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)
This would be great for my son. He LOVES Legos and has been struggling a bit lately in writing.
Thanks :)
My son would love this. Legos almost all waking hours!)
My children love using Legos to spark their interest in subjects that they consider less than savory! :)
We *love* LEGO at our house! I hope we win!
This would really help my son who is a hands on learner and loves Lego's to express his reading comprehension. Thank you for the opportunity!
My kids love Legos! I love the way you used them with your son! I think my kids would enjoy using them like this - almost like building a 'book report'!
This is amazing! I teach a Lego class at our co-op and am just beginning to realize the possibilities of Lego in education. Thank you for inspiring me!
This looks like an awesome way to take LOGO to the next level. I would love to challenge my son using some of those cards along with the books we read.
This set looks amazing! Thank you for your informative reviews on these products and for all the ideas you give on how to integrate Lego bricks into our learning times :)
Both my boys love, love, love Legos. This would be a great activity for them to get their minds going & give them some "play" time. :)
All 5 of my kids have loved Duplos and Legos. Great for imaginations!
My son loves LEGOs but hates all things school related. I would love to give this method a try and see if I can get him more interested in schooling.
My lego lovers could use this curriculum to build confidence in subject areas they are less motivated in.
I see Build to Express helping him with his creativity and ability to build creations using a variety of pieces (versus wanting pictures or directions).
This sounds just right for our kids! Hope to win so we can try it out!
My children love LEGOs and we use them for math manipulatives and also for creative thinking. Then during fun time their imaginations run wild!
I have three kids and I know they would love this! They are very creative, always using their imaginations. I love the idea that it helps with literature and reading. That is one aspect I struggle with my two boys on.
My son is not so crazy about school, but he is CRAZY about Legos. This would be a fantastic way to engage him in the story as well as tap into his creativity. What a great idea!
Thanks for a great giveaway! Both of my children enjoy Legos. If I won this, I would definitely see if it helps my daughter enjoy the writing process more.
Wow! What a great resourse! I would love to start using this in our homeschool.
My son always sits with a bin of Lego while we do read alouds! The cards look like they would help with new ideas.
My two kids would love this curriculum. Playing with Legos always brings out their creativity and imagination.
This would be great for all levels in our household. I have one who will only do math with Legos and another who hates story writting but will build and tell me a story all about it with Legos ANY DAY. My girls would LOVE these!!!
I have two boys that are crazy about Lego! We love anything that makes learning extra fun--we would love using this set! Thanks for the chance!
My boys love Legos and the set would be a nice addition to their collection.