We talked to the family about their experiences building together and asked for their tips for other LEGO family builders.

MEET THE FAMILY!

Ethan (8), 3rd Grader
Favorite subjects: Math, history and science
Hobbies: Building and playing with LEGO sets, videogames, reading
Dream LEGO Project: All of LEGOLAND® in his backyard

Natalie (5), Kindergartener
Favorite subjects: Everything!
Hobbies: Arts & crafts (painting and drawing), riding her scooter and bicycle
Dream LEGO Project: A baby dinosaur

Kevin (38), a.k.a. Dad
Job: Geochemist
Hobbies: Landscaping, home construction, playing with his kids
Dream LEGO Project: A mechanical motorized man that can walk and do flips and karate moves

Jodi (40), a.k.a. Mom
Job: Stay-at-home mom
Hobbies: Gardening, reading, caring for her family
Dream LEGO Project: Something to clean up all those LEGO pieces!

BUILDING TOGETHER

The family builds together as often as they can. Ethan usually takes the lead – just like his dad Kevin did when he was a LEGO-building kid! (He’s played with LEGO bricks all his life and still has lots of his old collection.)

Ethan likes to build from the sets’ official instructions, but the family has made plenty of their own creations as a team, too. They’ve built a space station using Dad’s collection of LEGO bricks from the ‘70s, castles of every kind for their minifigures to live in, new BIONICLE characters and battle scenes, bridges, houses, boats, and more! Kevin especially likes making cars, cranes, and other machines that really function using TECHNIC gears and pieces.

WHY BUILD AS A FAMILY?

“We love buying new LEGO sets because there are so many cool things to build,” the family tells us. “The variety in pieces now (as compared to when Dad was a kid) is amazing.”

Mom and Dad like how building provides creative time away from the TV and computers. “It gives us time to just visit and talk while we are building together. It’s a good thing for parents to have at least one genuine interest in something that their kids love to do. Our lives are just so busy these days that those times when we build create the opportunity to be together and be a family having fun.”

Ethan is a big fan of minifigures and adds that LEGO sets “are the funnest toys ever,” and a good way to unwind after a busy day at school.

STARTING A FAMILY PROJECT

The family usually starts a group project by brainstorming together over what to make. They keep their LEGO pieces in bins and sorted by piece type. Before they build, they arrange the bins in a huge circle in Ethan’s room…and occasionally out into the hallway, too!

Kevin likes to think about the bricks in front of him before he starts building, but Ethan and Natalie prefer to just dive right in and start putting pieces together. Sometimes everybody works together, and sometimes they all build their own thing. Once in a while, the family just dumps the bins out onto the floor and starts with a huge pile of bricks, which they recommend as a fun way to design LEGO models on the fly.

Ethan and his dad do a lot of building together. Kevin handles most of the mechanical designing, while Ethan comes up with ideas and special functions for the models, like weapons, machines, trap doors and secret rooms. Natalie likes to keep everybody company and often builds her own creations while Ethan and Kevin work on their projects. Some have been known to take up an entire Saturday!

ENTERING THE CONTEST

Ethan and Kevin wanted to create something for the Family Building Challenge that no one else would make. They thought about it together and decided to make a giant T-rex that their minifigures could ride around in. Natalie helped out by keeping the builders company, and Mom acted as official reviewer and suggestion-maker as the model neared completion.

The finished T-rex is 2 ½ feet long, 1 ½ feet tall, and has spring-loaded snapping jaws and a turning head. It took a month to build, and it’s the biggest model that the family has ever made!

BUILDING TIPS FROM THE FAMILY

• “LEGO building provides good family time. Don’t let your kids do it alone – they love it when parents jump in! It is a great time for the whole family.”
  
• “If your idea doesn’t work the first time, keep trying new ways until it does work.”
  
• “Think “outside the box”…use your imagination and have fun!”