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)
I would love to incorporate this in our homeschool activities. The program looks to be fun, yet thought provoking. It may be just the thing for my reluctant writers.
This looks awesome! We haven't started incorporating Legos into school work yet, besides with math, but I'd love to more, my kids LOVE legos!
My six-year old son loves LEGO. For the last year he has begun looking at magazines and saying "I need that set", but in his mind this means that he is going to go through his LEGOs that he has a make it. He does some pretty amazing thngs. This year he entered Kindergarten and now is able to go to "LEGO club" on Mondays at his school. Any new ideas to use with LEGOs is a great idea in my book.
My sons love legos! This would really be wonderful:)
My son plays LEGOS constantly and I would love this set for him!
I think they would love the challenges to tie LEGO building into reading and understanding better their favorite books. My kids are readers more than builders, and this would be a wonderful element to add to their learning and to expand their skills.
This looks like an awesome set--my kids would LOVE it! Thanks for sponsoring this giveaway.
My Lego learners would love this! We'd use it for Literature, Math, and fun!
Legos are great for the imagination of any age. And specialty pieces are not necessary to encourage this kind of creative play. My children love to interact with each other using their individual creations.
My kids have always loved legos. My oldest still spends a lot of time building with his younger brothers. Legos brings a lot of creativity to children.
My boys are constantly building with their Legos, and it would be awesome to give them some direction to use them for school! They would absolutely love it. Thanks for the opportunity to win :)
Would love to win this for my Lego loving boys!
Both of my children, boy and girl,love to use Legos. My daughter just joined the Lego Robotics Team for Homeschoolers. This would be a great resource for our homeschool!
The challenge cards look like a wonderful way to prompt students to think more about what they have been reading. And then to be prompted to apply it using Legos - fantastic!
The challenge cards look like a wonderful way to prompt students to think more about what they have been reading. And then to be prompted to apply it using Legos - fantastic!
Love Legos! They are math, science and art all rolled into one. would love to win these for my son!
Both my kids are homeschooled and would benefit greatly from using this set. I think the challenge cards would help them develop their problem-solving skills and creativity. Thanks for the opportunity!
My son loves legos, and this curriculum would allow him to learn and think creatively all while doing something he loves!
My son just started reading The Sword in the Tree today. He LOVES Legos, and this would be a great way to be cross-currricular. It would be great to use Legos to stimulate reading skills! I'd never thought of that!
we love LEGOS. my little ones use them regularly to make projects.
My boys love Lego's and we would love to be able to incorporate them more into school. Thank you for the opportunity to win!
I have three boys under 8 and all of them enjoy legos. I would use this to supplement a free lapbook I found and some of the free creative writing downloads (thanks again)!
Growing up my brother collected Legos I remember stepping on one to many. Now my son spends his days building away just like his uncle. With a better mixture of peices I can only dream about how far his imagination will take him.
I think it could help my kids express their ideas better.
All my children love LEGO, boy and girls! I haven't used much LEGO for curriculum so I could see this set as a great way to start off learning how to use LEGO Education!