LEGO: Build Your Own Adventure - Star Wars
ISBN 9781465450456
LEGO: Build Your Own Adventure - City
ISBN 9780241237052
Dorling Kindersley, 2016
Kit including hbk book and LEGO pieces.
Given the buzzword of the moment in school libraries is
'makerspaces' and there are constant requests to the forums I belong
to for
ideas about activities that can be offered, especially those which
enhance
the library experience as well as the design, make, appraise
process, this
series offers a wide-ranging solution.
While we are all familiar with the regular box of Lego bricks and
paper
instructions for making what's inside (instructions which always get
damaged
or lost), the instructions for these creations come in a hardcover
book with
the LEGO pieces in a separate container which can be opened out to
form the
foundation of the adventures. They are enclosed in a sturdy slipcase
which
makes for easy storage. The box also has a pictorial list of its
contents so
putting them back should be easy.
Each comes with a mini-figure and a vehicle related to the theme -
City has
a fireman and a firetruck while Star Wars has a rebel pilot and
Y-Wing
Starfighter - and the makers are encouraged to build them from the
supplied
bricks following the very clear, full-colour numbered instructions.
Then,
within the book there are suggestions for building further
adventures using
their own bricks to create their own story. Each is divided into
chapters
with clear pictures of the models that could be built to enhance the
telling
although instructions are not given because builders might not have
the
precise bricks used. For example, in City which features Ed the
firefighter
there are clear pictures to build the fire station environment as
well as
suggestions for uniform lockers, a town map and a tool bench. Each
chapter
then features a cityscape with a range of related suggestions for
getting
the imagination and creativity into top gear.
For those new to LEGO there is a pictorial 'glossary' identifying
terminology with examples so budding builders can hunt through their
existing LEGO collection to find the sorts of pieces they will need,
as well
as five pre-build checks which would make a handy poster to display
in the
makerspace.
1. Organise your bricks into colours and types
2. Be creative and substitute other bricks if you don't have the
exact
one in the plan
3. Research what you want to build by finding pictures on it in
books or
online
4. Have fun and if something isn't what you thought it would be,
change
it to something else
5. Make a model stable to house the creations
While each of the books in the series would be perfect for an
individual
LEGO fan, their appeal for the library collection is that there are
plenty
of ideas and opportunities for groups of builders to collaborate and
negotiate to build an entire scene that could then be photographed
and used
as an individual story stimulus, allowing each to create and achieve
at
their own level.
Whether your library or school has an existing LEGO collection or is
just
starting to acquire one, this series is an excellent starting point
to
giving its place in the makerspace and the curriculum focus and
purpose, not
just for the thinking and building processes involved but also those
essential people skills of collaborating, negotiating, making
suggestions
tactfully, offering feedback and being a team member.
Barbara Braxton