St. Patricks Day Stem Fun

  Last week was some more library fun.  Good old hands on fun.  St. Patricks day was the theme. Smiles were guaranteed.

Rainbows were made. Of course this was easier said then down with those slippery little water gel balls.

They weren't looking for gold but, how much gold their buckets could hold.

Their first computer experience with game controls using playdough. 

A catapult was made!

Lucky charms made for the best theme cereal to check and see if the catapult worked.

Hats were made of course.  The easiest thing to make to be festive.

We even caught a Leprechaun and brought him home!

Happy St. Patrick's day!  How will you be celebrating it?

STEM in Session

What is STEM?

Science
Technology
Engineering
Mathematics


  STEM is a learning with a concentration in these four areas.  It's a program used in all areas and levels of education.  My kids because they are younger enjoy this program at their library.

  The STEM program at the library starts out with a book that will give a preview of what will be learned that day.

The kids were able to experience snow, cold and winter in this STEM event.

We measured each other with mittens.

Made igloos or snow castles out of foam blocks and shaving cream.

A sensory bin is always present.  It's a big hit with my kids.

I like the endless possibilities that can be used in a sensory bin! This one used rice and had a scale for the kids to play with.

The science of ice and salt impressed my son.

His expression is priceless!  

Do your kids like Science or Math?  Do you enhance their love or learning of either?

Friday Fun

  Another toy of my youth was Lincoln Logs.  There's something about these logs that are very entertaining. Endless opportunities to build.

  The easiest thing I have found for construction of a log home is to get the pieces assorted.

  I will admit that there was initially a fight to grab all the big pieces because that's a requirement for a house but surprisingly one child took off in a different creative spin.

A rocket was made!

Then all of a sudden I had a parking lot full of cars.    My imagination as a child never went to these two creative spots.

 Let's decide what is going to be built and get building!

The foundation needs to be laid down.

Keep in mind where your property is going to be because you can't move the structure very easily once it's built.

More then one house can be built and located anywhere.  This one was not built under a table it was on a hill under the trees. 

Every town needs a store!

Now I have had these toys since childhood and they have survived.  The kids love when I pull them out because it's a new toy to them and it's fun to build.  Its neat to watch them figure out where to put pieces.  They haven't seen a real log cabin home in person that would be a fun family trip! After that experience they may ask for more logs to build more variations.

Were Lincoln Logs in your home? I think I even seem them in the store so that's nice that they are still selling them!

Lego Fun for Everyone

  This past weekend we were given tickets to check out Brickfest Live.  This event was in Richmond VA which is a nice ride for us.  The kids didn't know where we were going because I like to provide random surprises!

  When we walked into the Richmond Convention Center we were immediately greeted and directed to the appropriate room!

Surprise!

  They knew where they were going and now it was game time!

  Upon entering you are immediately excited at the endless Legos in sight.  The only question is where do we start?

  We checked out the giant mosaic area first.

  People were lined up on the other side of tables making prearranged tiles. Color-coded cards were used to make the specific tiles.  2 individuals were adding the completed tiles to the mosaic on the floor.

  The kids started out with making their own tiles.  They could choose to make one from a card provided or make their own design. 

After you were finishing you got to put it up on a wall along with other micro works of art!

Have you heard of MeeperBots?  

You could give the robotic cars a test drive! 

They were controlled by an app on your phone!

I think our favorite Legos were the one under the black light.  Not that everyone had a playroom with a black light but now after this show it makes a cool option to have.

Legos stimulate the imagination and creativity.  

My son thought it was so neat to see the Lego cars line up for a race.

This whole setup would be super easy to set up in the house compared to a black light. 

Legos are not just about building.  They are so versatile!  Look how they can be used to embellish! We had fun playing 9 holes of golf! 

Did I even mention how easy it was to spend hours at this event?  I never heard I'm bored, not even once!

We did skip the Lego video game section as my kids are a little younger.  This station had about 6 screens and the game looked action packed and entertaining.

 Animated Legos in a black lighted room was pretty neat.  Mom, can you make that? Um, no our Legos don't move unless you make them move.

If you can dream it you can build it. Architecture lane.  A row of famous buildings Lego style were neat and maybe the closest I will get to these landmarks.

A pool of blue just in case it's your favorite color.

Last stop before we left was to check on the giant mosaic but we had to take pictures with some groupies first.

Our day was complete and now the last stop was to see the progress of the mosaic.

It was coming along nicely!  It was neat to see how everyone was working together to make this.  My son thought it was neat as he is a Star Wars fan!

I was provided this trip for review.  All opinions were my own.

Have you checked out Brickfest Live?  I saw adults have just as much fun as the kids!  Have you seen the glow in the dark Legos before?