Mary E Gates

DK Books has some books on LEGO. I'm not suggesting you use these to
"teach" your kids, but have them as a resource, and it might make you
feel better to see that a lot of people take LEGO seriously! There are
competitions! You may find books on LEGO at the library, or contact me
and I can send you the info I have.
Mary Ellen
Be absolutely determined to enjoy what you do.

> Both of my kids (ages 8 & 6) have spent the last week just playing,
>usually with legos. They lack interest in much else. They are certainly
>involved in their play but it worries me that they have no other
interests.

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Michele Moss

> From: Mary E Gates <megates@...>
>
> DK Books has some books on LEGO. I'm not suggesting you use these
> to "teach" your kids, but have them as a resource, and it might make
> you feel better to see that a lot of people take LEGO seriously!
> There are competitions! You may find books on LEGO at the library,
> or contact me and I can send you the info I have. Mary Ellen Be
> absolutely determined to enjoy what you do.
>
hello everyone!
i'm WAY behind in my email reading but saw the Mary's subject
line of LEGO's and thought i'd share a couple tidbits of info. first
off, i have seen several sites on the internet belonging to some very
serious lego enthusiasts and guess what... they are mostly adults!
the creations they are showing off are AWESOME!! huge castles,
cities, and generally incredible creations. it is obvious that a lot
of creative thought, hard work, and mechanical engineering went into
these works of art. i probably have some of these on my browser's
bookmarks list. if anyone is interested, i will see what i have.

and for anyone that might doubt the educational value of Lego's
let's not forget Lego's entire line of robotics which i would guess
is very educational. i haven't experienced these first hand yet
though.

i'd also like to share that i was surprised to see an entire Lego
division at the state fair this year. i wished i had known about it
because i certainly would have encouraged Sterling to build something
to enter. i think the youngest entrant i saw was 4yo.

on the same lines....

On October 2nd WalMart is
sponsoring a Jedi Lightsaber Building Contest. Kids have one minute
to build the Ultimate Lightsaber. Lego bricks will be supplied by
WalMart. Three Winners (from 3 age categories) in each store will
receive a Lego Star Wars prize Pack including: #7101 Lightsaber
Duel, exclusive Lego Star Wars poster, exclusive Lego Star Wars
stickers, Star Wars "Duel of the Fates" CD from Sony Classical.
Plus, everyone who participates wins an official Lego Star Wars
certificate of achievement.

This info was in Sterling's new issue of LegoMania Magazine he just
received yesterday. I would imagine the info is on
http://www.lego.com also. i have not had a chance to go look if
there is any additional detail there. i'm wondering what the age
categories will be so i'm sure i'll be visiting their site sometime
in the near future.

Sterling has always been a Lego kid and recently graduated to the
smallest size Lego's. In addition to encouraging creative and
critical thinking skills, mechanical engineering skills,
concentration, and i'm sure some others i'm not thinking of at the
moment, they also help develop the fine motor skills in younger
children.




Michele Moss
Infinity Computer Solutions
Great Falls, MT
406-727-5609
http://www.icstech.net

Monica L. Molinar

For those interested in exploring the educational benefits of LEGO, some good resources to investigate are:

LEGO Dacta, http://www.lego.com/dacta/school/
LEGO Dacta aims at providing you and your students with the very best tools for learning. The product range covers all areas of Science & Technology and encourages children to explore, investigate and solve problems.

Pitsco LEGO-Dacta, http://www.pitsco-legodacta-store.com/
Online store featuring Dacta products for use in the following categories:
a.. Transportation & Communication
b.. Design & Invention
c.. Early Childhood
d.. Energy & Power
e.. Machines & Robots
f.. Matter & Light
g.. RoboLab
h.. Shape & Structure
i.. Space & Flight
j.. more...

Spectrum System, http://www.pitsco-legodacta.com/html/SpectrumSys.htm
The Spectrum System is a Math, Science and Technology program. It is a hands-on/minds-on cooperative learning system for all student in grades kindergarten through six.

PCS Edventures, http://www.edventures.com
Offering LEGO courses in Architecture and Mechanical Engineering, in addition to an online cooperative learning program utilizing LEGO and other materials across in an interdisciplinary fashion.

Also, last year, engineering students at the local university used LEGO in their coursework, developing some fascinating projects, which made front-page news around here. :-)

Have fun!

Monica

Michele Moss

> From: "Monica L. Molinar" <Monica@...>
>
> For those interested in exploring the educational benefits of LEGO,
> some = good resources to investigate are:
>
WOW! i bet you can't guess what i've been doing for the last
couple hours! <G> whew! lots of good stuff! thanks for the links!
Michele Moss
Infinity Computer Solutions
Great Falls, MT
406-727-5609
http://www.icstech.net

Monica L. Molinar

> From: "Michele Moss" <michele@...>
> >
> WOW! i bet you can't guess what i've been doing for the last
> couple hours! <G> whew! lots of good stuff! thanks for the links!

You're quite welcome! Let me know if you need more... LOADS of LEGO-related
stuff available!

~Monica