Not sure how well this one will work, but was really excited to share it. I think it’s interesting when you have to design a more abstract concept, instead of something more concrete. Anyone can build a castle, but it can definitely take some more thought to make something like this. Not sure how I came up with this one, I think I just came up with a fun idea for “horseradish” and built the challenge around that. Sometimes that’s all it takes.
So after going over rules, we talked a little bit about compound words. Then I explained the challenge–each kiddo would pick a compound word, I think assigning words might be too limiting for some kiddos. From there they would try to make both parts of their word into a Lego build. Keyword here is both parts–in order to complete the challenge, you wouldn’t just make a doghouse if you picked “doghouse.” You would for example build a dog living in an actual house. CRAZY!!
You can make this extra fun and make it a guessing game if you share at the end of your Lego Club. So for the last 10 minutes, everyone has to guess what the word is based on your design.
Think this will be a fun one. It’s a different form of creative thinking, since you have to take something you know and say “how can I represent both parts and get them across,” and THEN actually build it.
To get kids motivated and thinking I put out sheets with a bunch of compound words that I think would work. There are different kinds of compound words–open, closed, and hyphenated, so that’s something to talk about too if you want. Kiddos can definitely come up with their own words, but I feel most kids are going to need help getting the ball rolling on this one.
When I finally did this one, I noticed that there was a lot of parental help for this one, so maybe this idea is a bit too hard for the kids I had. But parents helping is never a bad thing, you’re collaborating and promoting smart play so this one was still a success. There were also some people that were still confused about what a compound word was, but it was still fun and something different to try.
Here’s a bunch of words I thought would be easy or interesting to make. Feel free to add any in the comments:
AIRSHIP
BEDBUG
BLUEBIRD
CARPOOL
CATFISH
COWBOY
CUPCAKE
DRAGONFLY
DOGHOUSE
EARDRUM
EGGHEAD
FIREFLY
GRASSHOPPER
HOMESICK
HOMEWORK
HORSESHOE
JELLYBEAN
JELLYFISH
LADYBUG
MILKSHAKE
NIGHTFALL
PANCAKE
POPCORN
RAINBOW
RATTLESNAKE
SEAHORSE
SWIMSUIT
SWORDFISH
SUNGLASSES
WATCHTOWER
Let me know how this works out for you if you try it!
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The Lego Librarian 
This was such a fun and off-the-beaten-path Tween program! Some kids actually read the flyer and came prepared with the word they wanted to build. Most just looked at a big piece of poster paper I had put up with a selection of words. In the beginning, I had them keep their builds a secret, but several of them completed their first within 15 minutes and then they made more. They loved making me guess. Some more words!: Bookworm, Corndog, Cupcake, Doorbell, Eggplant, Earring, Firecracker (popular), Handbag, Horseshoe (very funny one), Houseboat, Lipstick (hilarious), Toothbrush. I only had one kid who was stressed out by the challenge. In the future, I would like to have a strategy ready for the ones who have a harder time with abstraction.
Thank you so much for your work in developing this fantastic program!
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