Chances are you’ve heard of and even owned some of the incredibly popular children’s toy LEGO in your lifetime! LEGO has been inspiring children for decades, allowing them to be creative and clever all at once, and encouraging kids to imagine what it’s like to be an architect, an engineer, an inventor or one of many other fantastic careers.Created by Ole Kirk Christiansen in his workshop in Billund, Denmark, LEGO began production in 1949. Since then, over 560 billion pieces have been produced, which is at least 62 bricks for every individual person on this entire planet! There are also six theme parks dedicated to LEGO and play-sets that cover almost every media franchise from games and movies to books and sporting events. There are even some LEGO bricks floating around in space because in May 2011, 13 LEGO kits were taken to astronauts so that they could build models and study how the bricks react in microgravity.Every single thing about LEGO seems to be both inspired and simple.
Even the word LEGO is wonderful, as it comes from the Danish phrase leg godt, meaning “play well” and a standard LEGO brick can withstand 950lbs of pressure, which is about the weight of an average moose. It’s no wonder then that children and adults alike all around the world are inspired by LEGO and have come up with various ways to use the nifty little bricks. In fact, the only bad thing about LEGO is that standing on one with bare feet was voted the most painful thing a human being can experience, second only to childbirth!Whether you want to brighten up your home, teach your children mathematics or craft some geeky jewelry, you can do anything you want to with LEGO. To get your imaginations rolling, here are 24 wonderful creations people have crafted using just Lego.1. DIY Easy Wall Repair2. Creative and Colourful Interior Design3. Educational Tools to Help Kids Learn Math4. A Prosthetic Animal Limb6. A Super Simple Key Rack (Miniature Figures Optional and Interchangeable)7.
An Incredible Phone Stand8. Or Even a Knife Stand for the Kitchen9. A Decorative Tower Case10. Nerdy yet Posh Cuff Links for Special Outings11. A LEGO-Lamp Shade That Will Make Any Room More Fun12. A New House and/ or Toys for Your Pets13. A Rather Uncomfortable Looking Sofa or Table14. Gift Wrapping or Storage15. A Set of Seriously Nifty Coasters16. Flowers That Will Never, Ever Die17. And a Plant Pot to Keep Them In18. A Mirror or Picture Frame Which Would Look Great in a Child’s Bedroom20. You Can Even Make Jewellery!21. Or a Toothbrush Holder22. Or, My Personal Favourite, a Bookshelf!23. A Napkin Holder for Children’s Parties24. A Lego Time-Management System!Bit Planner from Special Projects on Vimeo.What was the best thing you ever built using LEGO?Get An Awesome LifeI'm in! For most of the world, snail mail is an antiquated method of delivering messages that's hardly used anymore. But for kids, there's still a magical feeling of excitement when something pops into the mailbox — especially when that something is a super fun subscription box that shows up every month without fail.
More: Parents are panicking over this kindergarten readiness list From craft boxes, to book subscriptions or even ideas for the Lego-obsessed, we have rounded up the best subscription boxes for kids. KidPik: For the fashionista Got a girl who loves fashion but hates shopping with mom? Then KidPik is right up your alley. Aimed at girls 4 through 14, the subscription service allows little girls to set up a fashion profile (with help from parents) on their site. Then the KidPik team curates a box of goodies for her and sends it out. Each box typically has about six to seven items (tops, bottoms and accessories) at an average price of $12.50 an item. You don't pay until you get the box and decide what you want to keep, so you can always send it all back if she's not a fan. The company also offers a 30 percent discount if you decide to keep all the outfits in the box, and a "basics" line that you can buy from separately to complete her wardrobe. Currently KidPiks can be sent monthly, every three months or twice per season (eight boxes a year).
Kiwi Crate: For the crafty kid Geared for crafty kids ages 3 through 8, the Kiwi Crate arrives each month full of fun hands-on projects that include science experiments, art projects and build-and-play games. Each crate includes two to three projects based on a different theme each month, such as Space Hero, City Adventure and Around the World. I was sent the Rainforest theme, which included cool crafts like a jumping frog game and a craft in which kids create their own rain stick. These little boxes include everything you need for the craft (even the scissors) as well as a Highlights-esque magazine and other activities to further explore the theme. Kiwi Crate subscriptions start at $17/month and shipping is free. (If you aren’t quite sure if you want to commit, you can purchase individual activity packs on the Kiwi Crate website or at Target stores.) Next Up: For the foodieFamily fun with 3 rides, 10 LEGO build & play zones, a 4D cinema & much more! How to get here
We're open every day Save up to 25% on tickets 4D cinema, Kingdom Quest laser ride, Merlin’s Apprentice, LEGO City: Forest Pursuit Driving School... and more! Ninjago City Adventure Discover a brand new ultimate playground for little ninjas Discover the city in miniatureSee all of Manchester's top attractions made from LEGO in our MINILAND Birthday parties & group dealsLEGO themed birthday parties here in Manchester! Get LEGO® building tipsLearn building tips from our Master Model Builder Workshops. School tripsOne-of-a-kind school trips to support the National Curriculum. Sign up for Offers Enter your email and we'll send you the latest news and offers!If you would like to appear to be from a different country - e.g. to change the displayed currencies - select a country from below.LEGO and science are a natural pair. Many LEGO sets over the years have incorporated science and STEM, from this NASA Mars Rover set, to the LEGO Mindstorms robotics series, to the upcoming female scientist sets, which celebrate women in science and aim to encourage young girls’ interest in STEM fields.
But there are many other great ways to use LEGO to explore a variety of scientific topics, including biology, physics, engineering, and more. Here are ten of our favorite LEGO science activities. The LEGO Mindstorms series of building sets are a great way to introduce kids to robotics and programming. A project of Tufts University, LEGO Education, and others, LEGO Engineering offers detailed lesson plans for learning about science with Mindstorms. This page includes links to download free lesson plans for studying the science of sound, animals, properties of materials, and simple machines. Build a LEGO car that’s powered with a chemical reaction. This simple LEGO science activity uses just LEGO bricks, a film canister, and Alka Seltzer tablets. The link includes building directions, as well as discussion questions to ask, and data to gather and analyze. Have you ever wondered why tall skyscrapers don’t fall during earthquakes? Engineers test their designs carefully to be sure they can withstand forces, including the shaking caused by an earthquake.
One way to do this is with a shake table, which mimics an earthquake’s shaking. With a few common materials, students can build their own shake tables and use it to test a LEGO tower’s stability. Challenge students to see how high a tower they can build that will pass the shake test. Like the activity above, this experiment also uses a shake table to simulate an earthquake. However, while the previous experiment focused on a building’s height, this project explores how building on different types of surfaces—clay, gravel, sand, soil—will affect a structure’s stability. Build a car powered by a balloon and experience Newton’s second law of motion in this activity. The link provides detailed directions and information about the science behind the lesson. Kids can experiment with different car shapes and designs and race to see who’s car works best. You could even try a race between your balloon-powered car and the chemical reaction car above. This would be a fun activity for a hot summer day.
Freeze a LEGO man, then have kids pretend to be an archaeologist. What’s the best way to excavate the LEGO man? Kids can try different methods, like digging with a toothpick, adding salt to make the ice melt, or using water. Encourage them to think like a scientist as they work to solve the problem. Using only a sheet of tinfoil, have kids experiment with creating a hydrofoil that can hold a large amount of weight (in this case, a big pile of LEGO bricks!) What shape will float the longest with the most weight? Young kids will have fun exploring the concepts of sinking and floating in this activity. This creative student was assigned to build a model of a plant cell, and chose to complete the project with LEGOs. He even created a key using a LEGO modeling program, similar to CAD (Computer Aided Design) software that engineers use. LEGO Digital Designer is a free LEGO modeling program, similar to CAD (Computer Aided Design) software that engineers use. While CAD is often offered as an elective for high school students, there are benefits for younger kids in exploring design as well.