LEGOS! LEGOS! LEGOS! If your little one is a fan of Legos, it’s a great way to work in some learning fun on a summer break, day off, or rainy day! Our learning fun days are a mix of reading, writing, crafts, stem activities, themed snacks, and more – the activities are so engaging they won’t even realize they’re learning 🙂 Read through to check out our ideas!
A TYPICAL DAY
All kids are different and you can definitely vary your day with whatever works for you 🙂 But the gist of our day is having our kiddos focus on some work books or online learning tools in the early morning, an intro to the day’s theme after they were done, some videos around lunch time, and themed activities (reading time, writing time, crafts, food crafts/snacks, and games or experiments) in the afternoon. Feel free to pick and choose whatever works for you 🙂
INTRO
For many of you, legos need no introduction! They’re small shaped brinks that come in different shapes and sizes and allow people of all ages to build and create! And so, what better way to introduce the topic of the day than by going to the source: Check out the Lego History Page: The Lego Group History as well as the Lego History (complete with a few videos).
WHAT TO WATCH
We find that mixing in a short video themed to our day is a great way to add some learning fun! We try to pick informative videos OR mix in a cartoon favorite (where they don’t even realize they’re learning). Below are some of the videos we picked from for the day:
- The Lego Story – How it all Started by Lego (17m). This one is a really nice animated, narrated story about how lego started. It was really nice to see and we all learned a lot!
- Lego YouTube – Browse around to find a video or interview that will pique your child’s interest 🙂
FOOD CRAFTS / SNACKS
What’s more fun than taking a break and having a simple snack??? Including the snack in your theme of the day! We find that our kiddos are more than happy to eat the snacks they create especially when they can arrange them into fun shapes and scenes!
- Lego Crackers
- Lego Pizza
- Lego Smores
- Lego Brownies
- Lego Chocolate Block Molds
READING
It’s no secret that reading is an important part of learning, which is why we pick out a handful of books that are fun and filled with some learning tidbits. For our older ones, we have them fill out some worksheets (or let them create some of their own comics) to describe what they read and/or learned! These are a few we picked from for the day:
- What is Lego? By Jim O’Connor. This is part of the What is series. They’re always great, filled with facts and tidbits. They are fairly lengthy for young readers though (there’s a few chapters), so this is best for children who are able to read a few chapters.
- If your little one isn’t into reading chapter books, there are also several Lego Idea books out there which can inspire them to create some new builds and/or get them to read a few instructions 😉
WRITING & WRITING PROMPTS
Just like reading, writing is a great way to keep kids learning by both encouraging their creativity and thought process as well as helping them practice their motor skills and penmanship.
If you’ve got a little one, have them trace words related to the theme: LEGOS, BLOCKS, BUILDING, IMAGINATION
If you’ve got older children, have them write a sentence or two up to a page or two (depending on their age). Encourage them to be creative AND give reasons for why they made certain choices. This was our writing prompt of the day (and we offered up some examples as well) but definitely pick something your kiddo might be interested in writing about!
- If you could make a Lego Set, what would you create? How many pieces would it have?
- If you could turn one of your favorite cartoons or movies into a lego movie or lego set, which would it be and why?
CREATE & CRAFT
If you’ve got a crafty little one, a simple craft is a great way to keep them interested in the topic. While their creative juices are flowing, you can also chat about what they’ve learned so far or ask them what else they’re excited about learning!
- Design a Character: Free Printable Lego Coloring Pages by www.papertraildesign.com
- Lego Bracelets: Lego Dots come in some fun bracelet kits where kids can get creative AND make some ‘jewelry’ 😉
STEM & STEAM ACTIVITIES
While crafting and writing get their creativity and imagination flowing, we also like to add in an activity that gets them thinking along the lines of science, technology, engineering, or math! These engaging activities or experiments are a great way to keep them learning!
- Lego Zipline: Set up a simple string with a bit of an angle (allowing gravity to move the minifigure down). Then ask the kids to create something so that the minifigure can “ride” down the zipline – they can be as creative as they want but whatever they build has to stay in tact, the minifigure has to stay inside or own the harness or carrier, and they have to try to get to the other end 😉 If they manage to do that quickly, then change it up a bit by adjusting the angle or using different strings.
- Tallest Tower / Strongest Wall: Have the kids set up a tall tower or strongest wall. You can vary how many blocks they can use to make their structures. The fun part will be knocking them down using a ball or other object 😉
And if you’re looking for some Kits recommended by Lego, check out their Lego Stem Page or their Lego Education Page.
THANK YOU!!!
Thank you for checking out our at home camp article! If you enjoyed this post, please let us know what you think in the comments below and/or follow us on Pinterest
Also, if you haven’t already, check out some of our other Lego Fun or DIY At Home Camps!
Happy Learning!
