our top 15 titles from the many, many, many that have been released.But where does The Force Awakens sit in our epic ranking? Well, you'll just have to read on and find out.And if you disagree, don't hesitate to fling Lego bricks of love our way on Twitter: @digitalspygames.15. LEGO JURASSIC WORLD (2015)Who thought you could go wrong with Lego, Chris Pratt and dinosaurs? Well apparently you can.While Lego Jurassic World had some great comedic moments, strong co-op gameplay and some slapstick fun, it all felt a little tired. Still worth a punt if you want to be a Lego dinosaur though.14.
Before the Lego series started taking on the big names in Hollywood, it contained an awesome game called Lego Island. You played as Pepper Roni, a pizza delivery boy in a world that you could create yourself. But you accidentally freed the diabolical Brickster and chaos ensued.It was hard not to get distracted by the fact that the entire island was customisable and you could build a load of different things before bringing them to life in-game. A foreshadowing of Lego Dimensions perhaps?13. LEGO RACERS (1999)Lego Mario Kart anyone? Lego Racers enabled you to build an awesome car out of Lego bricks and then race it around a track.Sadly it hasn't aged well, but we spent so long playing this game back in the day crafting racers that it deserves a place on this list. And maybe a reboot too.12. THE LEGO MOVIE VIDEOGAME (2014)The Lego Movie Videogame basically meant that you played through the entire plot of the film on your console of choice, taking on the various iconic roles to solve puzzles and smash bricks.
But that was part of the reason it's so low on this list. The game really followed the movie too closely, which compromised on some of the gameplay. But it was great to see Emmett and the gang again, but it could have done with deviating from the plot a little more.11. LEGO WORLDS (2016)Okay, so technically Lego Worlds isn't out yet, but you can play it via Steam Early Access and it's pretty amazing.It's basically Lego Minecraft and allows you – a bit like Lego Island – to create entire worlds with blocks but without taking over your entire dining room or risking the dog breaking everything.10. LEGO INDIANA JONES: THE ORIGINAL ADVENTURES (2008)Although there are two Lego Indiana Jones titles, the first is definitely the best, because The Crystal Skull isn't a real Indiana Jones movie.Becoming a little Lego Indy with whip and fedora as you explore the world of Indiana Jones block by block was always exhilarating, as long as you avoided the snakes.9. LEGO HARRY POTTER: YEARS 1-4 & 5-7 (2010/2011)Now we know that these are actually two different titles, but both Lego Harry Potter titles are so good you really need to play both.
The pair of games bring the magic of Hogwarts to life so well that even diehard Potter fans will be appeased.If you play both games, all seven books or eight movies are covered off with plenty of brilliantly blocky wizardry.8. LEGO CITY UNDERCOVER (2013)For this Wii U exclusive, developer TT Games managed to create an exciting original Lego title that was essentially the series' answer to Grand Theft Auto without the torture, drugs and prostitutes.It was an open-world sandbox game that could appeal to all the family for weeks on end.7. LEGO LORD OF THE RINGS (2012)Thankfully no-one told the Lego team that it couldn't pass into the realms of Lord of the Rings, so we got to play through a beautiful block-based rendition of the entire trilogy, complete with some of that glorious music and original dialogue.And although the story was compressed somewhat – can you blame them? – the game still offered a lot of gameplay action, secrets and worlds to wander.6. LEGO PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN (2011)We always knew Captain Jack Sparrow would translate well to Lego and bringing all three original Pirates of the Caribbean movies to life in Lego was a great feat.
Although we will argue that the game would have really benefited from some dialogue, it still managed to capture the world, characters and humour perfectly.5. LEGO STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (2016)Although there have been so many Lego Star Wars games, we're in love with the latest release: Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Not only does it have the same excellent gameplay that the series is built on, but the twists you'll discover are quite brilliant.Plus, the trademark Telltale Games humour is stronger than ever.4. LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES (2013)Although it's not the newest in the Lego Marvel series, it was undoubtedly the game that really showcased the scope Lego games were capable of. Lego Marvel Super Heroes features over 150 characters to discover, tons of collectibles and lots of replayability, all with its very own story that makes you feel like you're watching a very personal Marvel movie. Complete with Stan Lee cameos.And don't forget, there's nothing more satisfying than flying around the world as Iron Man.3.
LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROESFor the first time in the franchise, Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes featured original voice acting, adding a whole new dimension to the series following a narrative of mainly primitive grunts.The sandbox gameplay was awesome and you could play as both Batman and Superman, along with a vast array of classic DC heroes.Drama and humour abounded, along with a great story and top notch graphics. It was close to being the best Lego game of all time.2. LEGO STAR WARS: THE COMPLETE SAGA (2007)With Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga you got both the brilliant Lego Star Wars and Lego Star Wars 2 games in one massive bundle with completely revamped graphics. That's a lot of content.We couldn't get enough of that classic soundtrack and huge helpings of that unique Lego humour that reigns to this day.1. LEGO DIMENSIONS (2015)It might have taken Lego a few years to get involved with the toys-to-life genre, but when it arrived, boy did it shake things up.Lego Dimensions combines real-world Lego block-building escapades, a toys-to-life portal and the classic Lego gameplay but with a lot more innovation than ever seen before.