I usually share what I have my kiddos build, but this time I wanted to highlight a Lego idea that one of my staff has been doing. Currently I host a nighttime Lego program for families, and JoLynne has been running an after school Lego program for grade school kiddos for years. She came up with this idea when shopping at Menards, where they have the big holiday display, and thought it would make a great Lego challenge. This was kinda similar to the Rebuild Your Town challenge I had a long time ago, but it’s a great spin on it and a way to do the holidays that’s both inclusive and creative.
So again, I didn’t do this one, but I’m going to add a little bit of my own take on it while still talking about JoLynne’s process. So after going over rules, kids were told that the challenge was to make something for the winter village. Could be a house or some sort of building, or a skating rink, or something involving the holidays.
What was really smart is that JoLynne had her kiddos use the SMALL baseplates for their builds instead of the standard larger ones. That’s such a good idea because: A) a smaller plate means you’ll finish faster and can then work on the details that will make it FEEL like a village, B) it ensures that’s everyone’s will fit in the display and has the effect you want.
The kids really got into this challenge, I was blown away by so many builds that it was hard to decide what to add to this post! There was a lot of winter houses, snowmen, and Santas, but there was also a mall with a Black Friday sale fight, for the kiddos that always have to build battles haha. I also saw a Scrooge and Ghost of Christmas Future in a graveyard–so lots of options.
What’s so great about this challenge is the displaying of it. Kids and families always love looking at the Legos on display, but sometimes it’s hard to show what the theme or challenge was without some sort of signage. Here–everyone gets it instantly. JoLynne adding that layer of snow on the shelf helps add to the effect. And it blends in well the rest of your library holiday decorating. So kids are basically decorating your library for free!!
JoLynne also had the great idea of building and adding in her own little details, like this train. In those winter village displays, it’s always the small details that people notice, and from watching people look at this display for the past few weeks, they DEFINITELY noticed those details.
Special thanks to JoLynne for allowing me to write about this and take photos. JoLynne has been inspired by the blog for awhile, so I’m so happy to work with her and be inspired by her too 🙂
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