Building Creativity and Imagination With LEGO - BuildToExpress Giveaway
Wednesday, September 18, 2013 at 5:00AM
LEGO Education® materials have enriched our homeschool in untold ways.
From learning to write stories, to learning about simple and motorized mechanisms and simple machines, it is safe to say that anything from LEGO Education® is a tremendous learning resource!
The most recent resource we have been using, BuildToExpress, is specifically designed to stimulate your child's creative thinking and imagination.
About BuildToExpress
The BuildToExpress product we have been using contains two parts:
- BuildToExpress Core Set The core set contains 200 elements that developers have carefully selected to peak students' interest in creating metaphors and telling stories. The set also comes with a building plate and a convenient storage container.
- BuildToExpress Guide & Activity Pack The guide and activity pack is what truly makes this a unique resource. While designed for classroom use, we have been using it on an individual basis (but I bet it would be FABULOUS for a co-op class, too!). There is a teacher's guide included, as well as a DVD Rom that includes all of the printables for 30 challenge cards and a challenge card creator.
These two resources together allow my son to use these LEGO bricks to think more deeply about literature we are reading, use his creative skills and imagination, and SO MUCH MORE.
Watch this video from LEGO Education® about BuildToExpress. You can also visit this page to read all about BuildToExpress.
*Note: This is done from a classroom perspective - as I have (and will address later) emphasized, this product can easily be adapted for use in your homeschool.
Challenge Cards
The challenge cards contain different cross curricular topics to get your student thinking and creating.
Since we love literature, I chose a literature challenge card set to share with you - and this was also the first activity Grant did with BuildToExpress.
We used The Sword in The Tree (a book Grant just finished), and talked about the book and Grant began to build.
I love how this first card encouraged him to THINK about the main character and other characters in the book.
Grant built this simple scene of Lord Weldon trying to escape the dungeon in Weldon Castle.
We had a great dialogue while he was building.
*I know from also having a seventh grader that these verbal and creative skills will translate into STRONG WRITING in the years to come!
You can see the remaining challenge cards in this activity - and with each one he talked with me more and continued to build. I can see us repeating this process with future books.
Challenge cards 3 and 4 are IMAGINE and CONCLUDE.
There are many more challenge cards that come in the BuildToExpress Activity Guide, and you can even create your own challenge cards.
What We Love about BuildToExpress
I could write a very long list, but I'll just limit this to a few:
- The set comes in a compact box that is easy to store. The pieces are engaging and A LOT can built just from a free build with the 200 elements included.
- The guide and activity pack help me organize an entire LESSON surrounding the LEGO bricks. Grant doesn't even realize we are working on elements of literature, or a science concept. All he knows is LEGO!
- LEGO Education® leaves no stone unturned. They give you MORE THAN ENOUGH direction, challenge cards, and teaching ideas.
- The potential in our homeschool is something I love, but I also love the potential to use this in a co-op or LEGO club setting. It can work well with individuals or groups.
We have just scratched this surface with this resource, and I am SO excited!
Reader Comments (254)
My son loves Legos, his most recent creation was from Lord of the Rings. He's read the Hobbit, and made several scenes from it. Thanks for the giveaway!
My boys are up at 6:15 am, in their room, building with Legos right now. There is no doubt this would get used...a lot!
My Lego Lover woul really benefit from this. He loves to write stories inspired by his lego creations!
I love that LEGO bricks can be used for education, especially that the child doesn't feel like its learning (just LEGO bricks)! We enjoy utilizing our Lego bricks for EVERYTHING home school - math, literature, science, history, geography, even spelling . . . they can be used for ALL subjects! THANKS for the Giveaway :)
We would use it for my son's work. He would love a break from our normal curriculum to use Legos!
My 8yr old is obsessed with Legos. This year has been a bit of a rough start to our homeschool year as far as his attitude. I know he'd perk up a bit if we could incorporate Legos into our school day!! We'd LOVE to win!!
My 4 Lego lovers would enjoy creating scenes from their many made-up stories and acting them out.
I have two Lego crazy boys who would really love this!
My Lego lover is very talkative and comes up with many scenarios for his minifigs. Unfortunately, they're usually a variation of a cops and robbers theme. Maybe this will get him focused more on history or literature re-enactments.
Oh this would be a great to have. I have a little guy who is crazy about lego anything. I use it for learning all the time. Would love to have this to help us along with that.
We love using Legos to learn. This would be a fantastic addition!
My son loves legos, sometimes it is the only way to get him involved in a lesson. This would be a great addition.
My son loves legos, sometimes it is the only way to get him involved in a lesson. This would be a great addition.
My girls would loooooove this!
We could use this as a form of narration. My boys love Legos!
This would be a great set to turn my nonwriter into a writer.
I have four boys! The possibilities are endless.
Wow, this set looks amazing. We are working to build a writer's culture in our home, by reading and discussing, and listening to one another. Both my 7 year old daughter and my 9 year old son are obsessed with LEGO. This would make the perfect addition to our homeschool.
My son has always loved playing with legos, recently he has been getting more and more creative with them. I think he would benefit greatly from this set :) Thanks for offering this as a giveaway!
Woohoo! We love Legos and Giveaways! Our son would be so excited to receive this gift. Homeschooling with Legos ROCKS! Have a wonderful blessed day. :-)
We love legos in our house and I'm always looking for ways to incorporate them into our school days.
Thank you for the great giveaway!!!
This is wonderful, My boys absolutely love Lego's! =)
My kids love Lego, especially my boy, we use it for all kinds of play and learn, we can do the cards to make books and stories come alive or build different objects..
I already try to find ways to incorporate legos into school, because she loves them and it engages her in a different way. It would be great to have some new ideas!