LEGO Bricks provide such an opportunity for learning, collaboration, and enjoyent.

A few years ago I taught a popular 10 week LEGO class.

We built with bricks each class meeting, played LEGO Bingo, learned about how to speak effectively in front of of a group, and just had a blast being together.

I wanted the children, however, to come away with some solid building techniques that would help them build strong creations once they were at home.

Have you heard of the Interlocking Brick Technique?

The Little Brick Schoolhouse Glossary defines interlocking as:

stacking LEGO bricks by overlapping bricks from one row on top of another row, in the same way that brick houses and block walls are built. By interlocking bricks, you can't remove a single brick without removing others. Interlocking bricks makes for a strong and stable structure.

We first heard of this technique at the Lego Discovery Center in Atlanta. The kids attended a workshop with a LEGO masterbuilder and it was all about this technique. He built a column of bricks so strong he could stand on it, because of the interlocking technique he used.

It's very easy - just make sure your bricks overlap (just like the picture of the brick wall above). Don't let any of their seams match up.

The Lesson

To teach the lesson to my class I told them we were going outside to --- you guessed it -- sit in front of a BRICK WALL.

As the children were sitting in front of the wall I simply asked them what they noticed about the bricks. Why did the bricks overlap in this way? Why did they think the builders had chosen to interlock the bricks instead of just stacking them?

The short answer: It makes a building stronger.

I dumped basic LEGO bricks on the sidewalk and told them them to build me their best example. Some kids worked together, others chose to be on their own. Some chose a long wall, some chose to go tall. It was fun to watch.

There is something magical about watching a group of excited children so focused on a goal.

They were very proud of what they had created.

Testing the Theory

Would this theory actually work?

The kids wanted to stand on their creations to test it out.

Lo and behold....

What a fun day this was. The students in my class told me it was their SECOND favorite day - the first was Minifig Day!

If you're interested in downloading the 10 Week LEGO Class plans they are available to you for free!

LEGO Supplies

We're not much for fancy LEGO sets here. We like basic LEGO bricks, base plates, doors, windows, and minifigs. You can do so much with these basic supplies, and your child's creativity will soar!

The most simple of things can turn out to be the most memorable.

I vividly remember tracing the cartoon section from the weekend newspaper when I was a little girl. My mom would sit me down at the kitchen table with one of my dad's good pens, some deli paper, and the funnies.

I spent HOURS tracing.

As we were reviewing geography memory work one day in our homeschool I thought how much more FUN and ENGAGING it could be if my kids would trace their maps.

And so it began. Our tracing odyssey.

This has been the single most effective way to cement geographical knowledge for my children.

Like I said, it's the simplest of things, right?

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Why Drawing/Tracing?

We have been inspired to learn much more about geography because of Classical Conversations.

I love Globetrotting: the Core of Geography - this is a good article to read that details an approach for drawing the world.

I encourage my children to trace for the following reasons:

It develops a habit of attention.
It allows for a great looking finished product we can save and put in a notebook.
It reinforces our geography memory work.
It forces you to look at the SPECIFICS on a map (rivers, mountains, etc...).

For some reason, map tracing is just a HIT in our homeschool.

Maps to Use

While you can use any maps you choose, I believe it is important that you consistently use the SAME maps and make sure they are clear and simple. Good maps aren't always easy to find. If you Google "maps for tracing" you will come up with all kinds of things.

We love our maps from Notebooking Pages (we have a lifetime membership).

We also have a few atlases on our shelves. Provide children a variety of maps and atlases so they can explore as they feel led.

Other Helpful Supplies:

Tracing Paper

Sharpies

How We Schedule Map Tracing into our Homeschool Day

Maps get traced DAILY.

We actually created a geography table one year just for all of the tracing activities!

My son gets his maps folder and tin of supplies and traces the map for the week (I make sure the maps are numbered by the week of CC we are in).

If he finishes the map for the week he is free to go back and trace a map from a previous week. Most times I have to tell him to STOP tracing because we need to move on to something else!

As I mentioned, we use the Classical Conversations geography memory work as our guide, but you could trace based on an area you are studying in history, or with your own geography curriculum.

Enjoy the following video - it's such a great reinforcement of what my kids are learning, plus it's just pretty cool to see someone draw the entire world freehand!

How to Stand On Your LEGO Creation