Category Archives: Legos

March 8, 2013 · 4:19 pm

Legos @ the Library: Creative Creations

On this beautiful afternoon that hinted of spring, Lego builders of all ages got together to do their thing!  (Ok, no more rhyming, I promise!)  This Lego session seemed especially creative to me, for some reason.  Maybe the spring air has our minds going in different directions…who knows.  Anyway, here are some photos from today’s Lego group:

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Everyone searching for the perfect piece to complete their creations.

DSC02840One Lego builder made this futuristic vehicle.

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One Lego builder took one of my challenges and built this bridge in 5 minutes, only using one hand!

Here are some more creative creations:

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What is your idea for a creative Lego creation?  I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

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January 11, 2013 · 4:32 pm

Legos @ the Library: Ninjago!

One Lego builder brought new Ninjago Legos to today’s meeting!

Here’s “before”:

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“During the building process”:

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and the “finished product”:

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Here’s a look at some of the other great creations from today’s program:

DSC02585(I don’t know if you can tell from the picture, but the entire top section of this vehicle swivels 360 degrees).

 

DSC02590I want one of these for my house!

 

DSC02589On a chilly winter afternoon like this one, it’s nice to plan out a perfect camping trip with Legos!

For next month’s Legos @ the Library, I’m looking for picture books to use for Lego inspiration.  So far, I’d like to use Chris Van Dusen’s If I Built a Car and If I Built a House.

Cover of "If I Built a Car"

Cover of If I Built a Car

Does anyone have suggestions for other books that might spark a great Lego idea?

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November 13, 2012 · 11:54 am

Legos @ the Library: Inspired by books

Anyone who has read Chris Van Dusen’s book, Randy Riley’s Really Big Hit will recognize this Lego creation:

It’s Randy Riley and his home run hitting robot!

Here are a few of the other Lego creations from Friday’s meeting:

A Lego builder works on a state of the art police station.

Here’s a look at the inside of the station.

This ship has a secret compartment!

A close-up of the bow.

A new take on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

I love the idea of making Legos inspired by books.  You could start small with Gerald and Piggie and then move up to creating Hugo’s automaton (from The Invention of Hugo Cabret).  The possibilities are endless!  Which character would you create with Legos?

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October 12, 2012 · 4:13 pm

Legos @ the Library: Games!

What is going on in this picture?

A Lego contraption (much like a top) is spinning on the table.  There are several small pieces in the bucket on top of the contraption.  To play the game, simply guess how many pieces will stay in the bucket.  If you guess correctly, you win–hooray!  If you don’t guess the right number, you have to pay a small fee (17 cents…you can use imaginary money).

This was just one of the games created on the fly at today’s Lego program.

Here’s a pet store that sells owls, cats, and parrots.  They also sell swords, which was convenient because there was an awesome boat nearby in need of pets and weapons.

 

Many of today’s projects were a team effort, which is always nice to see.

Two Lego builders construct the pet store.

Here’s the aforementioned “awesome boat” and some of its construction team:

And here is a close up of the boat:

Have you come up with any fun Lego games?  I’d love to hear about them in the comments!

 

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September 14, 2012 · 4:12 pm

Legos @ the Library: Back to School

Here in Maine, school has been back in session for about a week and a half.  It’s that magical time right after school starts where the weather still feels like summer and the kids don’t have homework yet.  Free time after school provides the perfect opportunity to hang out at the library and build with Legos!

There were some great creations today and here are a few of them:

This vehicle can travel on land, sea, or even fly into outer space!  The two guys in the front are driving the vehicle (and looking for bad guys) and the red one in the back is on his laptop playing  ninja computer games (the tall tower on the back is for the Internet).

 

This is a computer room with a green couch.  I like the color scheme!

 

This is a machine that can crush anything.  Look out, other Lego creations!

 

The vehicle is a plane/boat and the guy with the cape is riding a Segway.  He may look evil, but he’s a good guy who just needs to shave his mustache.

 

Have a great weekend, everyone!

 

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August 17, 2012 · 4:41 pm

Legos @ the Library: Awesome vehicles and houses

Here are some pictures of some great Lego creations from today’s Legos @ the Library meeting:

I bet Star Wars fans can identify this creation.

Here’s a close-up:

Everyone in the future will be driving one of these:

You can drive it, fly it, or use the oars provided if you find yourself near a body of water.  You can scoop things up with the yellow bucket in the back, use the fire in the grey container to light things on fire and the palm tree will keep the sun out of your eyes.  Who could ask for more from a car/plane/boat?

Here’s another great vehicle:

They’re riding in style.

Finally, this would be my dream house if it were life-sized.  It has a beautiful garden and a garage:

This house is home to three owls!

What have you built with Legos lately?

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July 13, 2012 · 4:35 pm

Legos @ the Library: Summertime Fun!

Here are a few creations from today’s Lego session.  Everyone seemed to have a plan, so we didn’t follow a theme today.

The ultimate skateboarding challenge.

 

This awesome Lego creation has a few levels.  The section in the back (with the tall tower) is an obstacle course.  The section directly in front of it is the control booth/filming area.  The people going through the obstacle course are being filmed for the movie “Medieval Times”.  There’s also a boat transportation system on the left side of the picture to transport food and water to the crew.

Here’s a side view of the movie set (pictured with one of its creators).

 

An aerial view of the sinking of the Titanic.

Batman and a cop team up to deal with the evil building behind them.

 

Attacking from the left, we have the medieval warriors.  Driving in from the right we have the futuristic warriors!  Who will win in the battle of past vs. future?

I guess only time will tell.  But we do know that these Lego builders are just as fierce as the war between the time periods.

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June 21, 2012 · 6:26 pm

Legos on show at the Ellsworth Public Library

A wide variety of Lego creations have taken over the Ellsworth Public Library’s display case for the rest of the month!  Check out some of the featured pieces:

 

 

Kids have responded positively to the display.  One young man told his younger sister that “it took people a long long time to make those things.”  In response to a child’s questions: “why can’t I take the Legos out and play with them?” and “can I buy those?” one of our librarians responded something to the effect of “the Legos are like art.  You can’t touch them, but you can look at them with your eyeballs.” :)

The pictures don’t really do the Legos justice, so if you’re an Mainer (or visiting) please stop by the library and check out the display!

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June 8, 2012 · 3:39 pm

Lego Guessing Game

How to play the Lego Guessing Game

1.  Gather two sets of identical Legos (or one set for each player):

2.  Use some sort of screen to separate the players.  One person builds something, giving instruction as he/she goes.  For example, you might instruct your partner to put the long red skinny piece on top of the white square piece as one step.  The goal is to have two identical structures at the end of the game.

Here’s my finished creation (hidden from my partner):

3.  When the builder is finished building (and giving instructions) the two players compare their creations:

Ok, so, not so identical.  It’s fun (and surprisingly difficult) to attempt to give instructions without any type of visual aid (including gestures).  I played a couple of rounds and found out that I was better at receiving the instructions:

These two are almost the same!  This is a fun game to play when you have some spare time and lots of random Lego pieces.  What are some of your favorite Lego games?

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May 11, 2012 · 4:42 pm

Legos @ the Library: Let’s build something together!

Working together to build something great!

As you can tell from the photo above, today’s Legos @ the Library session was all about teamwork.  Many kids collaborated in groups of three or four to create some awesome structures.

For example, here’s a challenging course that Evil Knievel would have to be crazy to try:

Here are a couple more creations from today:

This is the latest design for the boat that a couple of Lego builders have been working on for a few months.

Are you looking for a great book about Legos?  Look no further!  The LEGOS Ideas Book is the ultimate guide for builders of all skill-sets.  The book includes photographs of hundreds of different Lego creations constructed by professional designers.  Have you ever seen a complex Lego creation and wonder to yourself “how did they build that?”  You can find the answer in the interviews with the builders included in the book.  Some of the Lego creations featured do use specialized pieces, but a lot of them seem to use pieces that you might already own in an innovative way.  This is a non-fiction book, but the Lego characters seem to have an opinion about everything and make sure to get their two cents in via cartoon talk bubbles.  You’ll want to flip through this book to read all of the funny comments and marvel at the complex creations.  A definite must for any die-hard Lego fan.

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