Learn STEM with Legos
Posted on February 12, 2014 at 6:00 am
by Amber W.
Did you know-?
Building Legos is a real job. People get paid to design and create Lego models before they are made to be sold. To do this job you need to have a background in art, design, and engineering.
“Lego” comes from the Danish words “leg godt” which means play well. Your Legos will fit and work with all Lego blocks built since 1958. That means if your grandparents have Legos they will fit yours.
When you play with Legos you’re not just having fun – you’re learning. You’re learning engineering, math, and problem solving while designing and being creative.
When you follow Lego directions, or even when you build what you see in your head you’re taking a 2D image and making it 3D. The fancy term for this is spatial reasoning. But even if you aren’t using these words to describe what you’re doing when you make that awesome castle or spaceship, you’ve reasoned it out, planned ahead, and used patterns and proportions (fancy math words) to make it. You’ve also probably looked at your pile of Legos and estimated how much you have so you know what you can make.
If you try and build a tall Lego tower first you have to figure out a way to keep it from falling over. The taller it is, the harder it is to keep it standing. Figuring it out, problem solving, and making it work is engineering. Building things that don’t break and don’t fall over is called structural engineering. Through trial and error you probably have discovered that the bottom of your tower, the base, needs to be wide enough or secured so it isn’t wobbly. And when you make a bridge and know that it needs support under it or your car won’t make the trip is civil engineering. Learning is fun right?
Spokane County Library District has over 240 pounds of Legos – that’s more than 100,000 pieces (that’s a really conservative estimate) just waiting to be used. Come build with us!
We had a great time at Cheney and Argonne. The following Lego Build Days are still upcoming:
AIRWAY HEIGHTS
Saturday, Mar 1, 10am-5pm
FAIRFIELD
Saturday, Mar 1, 10am-5pm
OTIS ORCHARDS
Saturday, Apr 5, 10am-5pm
DEER PARK
Saturday, May 3, 10am-5pm
MORAN PRAIRIE
Saturday, Jun 7, 10am-5pm
MEDICAL LAKE
Saturday, Oct 4, 10am-5pm
NORTH SPOKANE
Saturday, Nov 1, 10am-5pm
SPOKANE VALLEY
Saturday, Dec 6, 10am-5pm
