Learning with LEGO bricks was an integral part of our homeschool!
What began at an early age (after seeing an older friend’s collection of bricks) quickly became an obsession. My son was definitely hooked on LEGO, and I found myself using it to teach us about everything—from geography and history to math and science.
I offered LEGO minifig writing prompts for free download (and still do!). We began a LEGO club in our basement. Bricks were strewn all over the house (and no, I don’t think I ever got a handle on how to store them!), and it was a blissful many years of play and creativity.
Through a series of beautiful events, LEGO has continued to be a HUGE part of my son’s life (as you will see in a minute!), and he’s continuing to learn about a lot in life through these simple little bricks.
FUN FACT:
Did you know that the plural of LEGO is LEGO? When speaking about these bricks in the plural, say LEGO. For example: “There are so many LEGO bricks on the floor - it’s driving me bonkers!”
The LEGO Learning Continues
During the height of Grant’s LEGO obsession, we had homeschool family friends who decided to open The Atlanta Brick Co. What started as a little business has turned into a store with two locations and a robust online retail store.
Also, little did we know that the future winners of Season 2 of LEGO Masters lived around the corner from us—and they were employees of the Atlanta Brick Company. Watching the season and then interviewing them when it was finished was fun!
When Grant turned 16, he applied for a job at the Atlanta Brick Company. It’s a special kind of LEGO lover that works at this store. Grant was right in his element and has been working there off and on for the past four years. He’s gone to Mark and Steven’s LEGO studio to hang out, been to LEGO conventions to work the booth for Atlanta Brick Co, and met many Homegrown Learners’ readers when they visit the store!
So much fun stuff, right?
A few weeks ago, Mark came to our house and did a video tour of Grant’s MASSIVE LEGO collection. I wanted to share it with you! So many of you have watched Grant’s love of LEGO for years, which warms my heart. But it also warms my heart that this childhood interest has blossomed into something bigger; he is quite the collector now and is in this for joy and investment.
He has fully funded his collection through work, buy/sell/trade, and a lot of creativity. This entails research to keep up with the value of sets and tracking the value of his collection at the website Brick Economy.
My message to you is this: Encourage your children’s interests. Follow them where they want to go. Learn about what makes them tick. It’s worth it!
LEGO Resources at Homegrown Learners
Don’t forget about our many, many LEGO resources here at Homegrown Learners. You can find most of them on the LEGO Learning page.
