LEGO is for play and is for everybody. Through LEGO, we discover our creativity, and during the process, we find our pleasure.
In front there are a few pieces of LEGO, our fingers naturally reach out to snap them together producing a gentle but reassuring clicking sound. The pieces are suddenly alive inviting us to turn them around and imagine all the possibilities they can be transformed into.They could be changed to an animal or a fantasy building we have not even seen before. Take a few pieces off and add a few more, and then new possibilities emerge. Our fingers flip through the rest of parts. Sometimes the needed pieces are right there allow the continuing of the building. Other times, they are not available. With the fingers still on the pieces, we do not mind looking around or shouting out to get help. When realized the pieces we need are not available, we can always find some pieces can be repurposed to become a useful building block. Finally, creation is born. Imagination becomes a reality. Joys are not just from us but also from people look at it and touch it. All these can happen in just a few minutes. Because of such fun experiences, LEGO is widely recognized as an intellectual toy. Many want more out of it than just playing. They hope to use it as a tool to make people especially kids more creative and help them grow intellectually. This is why people are willing to spend a lot of money on expensive LEGO products.
One common misconception, however, is that just playing with a pile of LEGO will automatically help sustainable creativity. On the contrary, randomly playing LEGO, while is enjoyable, it does not make LEGO a different from other toys. To make a LEGO as a creativity tool, it needs a guided play. This is just like to play in a pool will not make people become a swimmer, which requires specialized training and guidance.
I discovered this process of making my own LEGO creations, teaching and exhibiting at various events throughout years including Maker Faire, Bring Your Child to Work Day, Stanford Splash Program, and Workshop Weekend. After giving some guidance and challenges, the kids in my classes or at our booth can create amazing things in a very short period of time.
