Lego Club Party!

We had a wonderful time being part of the Lego Club this past year, it was really fun. For the end of the year I did a lego party the boys really did a wonderful job helping me plan it. For fun we gave out these lego crayons or Lego Key chains (see the bottom) I made them. The boys did wonderful at making they crayons they were easy but very time consuming 

We also read about crayons and how they are made in this awesome book called Transformed!

They boys also helped me make bean bags for the lego bean bag toss. The older two have used the sewing mating before, they did the peddle while I did the top this time both Ethan and Aaron did pretty good on there own, just have to go slow! the younger two I helped. (I did all the circles though)

The younger two loved to fill them with beans then we sewed them closed.

At the lego party these were the games we played… Lego Memory game. The boys build this board with lego mini figures doing things, we let them look at it, then we covered it, and let them guess to see what they could remember.

kids loved this. I thought about doing a fun action display but the boys wanted to do this, and it was easier :)

Here each kid got an equal about of legos in a dish, and they had different build challenges - like tallest tower in 10 second, or use only 2 brick and build - etc. I did not run this table so I did not come up with them but they were super fast and easy.

Here was the lego bean bag toss I made these four squares with duplo legos and they were to try to match the bag to the square. (orange went with yellow though) I thought it would be to easy but it was harder then the kids thought- they enjoyed the challenge.

Here are the lego keys chains I made. I had my wonderful husband drill holes in the legos, I added a ring, and chain that I got at hobby lobby, then added a key chain ring also hobby lobby. The tags I made with just finding images on line, then adding info under them in word, and printed them out cut them into shape of a tag laminated them, cut out again and added an i-let, because I have way to much scrapbook stuff that I will never use :) they were easy, and not to expensive but did take a lot of time. Mostly a lot of the time was deciding how I was going to do it.

Everyone has sooo much fun and that makes me happy! We also had pop corn and watched a short lego movie.

PreK and Kindergarten Activites

Homeschooling lots of children of different ages is really a challenge. I have read and listen to lots of tips on how to do it and why. They are all different and work well for those families, THAT is the wonderful thing about homeschooling. I have had weeks where I feel like I am sinking in a sea of dishes, laundry and piles of "to do" school stuff. Or where I just can't seem to get anything done because my younger kids are distracting me. 

 I have tried giving the younger kids things to do while I work with the older kids, and I have tried just having them tag along while they sit on the older kids stuff, and this works "some" but I still find they are happiest when they get their school time too. I do pre K and Kindergarten level activities (just for the younger two boys) 1-2 times a week. The other days through the week, they each get their reading time with mom where we read books then do a puzzle or quick game etc. For me I find my younger boys are much better about doing "busy bags" or playing or doing things on their own better if they get some time with me too. For us, I give the older two something they can go by themselves (first thing after our spiritual thought), while I play with the younger ones, Then They are much better behaved while I work with the older two. Most of these ideas/activites are from early in the year but I am just now getting them posted. 

 Here are a few things I have done with my younger boys. Ryan (picture one) is making a number line up to 20 creating something from Legos for each number on the line. GREAT activity lots of practice counting. We did this over time, not all the numbers in one day. Picture two is similar, these are beads on pip cleaners, then a sticky note with the number on top. Dallin did 1-10, Ryan did 11-20 again we did a couple each week, then reviewed each time we got the project out again. They really liked it.

 Ryan LOVED this activity, and Dallin helped too. I would give them a letter in this picture it was the better B and he went though the house finding things that started with that letter. I then put the words on pieces of paper and we sounded them out, to match the word to that item. I went with him searching,  but he found everything on his own.

 This is a really fun Lego Math game teaching greater then and less than. I give them a container of Legos, and start the sand timer, they build as fast as they can until the timer is out. Then we count how many each person has, then see who has greater or who has less. Dallin just learns to count and number recognition, Ryan is really learning the concept of greater and less.

 For Dallin after we counded his I would give him four options of cards and say "where is the number 10? and have him find that card, that matches the number of Legos we counted. I did this for Ryan too, even though he already knows them.

I try to keep things simple around here, I do not have tons of time to plan, print, cut out and do long fancy things. These things are easy, and do not takes lots of time, but when for me, I find when I spend that time with my little ones, they are happy they do not feel like they are being pushed aside for the older ones, and I feel happy because I get time to enjoy my little boys personalities before they are all grown up!

Lego Books we use.

I have had A LOT of people ask me about what Lego books we use. So I thought I would share what we like here. 

This is our FAVORITE book! HERE is the LINK 

 I did A LOT of looking and looking and reading before getting this book, there are LOTS out there. but this one we like the best! Some others just show the sets Lego has done, others are like this but use a lot of really advanced stuff, and lots of specialty things. I found this book to have both some advanced and some simple things. It also gives really good tips too. BUT it does NOT have step by step instructions. (which I knew- but I just wanted to make that clear.)

 Here is an example above is a pic from the book and bellow is Dallin with my version of the plane

 I will admit sometimes I get frustrated because I "can't tell how they built it" of I think "if I could see the other side, or the underside of it" some things they dooo show undersides or back sides but not everything. Even so I still love this book the  best - for ages 8 to Adults

 Her is another example Here is the barn pictures that inspired my Barn that we made here is just one pick- click on the Lego activities to see more pictures

Book example bellow 

There is another "series" of Lego books we like by Sean Kenney- I have looked at all of them but I only really liked two enough to by them (used even). They are cute, and fun, but pretty short. So you do not get a lot of ideas for the price. We have this "cool Cars and Trucks book" and also the "cool Robots book" We have borrowed this one from the Library "cool Castles" but I did not feel the boys would use it enough to buy it. These books are fun for younger kids to look at but not really any easier builds to do still say ages 7-13 and up 

The other one we have is 

The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide

this one is for ages 10 to adults, and there is not a lot of pictures, this is written details about how to use your Lego's to build stable things, cool textures and different tips. I honestly have not read it to much as it is a gift for Ethan but we have not given it to him yet. 

This is the other book that I have not gotten yet but I am thinking will be our next Lego book purchase IF we decided we need more books. 

It is called the Lego Idea Adventure book  it does show more step by steps but it seems to use a lot of fancy specialty pieces. I just flipped though it once at a book store, but I would like to go back and look at it some more before I buy it. 

We have also found a lot of fun ideas on pintrest and this site is really cool (see bellow) it has free instructions for LOTS of sets, so if you have a lot of Legos you may already have the pieces just need some instructions. 

this one called Lets build again 

Well hope you and your Lego Loving family find this helpful! 

Lego Barn - Family project

Ethan was given a cow Lego piece by his friend, and he was also picked to bring something to show and tell about at Lego Club. Ethan decided he wanted to make a barn. Soooo of course I got all excited, and we busted out our new favorite Lego idea book and got to work. 

 Again- we all helped but Ethan and I worked on this the most. The roof was the hardest part!!! and when the boys finally took this all apart I think I about cried. Good thing I took pictures!
The top pictures is our barn and the front view- our family is all eating at the table- outside :)

 Here is the side view, with the ducks, and a little pond.

 Here is our family, each boy picked out and designed there own Mini figure to look just like them, but then they played with them, and when I went to take pictures they could not find them, so Ethan made these but they are not as good as the ones we did originally

 Inside we have our horse, cow, and pig- which we built. But we now have a pink Lego pig piece, so next time we do a farm (and I know we will) we will have a pink pig!

 Above those animals we have the chickens, Ethan designed these with the help of some ideas in a castle Lego book we got from the library.

 Here is the inside of the barn on the side, this is where the family lives. - yes we love our animals sooo much we live inside with them (this is how they wanted it) Up stairs is the potty, sink, and the boys beds.

 Bellow is the Will and I bed :) and our stove, food, supplies, and piano.

 Will is making dinner while I play the piano :)

 Our little tractor trailer we build to do all the work on our farm.

 We are all singing around the piano while I play- at the time we were practicing and singing the star spangled banner, which I am learning to play (I had it down really good- but have not practiced and now I am really bad at it again) Anyway- so us all singing together while I play was on the boys minds. Although it was my idea to build the piano.

 Here is a cool pick up truck I did, because those are a must on a farm, and above is the dog house that Ethan made, for our Lego dog. (could not find him when I took these pictures)

I do not even want to think about the hours I sometimes feel like we "waste" doing Legos but you know- we really do have lots of fun, and learn new creative skills on how thinks work and fit together

Lego Club

My friend Amy started a Lego club, and my boys are part if it. She is amazing. I am thinking of doing one when we move. My boys LOVE LOVE LOVE Lego club! 

 at one of our meeting the kids each brought a game they made, Aaron played this one that his friend made, and it was a lot of fun.

 Ethan and his friend did this game where you blow on the cars to see who wins the race. Very cool

 Ethan is here showing a couple other boys how to play the game he made.

 Ryan showing a friend how to do his Lego maze that he made.

They have a lot some other fun activities, like Balloon Lego cars and other creative build. But mostly all the kids just like getting together, and looking at each others cool creations!

Legos are a big part of our homeschooling life.

Legos have been a very exciting part of our homeschooling, and I will be sharing a lot more of the ways use use them in our schooling but here are just some we have done together 

 Boston Tea party- later we made this into a Pirate ship!

 These are the LDS conference center (made by my oldest, Ethan) Bellow is the LDS Temple, we did this as a family- mom was the mater designer.

 Here is a truck I made for Ryan

 This is a Truck Ethan made- we did have instructions for a truck and he used that as a guide but made it his own "flying space truck"

 Here is a Castle  I made for Aaron

 Ryan and Dallin LOVE to make marble mazes

 Ethan building with instructions which IS a great skill, learning to read and fallow directions and laid out plans is a great thing, this teaching them stills of working independently.

 Ryan (this is from a long time ago) used them to "show" amounts on the number line from 1-20 He created different things using "that many" Legos

 Here is another time we learned about the Eire Canal, read some books and learned a fun song they on their own decided to build, and act out the story of how they would build these boats and have them pulled by oxen along the Eire Canal.

I will share many more ways we use Legos or some of the boys Lego creations as they come.